Neste introduces coprocessed renewable Neste RE feedstock for polymers, chemicals industry

New renewable feedstock derived through coprocessing of renewable raw materials expands Neste’s offering for polymers and chemicals production. (Photo: Neste Corp.)

Neste announced in mid-December that it is expanding its offering for the polymers and chemicals industry by introducing a coprocessed renewable feedstock under its established Neste RE™ brand.

By coprocessing 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,” said Jeroen Verhoeven, Neste’s commercial director for polymers and chemicals.

“With coprocessing of renewable raw materials, we are expanding our offering for the chemicals industry,” Verhoeven said.

“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,” Verhoeven added.  

With the coprocessing of renewable raw materials, Neste introduces a third route to produce Neste RE, complementing the production from 100 percent renewable raw materials at the company’s renewables refineries based on its proprietary NEXBTL technology, as well as via chemical recycling of circular raw materials such as hard-to-recycle plastic waste. 

With this new coprocessed Neste RE feedstock for the polymers and chemicals industry, Neste said it is building on experience gained in the coprocessing of renewable raw materials into marine fuel and heating liquids.