SUSTAERO, Nextchem team up on Canada’s first large-scale wood waste SAF project

SUSTAERO has signed a licensing deal with Nextchem to add NX Circular gasification to its wood waste-to-sustainable aviation fuel plan, aiming to start commercial operations by 2030. The project would turn sawmill residue and forest biomass into low-carbon jet fuel and could scale up as much as four times its initial size. Why it matters: - The project targets Canada’s first large-scale wood waste-to-sustainable aviation fuel production system. - The plant is designed to cut life-cycle aviation emissions by more than 90%. - The feedstock mix could also help reduce wildfire risk by using mill and forest residuals that might otherwise build up in Canadian forests. What happened: - SUSTAERO announced a strategic licensing agreement with Nextchem, the sustainable technology unit of MAIRE, through subsidiary MyRechemical. - The announcement came June 17, 2026, at the Sustainable Aviation Futures 2026 SAF European Congress in Amsterdam. - Nextchem’s NX Circular gasification technology will be integrated into SUSTAERO’s proprietary production process. - Dr. Mario Bonanni, Nextchem business development manager, unveiled the partnership during a presentation titled “Scaling SAF Beyond 2030.” - SUSTAERO CEO Keith Gillard spoke at the same event about Canada’s advantages for world-scale SAF and eSAF production. The details: - NX Circular will handle high-temperature gasification and purification of industrial sawmill residues, including chips, shavings and bark. - The process will also use unmanaged forest biomass. - The output will be clean, chemical-grade syngas. - That syngas will feed SUSTAERO’s SOAR process for conversion into low-carbon jet fuel. - SUSTAERO said the integration is a key technical milestone for its wood waste-to-SAF plan. - The first plant is set to begin commercial operations by 2030. - The initial facility is engineered to produce 144,000 tonnes of SAF and eSAF a year. - The plant’s architecture and local feedstocks are intended to allow expansion to four times its initial capacity. - SUSTAERO describes the project as Canada’s first billion-litre wood waste to SAF capacity. - SUSTAERO says the supply chain is designed to be simple, sustainable and uninterruptible. Between the lines: - The deal signals growing interest in feedstock-flexible gasification systems for advanced fuel projects. - Nextchem’s comments frame the agreement as validation for waste-to-value applications beyond a single feedstock. - SUSTAERO is positioning the project around both decarbonization and supply security, two priorities for airlines and fuel buyers. - The Amsterdam launch suggests the companies want to market the project to an international SAF audience. What’s next: - SUSTAERO will advance work toward commercial start-up by 2030. - The company will continue building out its proprietary SOAR process around the newly licensed gasification step. - Nextchem will support the biomass-to-syngas portion of the project through its NX Circular technology. - SUSTAERO says the first plant’s design could support a later expansion phase if feedstock and market conditions allow. The bottom line: - The partnership gives SUSTAERO a core gasification technology for a Canadian SAF project that aims to turn wood waste into a scalable, ultra-low-carbon fuel supply.