Bionaphtha is the light co-product of hydrotreating fats and oils into HVO and SAF, and it has two possible homes with very different economics. Into a steam cracker it becomes certified renewable feedstock for bio-based polymers, and the premium comes from the claim a brand owner can make downstream. Into gasoline blending it is a good blend component and prices much closer to fossil naphtha. We broker it between producers and both sets of buyers, and which route is open depends almost entirely on the certification.
Two routes, two prices
Physically bionaphtha is a paraffinic light hydrocarbon in the naphtha range, and it is a perfectly ordinary cracker or blending feed. Commercially it is two different products.
The petrochemical route is where the value is. A cracker takes bionaphtha under ISCC PLUS mass balance, and the polymer producer downstream sells a certified bio-based grade to a brand owner with a renewable-content commitment. The molecules are indistinguishable from fossil-derived ones once cracked; what is really being bought and sold is an auditable chain of custody.
The gasoline route is straightforward and always available: a blend component with good properties and no certification requirement beyond the fuel regime. It sets the floor price. If the certification does not support the petrochemical claim, this is where the product goes, and the difference between the two outcomes is the entire commercial question.
Bio-based is not the same as circular
This distinction catches people out constantly, and it matters because brand owners' commitments usually specify one or the other.
Bionaphtha supports a bio-based claim: the carbon originated in biomass. Plastic pyrolysis oil supports a circular claim: the carbon came from recycled plastic waste. Both go into the same steam cracker, both travel on mass balance chain of custody, and both produce polymer that is chemically identical to conventional. But a converter with a *recycled content* target under the Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation cannot satisfy it with bio-based material, and a brand owner with a *renewable feedstock* commitment may not want circular.
So the first question on any bionaphtha enquiry is not price or volume but which claim the end buyer needs to make. See plastic pyrolysis oil for the circular side of the same cracker.
What gets agreed
| Certification scheme and scope | ISCC PLUS for the petrochemical route; ISCC EU or REDcert where a fuel outlet applies. |
|---|---|
| Claim type | Bio-based, and whether the downstream buyer needs bio-based specifically rather than circular. |
| Mass balance period | The accounting window, aligned to the delivery schedule. |
| Feedstock | Which fats and oils; Annex IX status where a fuel outlet is in play. |
| GHG saving | The figure on the proof of sustainability where the claim depends on it. |
| Distillation range and PIONA | Paraffins, isoparaffins, olefins, naphthenes, aromatics, cracker yield depends on it. |
| Sulphur and nitrogen | Very low from hydrotreated origin; still verified. |
| Metals and silicon | Carry-over from feedstock pretreatment. |
| RVP and density | Relevant where gasoline blending is the outlet. |
| Delivery basis | Parcel tanker, barge, isotank; terminal and tank availability. |
How we broker it
We act for HVO and SAF producers placing the naphtha co-product, which is often treated as an afterthought internally despite being a genuine value stream, and for crackers, polymer producers and blenders sourcing it.
Producers frequently undersell this material simply by offering it into the fuel pool because that is the easy call. Where the certification supports a petrochemical claim, the difference is worth the effort of finding the right buyer, and that is exactly the kind of introduction a broker exists to make.
The sister products from the same process: HVO and SAF.
Frequently asked questions
What is bionaphtha?
The light hydrocarbon co-product of hydrotreating fats and oils into HVO renewable diesel or HEFA SAF. It is a paraffinic naphtha-range material that can be cracked into bio-based petrochemicals or blended into gasoline. It is bio-based rather than recycled, which determines which downstream claims it can support.
What is the difference between bionaphtha and plastic pyrolysis oil?
The origin of the carbon and therefore the claim. Bionaphtha comes from biomass and supports a bio-based claim; plastic pyrolysis oil comes from waste plastic and supports a circular or recycled-content claim. Both feed the same steam crackers under mass balance chain of custody and both yield chemically identical polymer, but they are not interchangeable for a buyer with a specific target to meet.
Why does bionaphtha sell at a premium to fossil naphtha?
Only when it goes to a steam cracker under ISCC PLUS mass balance, because that lets the polymer producer downstream sell a certified bio-based grade to a brand owner with a renewable-content commitment. The premium is for the auditable chain of custody, not for the hydrocarbon. Into gasoline blending it prices much closer to fossil naphtha.
What certification does bionaphtha need for the petrochemical route?
ISCC PLUS with mass balance chain of custody is the standard route in Europe. Check that the certificate scope covers the actual product and activity and that the mass balance accounting period lines up with the delivery schedule, a valid certificate that is out of period causes exactly the same problem as no certificate.
Can bionaphtha be used in gasoline?
Yes. It is a good blend component and this route is always available, which is why it effectively sets the floor price. It requires no certification beyond the applicable fuel regime, so it is where the material goes when the petrochemical claim cannot be supported.
Do producers undervalue their bionaphtha?
Frequently, yes. It is a co-product rather than the main output, so it often gets offered into the fuel pool by default because that is the simplest call internally. Where the certification supports a petrochemical claim, finding the right cracker or polymer buyer is worth the effort, and that introduction is precisely what a broker is for.
Who to ask about Bionaphtha
Ask us. Bionaphtha to place, or sourcing certified renewable cracker feed? Tell us the scheme and the claim the buyer needs. We answer the same working day, in English or Dutch, and there is no charge and no obligation for a market read or a second opinion on a specification.
You get Bart van den Brug directly, not a call centre and not a form that goes nowhere. We are an independent broker: we never take title, we do not trade our own book, and we are paid a commission only on business that actually concludes. That is why we will also tell you when the answer is no.
+31 6 115 83 448
[email protected]
Sustainable Commodities 3 B.V., Lemmer, the Netherlands
Last reviewed 09 August 2026 by Bart van den Brug, Sustainable Commodities 3 B.V. (KvK 99665042), Lemmer, the Netherlands. Regulatory references are given for orientation and are not legal advice; verify against the current Official Journal text before contracting.