The Interreg Aurora funded project FOR-BLEND held its first face-to-face project meeting at RISE Research Institutes of Sweden in Piteå, Sweden, on 9–10 June 2025. Throughout the meeting, the agenda balanced presentations with open discussions to facilitate collaborative exchange and alignment on the project’s next steps.
”We are very glad that so many researchers took the time to visit us and explore our facilities,” says Elena Wikberg, Research and Development Engineer at RISE. ”We really appreciate the great teamwork on the FOR-BLEND project and are excited to keep working together moving forward.”
The first day began with a detailed presentation by RISE on converting raw materials into the final biofuel product. The presentation focused specifically on raw material conversion, emphasising the pyrolysis process and corresponding experimental results. Following the session, participants were given a guided tour of the laboratory, showcasing the available equipment and pilot-scale facilities.
“So far, initial development and testing of a concept for producing a lignocellulosic biofuel blending component have been carried out at RISE in Piteå,” says Elena Wikberg. “The first batch of biofuel blending component was successfully produced using biomass liquefaction followed by hydroprocessing of the resulting pyrolysis oil. The next step is to evaluate the flexibility of the two-step hydroprocessing approach using an alternative pyrolysis oil.”
The following day, the University of Vaasa gave an overview of the planned analyses of product properties and storage stability testing to be carried out with the upgraded pyrolysis oil produced by RISE.
”Half a year into the project, this was a good opportunity to meet our project partners in person,” says Carolin Nuortila, Senior Researcher from the University of Vaasa and Project Lead of FOR-BLEND. “Direct discussions and seeing the facilities at RISE enabled a deeper understanding of the processes. Next, the University of Vaasa will perform analyses and initiate experimental work with the product in order to develop a carbon-neutral fuel component.”
Åbo Akademi University introduced their simulation framework designed for process modelling, prompting further discussion on data related to material and feedstock characteristics. The RISE team then returned to deliver another in-depth session on the hydroprocessing steps involved in upgrading bio-oil. The session covered the relevant processes, ongoing experiments and potential modifications for model development.
Partners also discussed the upcoming online seminar that is preliminarily scheduled for the end of February 2026.
Learn more about the FOR-BLEND project on this web page
