Biotech Updates

Finnish Oil Refiner to Explore Straw and Waste for Biodiesel

August 7, 2013
News article: http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-08-02/neste-experiments-with-making-biodiesel-from-straw-and-waste.html

In Finland, Neste Oil is seeking to expand the materials it can turn into biodiesel by exploring the use of straw and waste.

While straw and waste are typically used in ethanol production, the company is interested in these feedstocks for use in biodiesel production because the market demand for biodiesel is growing faster and considering that Europe is predominantly diesel-fuelled. Straw and waste are among the inedible feedstocks that have attracted interests from biofuel developers as biofuels made from edible crops like corn, wheat and sugarcane have been blamed for food shortages and food price increases.

Currently Neste is able to produce biofuel from several feedstocks such as vegetable oil, fat from fish processing and animal fats. It has opened what it claims as Europe's first pilot plant for making biodiesel from agricultural and forestry waste.