MOU Executed for Biomass Agreement

May 24, 2024

SynSel has executed a joint Biomass Agreement with Tri-State Lumber & Land of Trego Wisconsin and Great Lakes Logging of Rice Lake Wisconsin. The agreement calls for the delivery of 100 tons per day of sawdust from the wood mills and lumber yards in the Hayward Wisconsin region. The region is strategically located 140 miles from Ontonagon Wisconsin and 220 miles from Bemidji Minnesota. The Ontonagon and Bemidji locations will each host a larger 1,000 ton per day stick-build plant. The 100 TPD (ton per day) plant hosted in the Hayward region will be a modular-built plant. 

As covered in the March SYNSEL IN THE NEWS, the SynSel mission is to deploy the large plants at sites that include a large mill or a brownfield that previously facilitated a 1,000 TPD wood/paper mill. The smaller modular plants will be located at a site that reduces the logistics of supply chain for biomass input and offtake of fuel to large refineries or terminals. The fuel production of the modular plants is 3.1 million gallons per year. This is output of a typical convenience fuel station. The fuel produced will be ASTM-grade drop-in renewable gasoline and diesel fuel that is engine/tank ready that requires no engine modifications or blending with fossil fuels. 

According to the Technical Report, Biomass to Gasoline and Diesel Using Integrated Hydtropyrolysis and Hydroconversion, associated with US DOE Award DE-EE-0002873, Appendix D, performed by Johnson Timber Corporation in March 2011: in the Hayward Wisconsin wood basket, 75 harvesting crews and 200 independent truckers are delivering 1,500 dry tons per day of mill and forest residue per day. That is enough biomass for 15 SynSel plants @ 100 TPD. SynSel CEO, Tim Tawoda states, “This region is ideal for the 100 TPD modular biorefinery since there are many small and medium-sized mills, with the participation of Tri-State and Great Lakes, the lowest value wood waste (sawdust) will be aggregated from multiple mills and converted to a high-value fuel. Future plants will be added that convert low value wood chips and additional sawdust. Unlike the very large plants in remote areas, Hayward includes a population that can utilize 100% of the fuel where it is produced. Hence, avoiding the costly process of shipping the fuel to a terminal or refinery.” 

As covered previously in SYNSEL IN THE NEWS, the life cycle assessment (LCA) for existing vehicles on the road, with internal combustion engines (ICE) utilizing this type of fuel, is much greener than the electric vehicle (EV).