CSR Mercuria 2018 - Flipbook - Page 53
BRUNSBÜTTEL BIODIESEL
FACILITY Brunsbüttel, Germany
A significant holding of Mercuria’s is its
Brunsbüttel Biodiesel Facility which is located about 80-km from Hamburg, Germany at
the confluence of the Elbe River and the Kiel
Canal. The facility is a current state-of-the-art
complex, which is capable of handling a variety
of feedstocks with an overall 250,000 tonnesper-year of biodiesel production capacity. The
facility holds certificate under ISCC (International Sustainability & Carbon Certification) and
accordingly the biodiesel produced by
the facility satisfies both the EU’s RED
(Renewable Energy Directive) and the
European Commission’s ILUC (Indirect
Land Use Change) Directive 2015/1513
and meets the technical specifications
of ASTM D6751.
southern area of Germany’s Dithmarschen
District. While there are many different environmentally sustainable energy solutions being explored, a substantial advantage that biodiesel provides lies within its ability to be used
by existing infrastructure (both distribution
networks, and end use in transportation and
heating systems). Biodiesel can also be seen
as having substantial environmental benefits
in terms of decreased global warming impacts
Following upgrades made in 2009, the
facility now utilizes multi-feedstock
technology, which has enabled it to transition from its initial use of Rapeseed Oil
as its primary feedstock to now be utilizing Used Cooking Oil as its feedstock.
At present, roughly 80% of the facility’s
feedstock is delivered to it by water, with
the remaining portion brought to the facility by either truck or train.
The facility produces biodiesel using either
base- or acid-catalyzed transesterification processes which creates as its outputs both glycerin and biodiesel. The biodiesel produced is of
a B100 quality although a substantial quantity
of the facility’s production are blended by other
firms to produce other market qualities of biodiesel fuel (such as B10 and B30 blend grades).
The facility uses natural gas to develop steam
heat for the plant processes along with potassium hydroxide as a catalyst in the process of
converting the vegetable oils and animal fats or
the used cooking oils to biodiesel.
The facility provides steady, high quality technical employment for over 40 persons in the
and reduced emissions, while at the same time
offering greater energy independence and a
positive impact on agriculture and markets for
what are otherwise waste used oils.
The procurement of feedstock suited for biodiesel production is a challenge for the industry.
Quality is a global issue for waste-based products. Mercuria deploys its sourcing expertise
thanks to a large network of suppliers further
bringing the quality of the feedstock to the adequate specifications standard. Both operational and price risk management are key to ensure
efficient diffusion of biofuels into fuel markets.
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