Neste expands its offering for the polymers and chemicals industry by introducing a co-processed renewable feedstock under its established Neste RE™ brand. By co-processing renewable raw materials such as used cooking oil together with fossil crude oil in its conventional oil refinery in Porvoo, Finland, Neste is able to produce a complementary type of Neste RE, a drop-in feedstock for the production of plastics and chemicals. Replacing fossil crude oil with renewable raw materials leads to a feedstock with a reduced carbon footprint compared to conventional fossil feedstock used in the chemicals industry.
A mass balance approach will be applied to attribute the renewable raw materials used in the process as well as the related sustainability benefits to the Neste product, which encompasses pure hydrocarbons that can replace fossil feedstocks such as naphtha or propane in plastics and chemicals manufacturing.
“Our goal is simple: reduce the use of fossil raw materials in the chemicals industry,” explains Jeroen Verhoeven, Commercial Director for Polymers and Chemicals at Neste. “With co-processing of renewable raw materials, we are expanding our offering for the chemicals industry. At the same time, it marks another step in the gradual transformation of our crude oil refinery in Porvoo into a renewable and circular solutions refining hub.”
With the co-processing of renewable raw materials, Neste introduces a third route to produce Neste RE, complementing the production from 100% renewable raw materials at the company’s renewables refineries based on the company’s proprietary NEXBTL technology, as well as via chemical recycling of circular raw materials such as hard-to-recycle plastic waste.
With this new co-processed Neste RE feedstock for the polymers and chemicals industry, Neste is building on experience gained in the co-processing of renewable raw materials into marine fuel and heating liquids.