August 25, 2025
Building a Home for Innovation
The transition into our new laboratory over the past year has been transformative. The Alder Lab has become the cornerstone of our innovation engine—enabling faster technology development, the creation of new intellectual property, and stronger collaboration with existing and future partners.
Working side by side in a shared lab, office, and meeting space has empowered our team to increase our technology readiness level while fostering the spontaneous brainstorming sessions that drive breakthrough ideas. Just as importantly, the Alder Lab has given us a home. We look forward to welcoming more partners, investors, and customers to see our work in action—complete with safety gear and hands-on experiments that channel our inner “Bill Nye the Science Guy.”
Technical Capabilities
The Alder Lab is outfitted with analytical equipment and lab-scale process units that allow us to optimize conditions, validate performance, and ensure quality control. Bench- and pilot-scale systems are enabling longer continuous runs, such as a 100-hour campaign processing bio-oil from miscanthus grass in our custom-designed continuous fractionation system. Using our proprietary technology, our process separates fast pyrolysis oil into two streams:
Analytical testing—including gas chromatography, thermal stability assays, density, viscosity, and water content—is performed in-house to optimize every stage of production.
Looking Ahead
In its first year of operation, the Alder Lab has already delivered new testing methods, specifications, and intellectual property to advance commercialization. This includes a streamlined specification for ARC designed with input from Honeywell UOP to ensure quality control in existing refineries.
The Alder Lab is more than a facility—it’s where the future of renewable fuels is being built. It enables us to accelerate progress, strengthen partnerships, and bring our vision of decarbonized aviation and transportation fuels closer to reality.
August 25, 2025
Alder Renewables, Boeing, and Bioénergie AE Côte-Nord (AECN) are partnering on Project Avance, an initiative to produce Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) from sawmill residues in Port-Cartier, Québec. Boeing is investing CAD $10 million (US $7.2 million) in the project as part of its Industrial and Technological Benefits commitment to Canada. The project has the potential to scale to 10 million gallons of SAF annually in Québec.
Transforming Sawmill Residues into Renewable Fuels
Project Avance will deploy Alder Renewables’ Alder Renewable Crude (ARC) process to convert bio-oil from the Port-Cartier Bioénergie AECN plant—a joint venture between Arbec Forest Products and Groupe Rémabec—into a stable, refinery-ready intermediate. That ARC will then be upgraded through hydrotreating into SAF and other renewable fuels.
Driving Canada’s Clean Energy Commitments
This initiative aligns with Canada and Québec’s clean energy goals by creating high-paying jobs, leveraging existing forestry infrastructure, and supporting Canada’s Aviation Action Plan, which calls for 1 billion liters of SAF by 2030.
Partner Perspectives
“Project Avance will be located at Arbec Lumber’s integrated plant, which already produces renewable fuel oil and biochar,” said Serge Mercier, CPA, President of Bioénergie AECN. “This partnership takes us to the next level… creating new revenue streams for a legacy industry and helping decarbonize one of the hardest-to-abate sectors: aviation.”
“Project Avance represents a pivotal moment in sustainable aviation,” said Darren Fuller, Chief Commercial Officer, Alder Renewables. “By converting sustainably sourced forest residuals into renewable fuels, we can cut emissions by up to 80% compared to conventional jet fuel.”
“This significant investment in SAF production demonstrates our commitment to scaling sustainable aviation fuel and to our work in Canada,” said Al Meinzinger, President, Boeing Canada.
Looking Ahead
Project Avance will serve as an innovation hub for SAF development, testing, and certification. The partners are working with both federal and provincial governments to secure additional support and position Québec as a leader in sustainable aviation.
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