Feedstock Processing

In the Feedstock Processing industry our vision is to help our customers to convert various bio-based feedstock, side streams or wastes into more valuable chemical intermediates or final products. As the number of companies converting bio-based feedstock is fast growing, one of the main challenges is this ability to convert more complex feedstock in most cost effective ways or use it in novel industrial applications. Neste's Engineering Solutions provides world class solutions to this challenge.

Our customers in this industry range from small start-up companies into large scale renewable diesel, renewable jet, oleochemical such as tall oil and pulping industry companies. Our customer’s product application is often based on lignocellulosic feedstock, vegetable oils or animal fats.

    Global leader in Crude Tall Oil fractionation

In the Feedstock Processing industry, Engineering Solutions has accumulated a vast experience in Crude Tall Oil (CTO) fractionation over the last 40 years. We are the global leading company focused on CTO fractionation process licensing, engineering and optimization. Engineering Solutions proprietary NEXPINUS™ technology is licensed globally today. In the value and production chain, such CTO fractionation comes after soap extraction and Crude Sulphate Soap (CSS) acidulation. Typical scale of a single CTO fractionation unit is from 50 to 200 ktons CTO feedstock per annum.

The recent global interest in new bio-based feedstock has also increased interest in Crude Sulphate Soap and Tall Oil fractionation processes, resulting in several new patents in the field. We have the newest industry insights, an end-to-end process concept, reliable and unbiased estimates and a solid partner network. Our technology enables optimal and flexible design based on a proprietary model with the possibility to evaluate future feedstock.

    No need for a pilot plant

Feedstock processes co-developed, developed or verified by Neste's Engineering Solutions are based on process modeling and simulation. For that purpose we have a substantial range of in-house vapour-liquid data banks and programs for fitting the kinetics and equilibria. Modelling provides detailed understanding of the process and mitigation of risks at an early stage of the investment cycle. Our systematic approach for process development ensures efficient progress towards commercialization of new technologies. This means that our customers will enjoy earlier entry to the markets with new processes developed by Engineering Solutions as in most cases large scale and costly piloting is not needed. Additional benefit of simulation is that the process can be tailored for a wide range of feedstock. A well known industry landmark project based on this type of simulation based technology commercialization and skipping the pilot is Neste’s NEXBTL^TM technology. The capacity of the first NEXBTL^TM unit was already 170 000 tpa.

    Expertise and Professional Services

Our service portfolio for processing bio-based feedstock to intermediate or final product formulations covers the entire investment lifecycle from idea generation to studies, process concept development, basic engineering, EPCM services and operational excellence. Recently we have developed the following projects types:

We have extensive understanding of pre-treatment of various feedstock to meet the purities needed for example in catalytic processes and finally converting the intermediates into high quality products. For instance, our projects have included conversion of lignocellulosic feed into ethanol and further to higher alcohols such as butanol, pyrolysis and gasification processes.