Neste Oil to Introduce NExBTL Heating Oil in January
26 November 2008
Starting in January 2009, Neste Oil will introduce heating oil containing 2% NExBTL fuel. Neste will gradually increase the blend component to 10% by 2016. NExBTL is a process for the production of renewable synthetic diesel via the high-pressure hydrogenation of fatty acids. (Earlier post.)
The blended heating oil is directly suitable for current oil heating systems. No equipment adjustments are needed. There will be no increase in oil consumption or heating system maintenance costs. All summer-quality heating oil sold by Neste Oil will include the 2% bio component. The product will be available everywhere in Finland. In spite of higher raw material costs, the price per liter will only increase a couple of cents.
The suitability of NExBTL fuel has been tested in several field tests. Tests have been carried out, for example, in a house built for the 2007 Housing Fair and in a detached house in Espoo, where tests were performed in winter 2008. Both test houses were heated using a mixture of NExBTL and traditional heating oil. Heating oil containing NExBTL has also worked flawlessly in other targets.
Any word on PAHs? It seems to me their might be an increase in PAH generation from this process - otherwise it sounds like a good way to displace non-renewable fuel with a bio fuel. Of course burning a gaseous fuel is a lot cleaner.
Posted by: Chris | 26 November 2008 at 08:45 AM
However dirty, such fatty acids could be cleaned up for the use of people who do not get enough calories to sustain life. Pictures of such persons in Haiti have been in the recent news. There are fewer but some such people in Texas. Such persons are better sustained by grains otherwise used for ethanol but any source of energy is better than none.
Never the less, no organic materials should be placed in landfills.
..HG..
Posted by: Henry Gibson | 26 November 2008 at 12:39 PM