Management of forest residuals in British Columbia has been a historical challenge due to the commercial difficulties of collection, transportation and the quality of the material. It is currently too expensive to collect slash and thinnings and there’s no market that can bear the true cost of utilizing these residues. The Lheidli T’enneh First Nation and its partners believe in the importance of solving this challenge.
Lheidli T’enneh is exploring the potential of forest residuals for Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) production, while simultaneously enhancing forest management strategies and mitigating wildfire risks.
The Lheidli T’enneh First Nation (LTFN), in partnership with Arbios Biotech, LTN Contracting and Canfor, is focused on generating renewable bio-oil from forest residues, which will be upgraded to sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) and other renewable transportation fuels with a low carbon footprint. This all-encompassing solution includes collection, transport, evaluation, conversion, and testing. Once operational, the project utilizes the world’s largest woody biomass hydrothermal liquefaction (HTL) facility: the Arbios Biotech Chuntoh Ghuna facility in Prince George.
This NorthX-funded project spans from residue assessment to SAF production testing. The objective is to demonstrate the feasibility of collecting and processing forest residuals while building a robust business case. The vision extends to scaling this initiative within British Columbia and beyond, ultimately proving a unique pathway for production of SAF and renewable transportation fuels.
