Woodland Biomass Innovations validates engineering design for wood-to-gasoline facility

Woodland Biomass Innovations (Woodland BIO) has completed Front-End Loading Phase 2 (FEL-2) validation engineering for its first commercial-scale biomass-to-gasoline facility in Tioga County, Pennsylvania in the US, marking a significant de-risking milestone for the project.

Completed in collaboration with TRC Companies, the study provides third-party technical and economic validation of a facility designed to convert 1,000 tonnes per day of regional wood residues into 42,000 gallons per day of 87-octane drop-in gasoline requiring no additional refining before reaching market.

The project has secured letters of intent for both feedstock supply and product offtake, covering 100% of the facility's gasoline production. A $50,000 Agricultural Innovation Planning Grant from the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture supported the FEL-2 work, recognising the project's potential to create commercial markets for low-grade wood residues.

Luca Pandolfi, founder and chief executive of Woodland BIO, said the completion of Phase 2 moved the project "from a conceptual model to a validated engineering package," describing the circular design as a means of keeping local resources in local hands.

Rich Bohr, co-founder and chief operating officer, said the finished product would go "straight to market from the processing plant" without exposure to crude oil price volatility, with locally supplied low-grade forest products ensuring feedstock quality and price stability.

The Tioga County facility is expected to create 50 to 100 direct jobs alongside additional indirect roles in logging and transportation. Woodland BIO said the model was designed to be replicated across rural Pennsylvania, with the facility's design adaptable to process other biomass types into renewable diesel and aviation fuel.

With FEL-2 complete, the company is now fundraising for FEL-3 execution engineering, which will produce detailed construction drawings and secure final permits ahead of construction.