In the UK, biomass-to-liquid technology developer Nova Pangaea Technologies Ltd (NPT) has announced that it has completed endurance trials that further validate its novel REFNOVA process technology to create ethanol and biochar from waste biomass.
The trials took place at its demonstration plant in Teesside and showed continuous, stable operation in production runs of up to 72 hours, achieving above-target yields.
The latest trials used softwood residues from timber processing. Multiple runs were carried out, processing up to three tonnes of feedstock per day.
They follow initial smaller-scale trials in early 2025, which demonstrated the viability of the process outside of the laboratory.
More trials will take place next year to fine-tune the design of the first commercial-scale plant.
Raise capital for first commercial plant
It marks another step forward for Nova Pangaea, which will be raising funds to progress its first commercial plant.
Nova Pangaea has raised over £21 million to date from investors, including International Airlines Group (IAG), PXN Ventures, Mercia Ventures and the first Northern Powerhouse Investment Fund, alongside UK government grant funding awarded under the Advanced Fuels Fund competition.
The latest trials have validated our technology and should further underpin the confidence of investors on our journey towards building our first commercial plant, said Stewart Stewart, CEO of Nova Pangaea Technologies.
Biomass-to-liquid and biochar
Nova Pangaea’s REFNOVA process converts waste biomass and residues, such as woodchips, sawdust, or wheat straw, into ethanol, which can be used to make sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) and renewable diesel.
It also produces a valuable co-product, biochar, which permanently captures carbon and makes the whole process carbon-negative – removing more carbon dioxide (CO2) from the atmosphere than it releases.
Furthermore, it comes as the aviation industry seeks ways to scale up sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) production using other sustainable raw materials to mitigate the current dependence on waste oils and fats.
The SAF industry is currently at a critical point. Demand is increasing, and supply chain shocks such as in the Middle East show the need to find an alternative to fossil fuels, yet aviation is currently reliant on SAF from a single feedstock, which will not be enough to meet growing SAF demand, Stewart Stewart said.
Under UK and EU rules, airlines must use an increasing proportion of SAF in aviation fuel – rising from 2 percent to as much as 70 percent in 2050.
However, almost all SAF is currently derived from used cooking oil (UCO), which is in limited supply and will not be enough to meet future demand.
According to the International Air Transport Association (IATA), in 2030 there will be enough available waste biomass in Europe, including the UK, to produce around 30 million tonnes of SAF, equivalent to the European SAF targets for 2050.
By enabling the use of waste biomass, Nova Pangaea’s process can help prevent potential future SAF shortages.
Project Speedbird
Nova Pangaea is working with British Airways and LanzaJet on Project Speedbird, an initiative supported by the UK government to produce carbon-negative aviation fuel from local waste biomass to decarbonise the aviation sector.
For Project Speedbird, Nova Pangaea will construct four UK facilities to produce bioethanol from local wastes for upgrading to SAF via LanzaJet’s Alcohol-to-Jet biorefinery.
Nova Pangaea’s tried and tested technology offers a genuine alternative. By tapping into the plentiful supplies of waste biomass, we can boost SAF production – enhancing our energy security and building a new domestic industry that generates jobs and revenues while reducing fossil fuel emissions, said Stewart Stewart.
