Neste and Bioenergy La Tuque start R&D cooperation on turning forest residues into biofuel

Neste and Bioenergy La Tuque have started R&D cooperation with the objective of studying the potential of using forest residues as a raw material in biofuel production.

Based in La Tuque, Canada, the cooperation supports Neste's goals to expand the raw material selection available and increase the use of waste and residues.

Currently, the company is capable of using more than 10 different raw materials – including animal and fish fat, vegetable oils, and used cooking oil – to produce renewable products. 

Lars Peter Lindfors, senior VP for technology at Neste, said in a statement the company is constantly looking into expanding its renewable raw material base.

"We believe that forest residues can play a significant role in the future in producing renewable products, and therefore, we are very excited about this R&D cooperation," he said.

The agreement focuses on the technological and economic feasibility of the project and will assess the biomass availability at a competitive cost, identify technology bottlenecks in process lines, and validate the acceptable level of risk.

Neste is a Finnish renewable fuels and chemicals producers.