How advanced pretreatment unlocks value from challenging waste feedstocks

Photo: Rieckermann

As demand for renewable diesel and sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) continues to grow, the ability to process complex waste-based feedstocks into consistent, refinery-ready inputs is becoming a decisive factor in scaling sustainable fuel production.

At North Sea Port in Ghent, Belgium, Ghent Renewables has commissioned an advanced feedstock-pretreatment facility that addresses exactly this challenge. 

The project was realized by BDI-BioEnergy International, a specialist in sustainable process technology.

As part of the Rieckermann Group’s waste-to-energy portfolio, BDI’s proven Advanced PreTreatment technology demonstrates how Rieckermann’s wider network of technology partners supports customers in converting challenging waste streams into valuable resources for the renewable fuels value chain. 

Turning low-quality waste into refinery-ready feedstock

Renewable fuel producers increasingly need to work with diverse, low-quality and contaminated waste oils and fats.

These feedstocks offer important sustainability benefits, but they can also contain impurities such as phosphorus, metals and other catalyst-deactivating substances that make downstream refining more complex. 

For Ghent Renewables, the requirement was to establish an advanced feedstock-pretreatment facility capable of transforming heterogeneous waste-based feedstocks into high-quality intermediates suitable for renewable diesel and SAF production.

This meant achieving very low impurity levels to protect the highly sensitive catalysts used in hydroprocessing while maintaining reliable industrial-scale operations. 

BDI’s tailor-made advanced feedstock-pretreatment technology

Building on its process expertise and longstanding collaboration with Ghent Renewables, BDI developed and implemented a customized Advanced PreTreatment solution for the Ghent facility.

The project progressed from feasibility studies, feedstock evaluation and laboratory testing through to engineering, detailed design, execution and commissioning. 

This collaborative approach was a key reason Ghent Renewables selected BDI for the project.

“We chose BDI because of their proven expertise in Advanced PreTreatment technologies and their strong track record in delivering complex industrial-scale projects reliably and efficiently,” Ghent Renewables stated. “What particularly convinced us was the combination of feedstock flexibility, deep process know-how and the collaborative partnership approach throughout the entire project lifecycle.”

Delivering high-purity feedstocks for renewable diesel, SAF

At the heart of the plant is BDI’s proprietary Advanced PreTreatment technology, engineered specifically for demanding waste-based feedstocks.

This facility is designed with two dedicated processing lines, giving Ghent Renewables the flexibility to handle a broad spectrum of raw materials from used cooking oil (UCO) to other low-grade waste streams. 

The technology removes critical contaminants such as phosphorus and metals, helping to deliver refinery-ready intermediate products for renewable diesel and SAF production.

In doing so, it safeguards downstream catalysts, reduces fouling risks and improves overall process efficiency while maximizing the value of otherwise difficult-to-utilize waste resources.

Project results, performance indicators 

Now fully operational, the Ghent advanced feedstock-pretreatment facility reliably processes a wide range of heterogeneous waste feedstocks and consistently delivers high-purity intermediates suitable for further refining into renewable diesel and SAF.

The successful commissioning demonstrates how complex pretreatment solutions can be implemented at industrial scale through close collaboration, precise engineering and strong project execution. 

For Ghent Renewables, the benefits include improved feedstock flexibility, stable downstream operations, reduced catalyst risks and high product quality.

Reported performance indicators include: 

• Phosphorus levels below 3 parts per million (ppm). 

• Metal concentrations below 10 ppm.

• Yields of up to 99 percent.

• Designed for 7,920 operating hours.

Supporting the future of renewable fuels with waste-to-energy solutions 

As demand for renewable diesel and SAF continues to accelerate, access to reliable and flexible feedstock processing will become increasingly important.

Markets across Asia and the Middle East have abundant supplies of UCO, animal fats and other waste-derived feedstocks, but inconsistent feedstock quality remains a key challenge for producers. 

The Ghent Renewables project demonstrates how BDI’s Advanced PreTreatment technology can help bridge this gap by upgrading complex waste streams into refinery-ready feedstocks.

Through BDI’s expertise and Rieckermann’s regional presence, customers can benefit from proven solutions that help unlock greater value from locally available resources and support the transition towards a more circular and sustainable fuels industry.