The partnership combines BTL’s pyrolysis technology, which converts sustainable biomass into bio-oil, with NanosTech’s proprietary Aquaprocessing (AQP) platform, which upgrades challenging bio-oils into refinery-ready feedstocks to produce fuels such as sustainable aviation fuel (SAF), renewable diesel, and marine fuels.
The two companies are now actively collaborating to determine the location in Canada and Europe for the new 500 bpd modular biorefinery system. This system can be deployed near the feedstock source, reducing transportation emissions, improving economic viability, and creating new value chains for bio-based producers.
Second-generation biofuels, made from non-food biomass such as forestry residues and agricultural waste, offer a critical path to decarbonising hard-to-abate sectors like aviation, shipping, and heavy transport. The BTL-NanosTech solution enables this with a flexible, modular system that eliminates the need for large external hydrogen or massive refinery-scale infrastructure.
“We have always believed in the untapped potential of our pyrolysis oil. Seeing it now evolve into a true drop-in fuel through this collaboration is deeply rewarding,” said Gerhard Muggen, Managing Director at BTL. “We are now able to offer a practical solution that meets both technical standards and economic realities.”
The companies are actively engaging industrial and government stakeholders to accelerate deployment by the end of 2025.
Myles McGovern, CEO of NanosTech, added: “BTL’s expertise in pyrolysis, combined with our catalyst platform, unlocks what was previously out of reach, transforming complex bio-oils into true drop-in fuels. The result: meaningful CO2 reductions from every barrel of renewable diesel, effectively turning conventional diesel engines into cleaner, more sustainable powertrains without a single hardware change.”
The two companies aim to deliver a compact, modular, and economically viable solution.
“This collaboration is a strong signal to the market that advanced biofuels are no longer just a concept – they are now a scalable, commercially viable reality,” Muggen commented.