Bio-oil from Twente wins an award

The award is an initiative of the EUBIA, the European Biomass Industry Association. The organization of the European biomass congress praises the success of BTG-BTL with its pyrolysis technology, making it possible to extract oil from wood waste.

The organisation points the attention to the order that BTG-BTL won, worth millions. “A great example of how decades of research, development, commitment and innovation can lead to clean energy, employment and sustainable growth of the biomass industry”, says Giuliano Grassi, Secretary-General of EUBIA. A factory is being built in Finland that will produce oil from wood waste using BTG-BTL’s technology. They start with building one factory, but the customer has indicated it wants to build three more of such factories. That makes the total order worth more than 100 million euros. Building just one factory leads to 100 full-time jobs in the Netherlands.

Venendaal, CEO of BTG-BTL, is very pleased with the award. “It is a clear appreciation for our work. Actually, for our total oeuvre. I consider it an encouragement to further develop and implement our innovative technologies. That way, we move towards a sustainable economy.” Venendaal emphasized the important role of the European Commission (EC) in the company’s ambitions. “The programs of the EC have been very helpful in the development of our technology.” A long-term vision has been indispensable. “In the long term, pyrolysis oil cannot only be used to make the Netherlands gas-free and thus no longer in need of the natural gas in Groningen, but it is also an excellent fuel to make refineries more sustainable, step by step.”

The pyrolysis oil technology was invented over 25 years ago at the University of Twente. BTG took over development and upscaling in 1993. Fifteen years later, in 2008, BTG BioLiquids (BTG-BTL) was established which, together with TechnipFMC, focuses on the rollout of the technology. Supported by the European FP7 program, the first plant, Empyro, was opened in Hengelo in 2015 at Nouryon, the former Akzonobel. This factory was bought by Twence in December 2018 and runs independently ever since. In 2019, BTG-BTL and TechnipFMC received the first international contract for a factory in Lieksa, Finland, which runs on the Non-Fossil, Non-Food principle.