“The use of vegetable oil as fuel for engines might be insignificant today. But in the course of time it may well prove to be every bit as important as petrol and today’s range of coal-tar derivatives." (Rudolf Diesel, inventor of the diesel engine, 1912)
Especially in springtime, vast tracts of the Brandenburg countryside appear clothed in glowing vibrant yellow. Brandenburg is now one of Germany’s main areas for the cultivation of rapeseed. And rapeseed or sunflower oil is the main ingredient in biodiesel.
Commissioned in 2002, Germany’s largest and most modern production plant for biodiesel is located in Schwarzheide, in the south of Brandenburg. Biodiesel Schwarzheide GmbH, the plant owners, are making the multiple advantages of vegetable fuel oil work for them.
Biodiesel is practically free of sulphur, and when burnt it only gives off as much carbon dioxide (CO2) as the plants have absorbed when growing. Which neutralises the greenhouse effect caused by engine fuels. And as biodiesel is easily biodegradable, it is especially suited for use in areas where conservation of groundwater is critical – for instance, in water conservation areas, in forestry, and on inland waterways. Plus biodiesel is 10 percent cheaper than standard diesel. In times of ever-shorter energy resources, biodiesel presents itself as a genuine alternative. The market for it is already large. Most modern diesel engines are also fitted for biodiesel which can be tanked at over 1.600 service stations throughout Germany.
With its 47 strong workforce Biodiesel Schwarzheide has also given a shot in the arm to the local agriculture. The company processes rapeseed oil from a total crop area of 130.000 hectares. The rapeseed is planted in set-aside areas – in other words in fields that are no longer needed for food crops.
As plant manager Sasa Radjenovic explains, “We located our company in Brandenburg because between 1990 and 2000 BASF had redeveloped and extended the area around Schwarzheide with an investment programme of over Euro 1 billion. The chemical company is also one of our major partners.”
The BASF Group supplies the company with energy in the form of steam and electricity, and also provides the nitrogen with which biodiesel is produced. 100.000 tonnes of biodiesel also produce 10.000 tonnes of glycerine as a by-product but the plant has production capacity for a further 20.000 tonnes. Glycerine is a base material for the cosmetics and detergents industries and is also used as the carrier agent for cough syrups and in the production of foamed cellular material.
The Euro 25 million investment programme in Schwarzheide, including Euro 3.3 million from the ERDF, has certainly paid dividends. Demand was big from the word go and has been increasing from year to year. Rudolf Diesel would most probably have been pleased to see his forecast confirmed by the success biodiesel has scored in Brandenburg.
Sasa Radjenovic,
Biodiesel Schwarzheide GmbH
