Key Takeaways
- GranBio biomass technology converts forestry residues and construction debris into lower-carbon fuels, including sustainable aviation fuel (SAF), renewable diesel and renewable gasoline.
- Amazon is funding the project to help develop a low-cost commercial route to SAF production from waste materials.
- The resulting fuels are chemically identical to conventional equivalents and compatible with existing engines and infrastructure.
- GranBio plans to scale SAF capacity over the next decade by converting shuttered pulp and paper mills across the United States into biorefineries.
- Amazon says the investment supports its goal of reaching net-zero carbon emissions by 2040 through its Climate Pledge.
GranBio Converts Waste Biomass Into Drop-In Fuels
GranBio has developed biomass technology that converts forestry residues and construction debris into lower-carbon fuels aimed at hard-to-abate sectors such as aviation and long-haul trucking. The company is working with materials including leftover branches from logging operations, crop stalks, and construction debris such as discarded pallets and plywood — materials that are abundant across the United States and often end up in landfills or contribute to wildfire risk.
The process breaks down woody biomass to release the carbon stored in plant fiber, then synthesizes that material into fuel molecules chemically identical to those found in petroleum diesel, gasoline and jet fuel. A byproduct of the process generates heat for the facility itself, reducing the need for external energy inputs. The resulting renewable diesel, renewable gasoline and sustainable aviation fuel are compatible with existing engines and infrastructure.
Amazon Backs the Sustainable Aviation Fuel Project
Amazon is funding GranBio's work to develop a low-cost commercial pathway for SAF production from waste materials, as part of the company's Climate Pledge commitment to reach net-zero carbon emissions by 2040. Andreas Marschner, Amazon's vice president of Worldwide Operations Sustainability, said lower-carbon fuel remains scarce in aviation.
“Aviation needs lower-carbon fuel, and the supply doesn't exist at scale yet. GranBio's technology has the potential to change that, turning abundant waste materials into drop-in fuels. By investing now, we're helping demonstrate the demand for solutions that, if they succeed, can become available to the whole industry. That's how we accelerate this transition. Not alone, but together,” said Andreas Marschner, Amazon's vice president of Worldwide Operations Sustainability.
GranBio Plans to Repurpose Dormant Mills Into Biorefineries
GranBio intends to scale SAF production capacity over the next decade by repurposing shuttered pulp and paper mills across the United States into advanced biorefineries, an approach the company says could restore skilled manufacturing jobs in those regions. Kim Nelson, GranBio's chief technology officer, said the partnership with Amazon supports the case for the technology at scale.
“Working with Amazon on this project brings us closer to proving that sustainable aviation fuel made from forest and construction waste can be a real, scalable solution for decarbonizing aviation. Our technology takes materials that would otherwise go unused and transforms them into clean energy, while creating opportunities to revitalize rural communities and improve the health of America's forests,” said Kim Nelson, GranBio's chief technology officer.
Amazon said the project is part of its broader effort to test emerging technologies capable of reducing carbon emissions across its transportation, buildings and packaging operations, with the aim of building pathways for lower-carbon fuel supply across the wider industry.
