Renewable diesel and SAF: Feedstocks
Why waste fats now cost as much as virgin oil
What this tab covers What it is made from and what it feeds: the raw materials and energy per tonne with their share of cost (linked to the commodity table), who is low-cost and why, and the chemicals made from it.Waste fats are the main feedstock because they earn the most credits, but they are finite, so prices of UCO, tallow and corn oil have converged on virgin oils. Hydrogen is the second input and sets much of the fossil footprint.
Inputs per tonne
| Input | Quantity per tonne | Role | Share of cost | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Used cooking oil and animal fats (tallow) | about 1.2 t per t product (indicative) | lowest-CI feedstock; 54% of California biomass-based diesel feedstock in 2022 (CARB) | about 70-80% (indicative) | CARB board presentation Sep 2023; indicative |
| Soy Soybeans | about 1.2 t per t | main US virgin oil; 49% of US soybean oil went to biofuel in 2025/26 (soybeans tile) | about 75-80% (indicative) | soybeans tile |
| Rs Rapeseed | about 1.2 t per t | Canadian canola oil for US plants (3.0 Mt US imports 2025/26, rapeseed tile) | about 75-80% (indicative) | rapeseed tile |
| PO Palm oil | about 1.2 t per t | residue feeds in Singapore and Asia; virgin palm largely excluded in the EU | about 70-80% (indicative) | indicative |
| Gas Natural gas | about 0.035-0.04 t per t (indicative) | removes oxygen and saturates the chains | about 5-10% (indicative) | indicative |
Who is low-cost, and why
Large integrated players with captive fats (Darling for DGD, Neste's global collection) and cheap hydrogen are lowest cost. Converted refineries have low capital cost but buy feedstock at market. Asian UCO-based exporters compete on feedstock cost but face EU and US trade measures.
Raw materials on the commodity table
PO Palm oilSoy SoybeansRs RapeseedWhat it is made into
| Product | Note |
|---|---|
| H2 Hydrogen | HEFA is a large new hydrogen user |
| EtOH Bioethanol | feedstock for alcohol-to-jet SAF |