PyroGenesis supplies biomass gasification system to expand contaminated feedstock use

PyroGenesis Inc. on June 17 supplied a biomass gasification system for Innofibre’s new $14 million pilot and pre-commercial facility in Trois-Rivières. The installation went into a site at Cégep de Trois-Rivières that Innofibre describes as the only facility of its kind in North America able to operate under conditions that mirror industrial-scale production.

The project is aimed at a stubborn commercial gap in biofuels and bioproducts: large volumes of contaminated biomass still struggle to find a pathway into refining systems. Wood or organic material mixed with paints, solvents, melamine and other chemicals through disposal or manufacturing processes is often landfilled or underused because processors need proof the contaminants can be managed consistently.

PyroGenesis said its high-temperature plasma gasification technology is designed to handle those contaminants while converting the biomass into syngas. That syngas can then be used for electricity or as feedstock for chemicals, fertilizers, methanol, ammonia and synthetic fuels such as renewable diesel and gasoline. The project was also described as a step toward producing biochar from contaminated biomass.

The opening drew Quebec Labour Minister Jean Boulet, representatives from Canada Economic Development and the Fonds du Grand Mouvement Desjardins, and Jean-Philippe Jacques, general manager of Innofibre. PyroGenesis identified its on-site engineering team as Jean-René Gagnon, Yves Bilien and Jenosan Annamalai. The public and private backing underlines how much the sector is leaning on demonstration infrastructure to close the gap between lab results and commercial deployment.

Innofibre says the new site, in the Hautes-Forges industrial park, is meant to support nonwovens, biochar, biomaterials, residual biomass valorization and decarbonization solutions. The center’s broader research portfolio spans the paper and biorefining sector in Quebec, along with biomass packaging, biocoal, bioenergy, extractables and microalgae. Its mission is to reduce technological risk through pilot testing and help industrial innovation and product diversification move beyond the lab.

For producers looking at harder-to-process feedstocks, the real test is not the delivery of the equipment itself but whether the system can demonstrate repeatable runs under industrial conditions. If Innofibre’s platform can show that contaminated waste streams can be converted safely and reliably, it could widen the pool of usable biomass for fuels and chemicals and give project developers more room to build around feedstock flexibility rather than a narrow set of low-carbon inputs.