Rotterdam Biorefinery

By -


Nombre / Name
Rotterdam Biorefinery
Empresa / Company
Neste (www.neste.com)
Localización / Location
Rotterdam (Netherlands)
Categoría / Category
Comercial / Commercial
Estado / Status
Operación / Running
Plataformas / Platform
Una plataforma: Aceites /
One platform: Oil
Materia prima / Feedstock
Aceites vegetales y grasas residuales de origen animal / Vegetable oil and waste animal fat
Producto / Product
Aceite Vegetal Hidrotratado / Hydrotreated Vegetable Oil (HVO)
Puesta en marcha / Start-Up
2011

Figure 1. Rotterdam Biorefinery (extracted from Neste Oil web page)

La Biorrefinería de Rotterdam fue puesta en marcha en 2011 y está localizada en el distrito oeste de Maasvlakte del Puerto de Rotterdam, el más grande de Europa y foco de flujos de productos y materias primas. La localización es buena para establecer colaboraciones con las plantas químicas que trabajan en el área. La biorrefinería de Neste produce diesel renovable NEXBTL a partir de una mezcla de aceite de palma, estearina y destilado de ácidos grasos de aceite de palma (subproductos de la producción de aceite de palma), aceite de colza, aceite de jatropha, aceite de camelina, aceite de soja así como residuos de grasa de origen animal producidos por la industria alimentaria. La capacidad productiva de la biorrefinería es de 1 millón de toneladas al año. The Rotterdam Biorefinery was launched in 2011 and is located in the Maasvlakte district west of the Port of Rotterdam, the largest one in Europe and a hub of product and raw material flows. The location provides good opportunities for collaborating with chemical plants in the area. The biorefinery of Neste produces NEXBTL renewable diesel from a mix of palm oil, stearin and palm oil fatty acid distillate (by-products of palm oil production), rapeseed oil, jatropha oil, camelina oil, soybean oil as well as waste animal fat produced by the food processing industry. Its production capacity is 1 million tons per year.

Figure 2. NEXBTL renewable diesel simplified process diagram (extracted from Reference 2)

La tecnología de producción de diésel renovable NEXBTL de Neste está basada en el hidrotratamiento de aceites vegetales. Esta es una manera moderna de producir combustibles diésel de origen renovable de muy alta calidad sin comprometer la logística, los motores o las emisiones gaseosas. Los aceites vegetales químicamente hidrotratados (HVO) son mezclas de hidrocarburos parafínicos, libres de azufre y aromáticos, y con un índice de cetanos muy alto. En el proceso de producción del HVO, se emplea hidrógeno para eliminar el oxígeno de los triglicéridos. Actualmente, se generan LPG como productos secundarios que se usan en la planta para obtener calor y energía. Sin embargo, Neste Oil ha invertido en una unidad de recuperación de biopropano que le permitirá incluir el biopropano en su catálogo de productos renovables a finales de 2016.  Neste's NEXBTL renewable diesel production technology is based on the hydrotreating of vegetable oils. This is a modern way to produce very high-quality biobased diesel fuels without compromising fuel logistics, engines or exhaust emissions. Chemically hydrotreated vegetable oils (HVO) are mixtures of paraffinic hydrocarbons, free of sulfur and aromatics, and with a very high cetane number. In the HVO production process, hydrogen is used to remove the oxygen from the triglyceride (vegetable oil). Currently, LPG produced as a side product is used on site to fulfill the heat and energy requirements. However, Neste Oil have invested in a biopropane recovery unit that it will allow to include biopropane in its portfolio of renewable products at the end of 2016.

_________________________________________________________________________________
REFERENCIAS / REFERENCES
1 www.neste.com/en/corporate-info/who-we-are/production/rotterdam-refinery.
2 P. Lehmus: “Large scale chemical conversion of oils and residues in Rotterdam”. European Biofuels Technology Platform – 6th Stakeholder Plenary meeting (14.10.2014).

Popular Posts

Mini-plant for production of glucaric acid from glucose starts up successfully

By -
Image
Recent news about one of the DOE’s 12 Top Biobased Molecules. Rennovia Inc. and Johnson Matthey Process Technologies announced on July 16 that they have successfully started-up a mini-plant for production of glucaric acid from glucose using jointly developed technology. In March 2014, these companies embarked on a collaboration to develop, demonstrate and commercialize catalytic process technologies for the production of bio-based glucaric acid and adipic acid. Under the collaboration, Rennovia and JM Process Technologies work together in processes based on Rennovia’s technology for the catalytic aerobic oxidation of glucose to glucaric acid and the catalytic hydrogenation of glucaric acid to adipic acid. The final goal of the collaboration is to license a package enabling commercial production of these chemical products. The successful operation of this mini-plant is a major milestone in the journey to achieve this goal. The facility is located at the Johnson Matthey Process ...
Read more

Biorefinery models - Lignocellulosic biorefinery

By -
Image
Publication date: 25/04/2016 Last update: 25/04/2016 ABOUT THE SERIES OF POSTS “BIOREFINERY MODELS” This post belongs to a series called “ Biorefinery Models ”. This series is devoted to briefly describe the models or concepts of advanced biorefineries which have emerged in the last few years and that are rising currently. These models are simplified representations which enable us to understand in a simple way the structure and characteristics of a general biorefinery type. Some of these models refer to the type of feedstock while other focus on the technologies involved. A biorefinery may resemble these models or be the result of variations and combinations of them. It should be noted that although these paradigms are very useful and instructive, they show limitations in describing and classifying complex systems with high level of integration. In order to define and describe a specific complex case, the blog recommends use the classification proposed by IEA Bioenerg...
Read more

Hidrotratamiento (HVO) – Conceptos, materias primas y especificaciones

By -
Image
English version Sección: BIOCOMBUSTIBLES AVANZADOS Serie: HVO - Hidrotratamiento (HVO) – Conceptos, materias primas y especificaciones - Hidrotratamiento(HVO) – Ventajas sobre el biodiesel convencional y propiedades - Biorrefinerías de Aceites Vegetales Hidrotatados (HVO) – El auge del diésel renovable - Entradas: HVO                El acrónimo HVO significa en inglés “ Hydrotreated Vegetable Oils ” (“Aceites Vegetales Hidrotratados”) o ” Hydrogenated Vegetable Oils ” (“Aceites Vegetales Hidrogenados”). Clave del proceso: Tratamiento con hidrógeno. En el proceso de producción de HVO, el hidrógeno se usa para eliminar el oxígeno de los triglicéridos produciendo una mezcla de parafinas lineales, CO 2 y agua. Posteriormente, el producto de la primera etapa se isomeriza, siempre en presencia de hidrógeno, para ramificar las cadenas lineales con el propósito de mejorar las propieda...
Read more

Biobased acrylic acid

By -
Image
Versión en Español Type of post: Fact sheet. Series: Biobased chemicals – Organic acids. Publication date: 05/05/2021. Last update: 05/05/2021. Description - Organic acid with 3 carbon atoms. - It is a clear, colourless, corrosive liquid with a characteristic acrid or tart smell. - Other names: prop-2-enoic acid. Applications - Formation of homopolymers or copolymers which are used in the manufacture of various adhesives, coatings, diapers, detergents, paints, plastics and textiles. The main use of crude acrylic acid is the generation of acrylate esters, followed by the production of polyacrylic acid, used mostly in superabsorbent polymers. - Chemical intermediate in multiple industrial processes. Conventional petrochemical route - Cracking of fossil naphtha to produce propylene / Oxidation of propylene. Main biobased routes - [3-HPA via] Fermentation of sugars to produce 3-hydroxypropionic acid (3-HPA) / Dehydration of 3-HPA. - [Biobased naphtha via] Cracking of biobased naphth...
Read more

Biofuels from algae

By -
Image
In my opinion, the production of biofuels and biobased chemicals from algae is one of the most fascinating topics in the sector of the biorefineries and it will be one of the niches of opportunity with highest potential in the medium and the long terms. This post pretend to be a very basic approach to the topic Algae-to-Biofuels through three general key points. Algae 1,2,3,4,5 Algae include a wide variety of photosynthetic organisms capable of transforming light, water and specific nutrients into products that can be used with commercial and industrial purposes. We can say that algae are sunlight-driven factories with potential to convert CO 2 into biofuels, high-value biochemical, food and feed. There are four algae cultivation technologies currently in use for commercial algae cultivation and proposed for algal biofuel production: extensive or open ponds, intensive or raceway ponds, closed photobioreactors in many designs and closed fermenter systems. Algal biof...
Read more