SUSTAERO Taps Nextchem to Turn Wood Waste Into SAF

SUSTAERO will license Nextchem's NX Circular gasification technology to convert Canadian forest residues into sustainable aviation fuel. The plant targets up to 144,000 tons of SAF annually once it starts operating in 2030. That route uses gasification, distinct from the pyrolysis pathway behind Quebec's Project Avance.

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What Makes This Wood Waste Approach Different?

SUSTAERO converts wood waste into SAF through gasification, not pyrolysis. The company's proprietary SOAR process feeds forest residues into Nextchem's NX Circular technology for the biomass-to-syngas step.

That step uses high-temperature gasification to break wood waste down into synthetic gas. Nextchem, the technology arm of Italy's Maire Group, then purifies that syngas into a chemical-grade feedstock ready for SAF conversion.

Project Avance, the Boeing-backed Quebec initiative, uses pyrolysis to create a liquid biocrude that gets hydrotreated into SAF. SUSTAERO's plant skips the liquid biocrude stage and goes straight to syngas, a meaningfully different chemical route to the same fuel.

How Much SAF Will the Plant Produce?

The plant targets 144,000 tons of SAF annually starting in 2030. That initial capacity could grow to four times that volume, putting the ceiling near 576,000 tons per year.

Forest residues left unmanaged raise wildfire risk across Canada, similar to the feedstock challenge behind Graphyte's biomass carbon removal projects in the United States. Converting that biomass into fuel cuts wildfire fuel loads while displacing fossil jet fuel.

Project	Conversion Method	Initial Capacity	Target Start
SUSTAERO / Nextchem	Gasification to syngas	144,000 tons per year	2030
Project Avance (Alder/Boeing)	Fast pyrolysis to biocrude	10 million gallons per year	2027

>> RELATED: Boeing Backs $10M Quebec SAF Project to Fly by 2027

Why Did Nextchem Win This Licensing Deal?

Nextchem's gasification technology already has a track record on this exact application. The company supplied similar gasification systems for the Louisiana SAF megaproject, processing bagasse instead of wood waste.

That prior deployment gave Nextchem a working reference plant for biomass-to-syngas conversion at commercial scale. SUSTAERO's leadership cited that proven performance as the deciding factor.

Nextchem also licensed its NX AdWinMethanol Zero technology to Transition Industries' Pacifico Mexinol facility in Mexico. It ranks among the largest ultra-low carbon methanol plants under development worldwide.

Past the Final Investment Decision, Nextchem's role can expand further. The deal leaves room for the company to supply process design packages, proprietary equipment, technical services, and catalysts as the project advances.

A Wider North American SAF Buildout

Other North American SAF capacity is coming online on a similar timeline. Twelve's AirPlant One facility in Washington state, engineered by a Calgary firm, opened on June 10, 2026, using an entirely different power-to-liquid pathway.

Demand keeps pace with new supply too. DHL and Phillips 66 closed a 240,000-ton SAF supply deal last year, and Wheels Up launched a SAF purchasing program with Delta for charter customers.

Quebec's sawmill density supports pyrolysis-based Project Avance, while SUSTAERO's gasification route targets a broader, less geographically concentrated wood waste supply. Both lean on the same growing SAF demand and convert a waste stream that previously had limited commercial value.

Canada's forests are about to feed both lumber mills and jet engines from the same leftover pile. With two production pathways now moving toward commercial scale, the country's wood waste SAF story is just getting started.

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