Cielo provides update on wood-waste to biodiesel refinery

Canada-based Cielo Waste Solutions (Cielo) has released an operations update on its Aldersyde renewable diesel refinery.

The company describes the two-step process with the first step being the conversion of the biomass – waste and sawdust – into a distillate and the second step being the further conversion of the distillate into renewable naphtha, kerosene and high-grade diesel.

Cielo claims that the facility has produced an estimated 50,000 litres of renewable fuels from the wood waste feedstock that is currently being held in tanks on-site.

It also is planning to sell a portion of the fuels that contain the sulphur to some interested parties as well as to retain the product in inventory until it has been desulphurised, after which the products will be sold.

Cielo also outlined its plans to switch from a hot oil boiler to electric heat. According to the release, its engineering team believes that the switch will enable higher temperatures which will then substantially increase the biomass percentage.

Lastly, the firm announced it is ready to select the desulphurisation technology and the supplier of the equipment that Cielo will be using moving forward.