Neste Oil Biodiesel Plant Commences Operations in Singapore

Neste Oil’s biodiesel plant, located in Singapore, has commenced operations, producing 800,000 tons of NExBTL diesel per year. This fuel would bring down the carbon emission rate by 40 to 80%, contingent on the percentage blending with the traditional diesel fuel. This biodiesel could either be used directly or blended with conventional diesel.

It would be compatible with all diesel engines being used. Neste Oil is also constructing an identical plant in Netherlands, Rotterdam, which would begin operations in the second quarter of 2011.

The biodiesel plant utilizes residual animal fats coming from the food industry, along with either a mixture of oils or vegetable oil alone. Commercial production is carried out by using either esterification or transesterfication. Animal fats and greases which contain low levels of fatty acid undergo esterification, wherein they  are made to react with methanol and potassium hydroxide which acts as a catalyst, to form an ester, which is further treated with another ester to get biodiesel. Plant based oils such as rapeseed oil which have high fatty acid contents undergo transesterification directly to produce biodiesel. Thus raw materials with higher concentration of fatty acids would boost the biodiesel output. By-products such as glycerol are generated which is used in soap manufacturing and other industries.

The most significant factor is that the raw materials used for the production should be sustainable and unnecessary misuse of plants or plant products which may otherwise be used as food material may cause environmental, economic and social problems. Research is also being carried on production of biodiesel from algae.