Neste Oil and SYKE collaborate for algae

Neste Oil, a refining and marketing company based in Finland, has teamed up with the Marine Research Centre at Finnish Environmental Institute (SYKE) to research and test algae varieties for the production of its NExBTL renewable diesel.

The two-year programme will study the volumes of lipid production from different types of algae and work to understand how growing conditions can be adjusted to optimise the quality and quantity of these lipids.

Speaking about the project, Paulina Uronen, algae research project manager at Neste Oil, says: 'The new programme is intended to help ensure that we have access to industrial-scale volumes of cost-effective algae oil for our future production needs.'

In addition this project with SYKE, Neste Oil is also working a number of international research institutions, universities and companies in the algae research area. Earlier this year Neste Oil said it was to participate in two algae research projects in Australia and the Netherlands.