By Cheryl Jahn

Arbios set to go

Jan 29, 2025 | 3:14 PM

PRINCE GEORGE – It was 2021 when Canfor Corporation announced a final investment decision on a project to produce biofuel. The plant will use hydrothermal liquefaction technology to convert forestry residues and wastes into high value into renewable biocrude, which can be further refined to produce low-carbon transportation fuels.

“What we do is essentially, what nature does over millions of years we do in 25 to 30 minutes,” explains Rune Gjessing, CEO of Arbios Biotech. “Where we manipulate temperature and pressure to reduce the time factor. So it’s the same thing. We’re essentially using temperature and pressure we’re taking organic matter, manipulating it, if you will, and then producing oil.”

In August 2022, a formal naming of the Arbios facility adjacent to the Canfor Intercon Pulp mill to Chuntoh Ghuna, meaning “the forest lives.” Groundwork began shortly thereafter and on the eve of the Natural Resources Forum, Arbios announced completion of the project. The world’s largest hydrothermal liquefaction facility in the world, converting 25,000 dry tonnes of wood residuals into 50,000 barrels of biofuel annually.

“We want to try to find commercial solutions, but not necessarily out of commercial scale. You want to know that what you’re putting in this plant here can then be transformed into a commercial scale. So you’re not looking for new suppliers for everything. You’re not looking for new solutions for everything. You’re verifying this in the smallest continuous basis you can.”

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According to British Columbia’s energy minister, this is just one more cog in the wheel that has become Prince George as a green energy hub.

“And this demonstrates that when you provide the means for great B.C. companies to make a contribution to addressing emissions, to addressing climate change, that we can do it,” says Adrian Dix, Minister of Energy and Climate Solution. “There’s all this whole debate about climate change needs to be about what we can do.”

The plant uses residuals from the forest sector, in this case wood residuals. Fibre supply has been an issue in the forest sector recently. Not a concern. But that doesn’t mean there aren’t some concerns. Politics is one of them.

“There are lots of things I am concerned about. But it is a regulatory-driven market,” says Gjessing. “You know, is there still political will to add to this transformation in energy? You know, that is a concern. I can’t do much about it. You can succeed with this project. Maybe that helps you with all of it, but it may not work as we think.”

The biofuel produced at this plant will be used for commercial purposes, predominantly for aircraft and marine purposes.

Pattison Media is owned by the Jim Pattison Group, a majority shareholder in Canfor.