Doris Leblond
OGJ Correspondent
PARIS, July 13 -- Total SA has signed an agreement with Finland's Neste Oy to study the feasibility of jointly building a new-generation biodiesel production unit in Europe.
One of Total's European refineries would use Neste Oy's hydrogenation technology to produce the biodiesel beginning in 2008.
Feedstock would be vegetable oils and animal fats. The European Union wants biodiesel to represent 5.75% of motor diesel by 2010 (OGJ Online, Sept. 13, 2004).
Total, which leads the European Union in the production of biofuels, is the main user of ethanol in France through its production of ethyl tertiary butyl ether and biodiesel.