Overview of Thermochemical Liquefaction activities in Denmark and Norway

This report provides an overview of research activities, demonstration activities and commercial applications of Direct Thermochemical Liquefaction of biomass in Denmark and Norway.

Denmark:

• Aalborg University (AAU) is among the most active institutions worldwide in the field of hydrothermal liquefaction (HTL) from the production of biocrude from different biomass feedstocks to the upgrading of biocrude to drop-in fuels.
• Aarhus University has been operating a continuous HTL pilot plant for some years now with a capacity of 70 kg wet slurry per hour.
• Technical University of Denmark (DTU) is very active in research and development in pyrolysis-based processes and pyrolysis oil upgrading.
• Steeper Energy is a Danish-Canadian company active in the field of hydrothermal liquefaction since 2013. They have developed the Hydrofaction® process, featuring the hydrothermal liquefaction of a number of possible organic substrates at supercritical water conditions and including the recirculation of both biocrude and aqueous phase.
• Circlia Nordic is building HTL plants that are sized to meet the market opportunity for conversion of geographically distributed wet organic wastes into biocrude oil.
• Other Danish companies active in the field of thermochemical liquefaction are: Kvasir Technologies, Stiesdal, Mash Makes, Quantafuel, Reaktor ApS, Makeen Energy.

Norway:

• RISE PFI is working with fast pyrolysis, catalytic pyrolysis, upgrading and carbonization processes. SINTEF Energy is addressing hydrothermal liquefaction whereas the chemistry department at Bergen University is focusing on lignin solvolysis. The catalysis group at NTNU Department of Chemical Engineering is working with catalytic pyrolysis whereas SINTEF Industry is addressing pyrolysis oil upgrading and hydrotreatment.
• A unique national research infrastructure within thermochemical conversion has been established through the Norwegian Biorefinery Lab. At present, a large R&D program termed Bio4Fuels is running in Norway to develop technology and to assist industry in developing and implementing production of biofuels in Norway.
• Silva Green Fuel will build a demonstration plant with a capacity of about 4,000 liters per day at a previous pulp mill site in Norway, based on Steeper Energy’s Hydrofaction® technology.
• Biozin Holding intends to establish the first large scale production of advanced biofuel based on forest residues and by-products in Norway. They aim to utilize Shell’s IH2 (Integrated Hydropyrolysis and Hydroconversion) technology for the conversion process.

The full report is available here: Task 34 – Country Report 2021 (Denmark and Norway)