In Minnesota, Northern News Now reported that  a new refinery planned for Hayward will convert wood into sustainable aviation fuel, using waste wood, such as scrap wood or invasive species.

Hayward companies FutureWood and Johnson Timber Corporation will source and process the wood, while Synthec Fuels will handle the fuel refining process. President of FutureWood DJ Aderman says the facility will harness products not currently utilized in the forestry industry.

“What’s really cool about this is we’re gonna use a lot of mill residuals. We’re gonna use a lot of products that we’re not currently using right now, unmerchable tops, species that have no or little value,” said Aderman.

Last week, Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers signed the Forestry Revitalization Act, which approved up to $120 million in tax credits for the $1.7 billion project. The legislation aims to bolster the forestry industry, which has seen major downturns due to mill closures in recent years.

“Paper has been great for the last hundred years. What’s that next iteration gonna be of products that utilize our renewable resource?” said Johnson Timber Corporation president Bill Johnson.

Technology and production
The facility will use technology that essentially cooks material, usually natural gas or coal, to create a gas, which is then distilled into fuel.

“We would be the first or one of the first to utilize wood biomass as a feedstock, and we’re hoping to help lead that effort,” said Johnson.

The operation will directly employ about 185 full-time workers and support an estimated 2,000 more jobs across the state.

“I think it’s just a great opportunity when you take a look at everybody in the supply chain from the logging contractors to the landowners to the truckers to have a long term secure market,” said Aderman.

The Forestry Revitalization Act requires the facility to source 80% of the wood biomass from Wisconsin. Aderman says they plan to source the rest from a wide radius in northeastern Minnesota.

Leaders anticipate the facility will be operational in 2030. The vast majority of fuel will be sent to the Duluth-Superior Port to be shipped to the European Union, which instituted sustainable aviation fuel mandates in 2025.
 
Source: northernnewsnow.com