Flying Forest selects Casale to integrate Project Loonbird biomass-to-methanol complex
- Project Loonbird aims to produce approximately 180,000 tonnes per year of sustainable bio‑e‑methanol.
- The plant will process around 210,000 tonnes of locally sourced non-recyclable forestry biomass and 17,000 tonnes of renewable hydrogen.
- Operations are expected to start by 2030, with a second phase planned to produce Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF).
- Key technologies: Sumitomo SHI FW oxygen‑blown gasification, Honeywell UOP syngas cleaning/CO₂ capture, and Casale BioFlex methanol synthesis and overall integration.
Project overview
Flying Forest selected Casale as integrator and technology provider to deliver the Pre‑FEED for Project Loonbird, a biomass‑to‑methanol complex to be located in Iisalmi, Finland. The facility is expected to start operations by 2030 and become a large‑scale biorefinery converting forestry residues and renewable hydrogen into sustainable fuels for maritime and aviation sectors.
Capacity, feedstock and products
The plant is designed to produce about 180,000 tonnes per year of bio‑e‑methanol by processing ~210,000 tonnes/year of non‑recyclable forestry biomass and ~17,000 tonnes/year of renewable hydrogen from electrolysis. A second development phase will add Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF). Output methanol will meet ISO/DIN 6583:2024 for marine fuel applications and Methanol Grade AA for conventional markets.
Technology and integration
Forestry biomass will be converted to syngas via Sumitomo SHI FW oxygen‑blown gasification; UOP (Honeywell UOP) will handle syngas cleaning, conditioning and CO₂ capture. Renewable hydrogen from water electrolysis will be sized to supply oxygen for gasification/reforming and to avoid CO shift conversion under normal operation. Casale will supply a customized BioFlex methanol synthesis train, distillation, the biomass yard and feedstock preparation (with Sumitomo SHI FW), plus utilities, offsites and overall process integration.
Strategic context
The project targets demand driven by regulatory measures such as the Renewable Transport Fuel Obligation and FuelEU Maritime and aims to demonstrate a circular‑economy route from forestry waste to low‑carbon fuels at industrial scale.
Source: Casale