Advanced additives for biodiesel,
renewable diesel and their blends
Meeting tomorrow's fuel challenges today
At Clariant, we understand the growing importance of renewable fuels in today’s evolving energy landscape. Our innovative additives for biodiesel, renewable diesel, and their blends with fossil diesel are engineered to enhance cold flow performance while supporting sustainability goals.
National regulations aimed at reducing greenhouse gas emissions are driving increased mandates for biodiesel use and the adoption of renewable diesel worldwide. While blend requirements vary by country, the diverse sources and compositions of biodiesel and renewable diesel present significant technical challenges.
Performance that delivers
Clariant’s specially developed solutions allow customers to meet challenging specifications in difficult to treat diesel-type fuels, enabling excellent operability even in demanding conditions.
Our solutions address key performance criteria:
- Cold Filter Plugging Point (CFPP) improvement, allowing reliable winter operability
- Pour Point (PP) reduction, delivering better handling properties
- Sedimentation prevention, especially during storage at lower temperatures
Comprehensive product portfolio
Solutions for biodiesel and their blends
For 100% biodiesel
Biodiesel, primarily composed of fatty acid methyl esters (FAME), differs substantially from conventional diesel. Its distinctive composition, determined by the type of feedstock (e.g., rapeseed, soybean, palm, used cooking oil), impacts cold-weather performance and storage stability, requiring specialized treatment approaches.
Our products are specifically designed to address the unique challenges of pure biodiesel applications, optimizing performance across all critical parameters. Clariant’s Cold Flow Improver DODIFLOW™ 5603 enhances the Cold Filter Plugging Point (CFPP) performance of rapeseed based biodiesel (RME), even at higher concentrations of cold-flow-critical saturated methyl esters.
For biodiesel-diesel blends
We offer tailored solutions based on your specific fuel samples, recognizing that the performance of these blends varies significantly depending on diesel quality, biodiesel feedstock, and overall fuel quality.
Pour Point Depressants for biodiesel
A high content of saturated methyl esters in FAME can raise the pour point of biodiesel fuels. This can create handling problems throughout the fuel’s lifecycle, especially at lower temperatures and during storage in above ground tanks. Our pour point depressants help improve handling properties by effectively lowering the pour point.
Solutions for renewable diesel (Hydrogenated Vegetable Oil, HVO) and their blends
Unique challenges of renewable diesel (HVO)
For more than a decade, an alternative to conventional biodiesel has steadily entered the fuel market, creating new challenges for diesel cold-flow performance. Hydrogenated Vegetable Oil (HVO), also called renewable diesel, combines renewable feedstocks with the advantages of a more diesel like composition, including a higher cetane number and cleaner combustion.
Despite its advantages, renewable diesel presents distinct technical challenges. Beyond its low density, HVO’s very narrow n-paraffin distribution, combined with varying degrees of isomerization – depending on the specific production process – creates significant challenges for cold flow performance.
Specialized additive solutions
Pure HVO typically shows limited improvement in Cold Filter Plugging Point (CFPP) performance when treated with conventional cold flow additives. For mixtures with fossil diesel, performance is heavily influenced by three key factors:
- The specific HVO production method and the resulting cold flow properties
- The characteristics of the fossil diesel component
- The target cold flow specifications
Through extensive research and field testing, Clariant has developed specialized additives that can effectively treat blends containing significant proportions of HVO, enabling them to meet demanding cold flow targets.
Co-processing of biodiesel
Co-processed biodiesel, where renewable feedstock is integrated into the refinery's conventional hydrotreatment process, may produce a similar n-paraffin distribution. However, its typically lower degree of isomerization can impose additional limitations on the maximum achievable blend ratio.
Tailored approach
Given the complex nature of HVO blends, our technical experts work closely with customers to analyze specific fuel compositions and develop customized solutions, supporting the delivery of optimal cold-flow performance across a wide range of operating conditions and blend ratios.
Contato
Nossos especialistas técnicos têm a experiência necessária para ajudá-lo a encontrar o melhor produto para seus desafios, em termos de biocombustível, e a definir o pacote de aditivos ideal para seus processos. Entre em contato conosco para obter mais informações.
