Neste: new biodiesel feedstocks 7 to 10 years away from being commercialized

It will still take seven to 10 years before new feedstocks for biodiesel are developed to commercial scale, a Neste Oil Corp. executive said. Even as biofuel producers look to diversify their feedstock base away from vegetable oils, it will take some time for development, Neste Oil’s Senior Vice President for Sustainabilty Simon Hokanen said. The Finnish refiner has more than 20 agreements on research collaboration for new feedstocks, such as algae and other type of microbes. On palm oil, Honkanen said it was a very good feedstock when the production was managed according to sustainable procedures. Neste Oil is building an 800,000 metric ton per year biodiesel plant in Singapore’s Tuas industrial zone, which it hopes to bring on stream by the end of 2010. Hokanen said the company’s technology that is being applied at the plant is not feedstock dependent, although initially palm oil will be its key feedstock. (May 18, 2009)