Expander Energy to construct its 1st Bio-SynDiesel® project

Calgary, Alberta-based Expander Energy Inc. announced May 4 that it has signed an agreement with Rocky Mountain Clean Fuels Inc. to build its first biomass-to-liquids project and produce low-carbon, renewable biobased synthetic diesel by 2025.

Expander said its patented biomass gasification technology and proven Fisher-Tropsch conversion technology will be used to manufacture renewable fuels that exceed current and future fuel standards both in Canada and abroad.

The biomass-gasifier facility will convert construction wood waste diverted from landfills into renewable syngas (hydrogen and carbon monoxide), which will then be processed into Bio-SynDiesel® at the existing Rocky Mountain Clean Fuels facility.

The Carseland Biomass Gasifier Project will result in the production of 8 million liters (2.1 million gallons) per year of Bio-SynDiesel® fuel with a lifecycle carbon intensity (CI) of 32.5 gCO2e/MJ, significantly exceeding Canada’s Clean Fuel Standard requirement for diesel fuel of 79.0 gCO2e/MJ by 2030.

Expander anticipates that production will be available in mid-2025.

According to Expander, the Carseland project advances the company’s fossil-free Bio-SynDiesel® and Bio-SynJet® program and paves the way for multiple large-scale projects including the previously announced 35-million-liter-per-year (9.25-million-gallon-per-year) Enhanced Biomass to Liquids (EBTL™) facility in Slave Lake, Alberta.

Expander said the company and its partners are evaluating several locations in North America and Europe.

“The Carseland project will showcase the economical and reliable production of low-CI Bio-SynDiesel® fuel from underutilized cellulosic biomass,” said Gord Crawford, president of Expander Energy. “When Expander’s patented EBTL™ process is paired with carbon capture and sequestration (CCS), the result will be net-zero CI (0 gCO2e/MJ) Bio-SynDiesel® production at our Carseland facility as early as 2027.”

Bio-SynDiesel® can be blended with or directly replace conventional diesel fuels without the need for modifications to either engine or infrastructure.

Bio-SynDiesel® is nontoxic, odorless and biodegradable and reduces emissions of pollutants such as sulfur oxides (SOx), nitrogen oxides (NOx), carbon monoxide (CO), unburnt hydrocarbons (HC) and particulate matter (PM), the latter being important to areas with air-shed issues such as cities, harbors and mountain valleys.

Future plans include the production of Bio-SynJet®, a low-carbon sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) that is ready for use in the airline industry.