Neste starts up the world's first large-scale renewable propane production unit in its Rotterdam biorefinery
Type of post: NEWS IN BRIEF.
The main product of the Neste
biorefinery in Rotterdam is the Neste MY Renewable Diesel. The plant is fed
with different wastes and vegetable oils which are processed using a
hydrotreating process (see more information about HVO
biorefineries). Also, LPGs are generated as a side product. They were used
on site to fulfill the heat and energy requirements. But, in September 2014, Neste
announced its intention to invest in a recovery unit to include biopropane in
its portfolio of renewable products at the end of 2016. The new unit would
purify and separate renewable propane from the sidestream gases produced by the
biorefinery.
Finally, three days ago, Neste confirmed the startup
of the world's first large-scale renewable propane production facility (see press
release, 19/3/2018). The first cargo of renewable propane has been
delivered to SHV Energy, who will
market and sell the product to its customers across Europe as BioLPG. On
Friday March 16th, the LPG Coaster named J S Caesar received around
1,100 tons of BioLPG. The new unit has a production capacity of 40,000 tons per
year and SHV Energy will be the exclusive distributor, supplying 160,000 tons
over four years.
Figure 1. World's first large-scale renewable
propane production facility of Neste in Rotterdam (extracted from the press
release)
BioLPG will enable users of conventional fossil
fuels to reduce their carbon footprint, without any modifications to existing
gas applications technology. BioLPG can be used within a full range of LPGs
applications, for instance, transport or commercial heating.
