Seems wild. Is it realistic?

NExBTL diesel

Neste Oil has developed a biodiesel component NExBTL utilizing a proprietary conversion process for vegetable oils and animal fats. NExBTL Renewable diesel properties are similar to the best existing diesels such as GTL or Swedish Environmental Class 1 fuels. NExBTL is sulfur-, oxygen-, nitrogen- and aromatic free and has very high cetane number. Product meets the requirements set by EN590 and WWFC category 4 except for density.

Cold properties (cloud point) of NExBTL can be adjusted in the production from -5 ... -30 ºC to meet the needs of various climatic conditions. Heating value is similar to the EN590 hydrocarbon fuel, storage stability is good and water solubility low. NExBTL diesel is compatible with the existing vehicle fleet as well as diesel fuel logistic system and is technically easy to blend in conventional diesels in all rations.

NExBTL in diesel blends decrease both regulated and unregulated exhaust emission components. Decrease in emissions is dependent on the proportion of NExBTL. NExBTL blends do not have an impact of fuel consumption. (Source: NExBTL - Biodiesel fuel of the second generation; Copyright 2005 SAE International: 2005-01-3771)

Facts about NExBTL Renewable diesel

• A second generation biodiesel developed by Neste Oil
• Can use a flexible mix of both vegetable oils and animal fats
• Excellent fuel properties that meet the highest requirements of automotive manufacturers
• Contributes to a significant reduction in exhaust emissions
• The precise reductions of greenhouse gases depend on the raw materials used in production, but are between 40% to 60% throughout the whole product lifecycle
• Can be used as a blending component in conventional diesel fuel
• Available in 2007.

Production of NExBTL 

Neste Oil is building two NExBTL Renewable diesel production plants at its the Porvoo refinery in Finland. Both are based on the NExBTL production technology developed by Neste Oil. The first plant was completed in summer 2007 and the second one will be completed in 2009. The annual production capacity of each plant will be 170,000 tons.

Neste Oil plans to invest approximately €550 million in building a plant in Singapore to produce NExBTL Renewable Diesel. The plant will have a design capacity of 800,000 t/a, making it the largest facility producing diesel fuel from renewable feedstocks anywhere. Construction of the Singapore plant will begin in the first half of 2008, and the facility is due to be completed by the end of 2010.

The product quality is equal to a second generation biofuel. Neste Oil will be among the first producers and marketers of such a high quality biofuel in the world.

 

Nate

I know it is not good etiquette to point out spelling mistakes on a forum but there is a big difference between Neste and Nestle. Neste Oil being a large Finnish petrochemical company that have been in operation since the 40s while Nestlé is the worlds biggest food and beverage company based in Switzerland who started in the 1860s making baby food.

You ask if the fuel is realistic, as far as I know they have been working on it for a while and have actually been producing it for a few years. BTL (Biomass to Liquid) fuels are not really new. I believe that Neste Oil where about to build another plant but they pulled out over bad press about using palm oil as a feedstock.

 Wow. Thanks for the catch! I just assumed that it was the big food conglomerate getting into biodiesel.

Nate, that is a mistake a lot of people make even over here in Europe.

FWIW... based on:"... NExBTL is sulfur-, oxygen-, nitrogen- and aromatic free and..." I'd guess it's FT diesel,  not biodiesel

Dover:

FWIW... based on:"... NExBTL is sulfur-, oxygen-, nitrogen- and aromatic free and..." I'd guess it's FT diesel,  not biodiesel

I would tend to agree with you Dover. The issue here is why FT lipids? The only answer I can think of is to make the fuel more useful at lower temps. It seems like an expensive process to base a FT sort of expense to utilize a high value feedstock like oil.

It will be interesting to see WTF they are doing and why...

 maybe I'm wrong:

"a biodiesel component NExBTL utilizing a proprietary conversion process for vegetable oils and animal fats."

perhaps like CONOCO-PHILLIPS and TYSON's chicken fat: they thermally crack it: out comes CO2 and a predictable/tunable MW distribution. The thing we can't do if we don't break the FA backbone. 

This is a $200 million process and it uses fats/oils to make a hydrotreated product.  It is isomerized to perform in cold environments.  Not a methy ester and not something amateurs can make at home.