Germany opens plant producing bio-based chemicals from rapeseed oil

German company Verbio has opened a new plant producing chemicals derived from rapeseed oil. The facility is located in Bitterfeld, with total investment amounting to €100 mln ($112 mln). Once fully operational, the plant will be capable of producing up to 60 thsd tons of bio-based chemicals annually. The project aims to expand the use of rapeseed oil beyond traditional biodiesel production.

The plant’s products will serve as alternatives to petroleum-based raw materials in the manufacture of lubricants, detergents, cleaning products and plastics. The main feedstock will be rapeseed oil methyl ester, which is already produced at the industrial site for biodiesel applications. Further processing will enable the production of higher-value chemical compounds and expand the range of uses for vegetable oil processing products.

The facility will use ethenolysis technology, a form of olefin metathesis. Special catalysts will convert components of rapeseed oil methyl esters into new chemical compounds.  Production will be ramped up gradually following commissioning.

The plant plans to use rapeseed oil of European origin to produce bio-based chemicals. This could create an additional source of demand for the EU vegetable oil industry, which traditionally supplies significant volumes of rapeseed oil for biodiesel production. However, the company has not specified how much rapeseed oil the new facility will consume annually or what share of feedstock will be redirected from fuel production to chemical processing.

The expansion of rapeseed oil use in the chemical industry comes amid high production costs and increasing international competition in Europe’s chemical sector. The shift toward plant-based feedstocks creates opportunities to replace certain petrochemical products and develop higher-value oilseed processing. In the longer term, such projects could increase industrial demand for rapeseed oil, although their impact on the European market will depend on production volumes and the economic competitiveness of bio-based chemicals.

Tags: Germany, rapeseed oil