Neste is a company that produces renewable diesel and sustainable aviation fuel through its proprietary NEXBTL™ (Next Generation Biomass to Liquid) technology. This innovative platform allows the company to convert a wide variety of renewable fats and oils into premium-quality products, such as renewable fuels and feedstocks for polymers and chemicals.
At the heart of NEXBTL™ technology is the flexibility to process diverse raw materials and produce multiple end products while maintaining exceptional operational performance. Neste continuously advances these processing technologies to increase energy efficiency and minimize the carbon footprint of traditional oil refining.
Years of research dedicated to refining low-quality crude oil into transportation fuels laid the foundation for NEXBTL™. Today, this unique platform can efficiently transform various renewable feedstocks, such as used cooking oil and animal fats, into pure hydrocarbons with energy properties comparable to conventional fossil fuels.
The NEXBTL™ process involves several key stages. First, renewable waste and residues are converted into raw materials. These materials, often containing impurities, undergo rigorous pretreatment to ensure their suitability for catalytic processing. Next, the renewable raw materials are converted into hydrocarbon products with energy density and properties matching those of fossil-based diesel.
One of the critical steps in NEXBTL™ technology is hydrodeoxygenation. In this stage, impurities are removed from the raw materials, which are then processed to create high-energy-density hydrocarbons. The hydrocarbons are subsequently isomerized, a process that modifies their molecular structure to achieve the desired characteristics for various applications. This results in products such as Neste MY Renewable Diesel™, Neste MY Sustainable Aviation Fuel™, and Neste RE™.
Neste’s renewable products are chemically similar to conventional fossil fuels but have a significantly lower carbon footprint, as they are derived from 100% renewable raw materials. This similarity allows them to serve as direct replacements for fossil diesel and jet fuel without requiring modifications to vehicle or aircraft engines. They can also replace crude oil-based feedstocks in existing polymer and chemical production processes, supporting a more sustainable and circular economy.
