Neol Biosolutions, a company of the Neuron Bio group, patents a microorganism for the production of oils based on renewable sources

Neol, which is a 50:50 joint venture between the Neuron Bio Group and Repsol, has patented the microorganism Neoleum™, able to produce oils compatible with the production of biofuel from waste at a very high gear than the oil obtained via the plantation of oil-bearing seeds such as palm rape seed or sunflowers. 

The Neoleum™ culture in a one cubic meter bioreactor produces the same quantity of oil during a year than an extension of one hectare of oil palm in the same period of time. 

Obtained oils are highly versatile and their composition makes them ideal raw material for the production of biofuels such as biodiesel and biokerosene or for other industrial applications such as biolubricants or surfactants, thus positioning Neol as a strategic company in the bioenergy sector.

The production of biofuels via microorganisms translates into environmental, economic as well as in social benefits, in that food resources are not used for the production of energy and it is possible to manage waste in a more suitable way.

Neol has set the short-time challenge to achieve scaling-up of the process to industrial size, i.e. to produce these oils in large quantities capable of supplying the market of the biodiesel production.