Licella expands JDA with Quadrise
Licella’s proprietary Cat-HTR™ hydrothermal liquefaction (“HTL”) technology converts abundant biomass residues and biowastes, including forestry and agricultural residues, into high-quality, sustainable bio-oil. This bio-oil can be further upgraded, blended or refined into low-carbon liquid fuels.
HTL is globally recognised as one of the most promising pathways for producing sustainable fuels for hard-to-abate sectors such as shipping, with leading organisations, including the Mærsk Mc-Kinney Møller Centre for Zero Carbon Shipping, highlighting its ability to deliver low-carbon bio-oils at the scale required by the maritime industry.
Under the JDA entered into in March 2025, Quadrise and Licella have been collaborating to advance the use of Licella’s bio-oil as a potential cost-effective feedstock for Quadrise’s bioMSAR™ and bioMSAR Zero™ fuels. Pursuant to the JDA, laboratory testing has been undertaken in Australia and the UK, enabling the parties to develop a deeper understanding of the technological advancements required to supply sustainable HTL-derived bio-oils to the maritime sector.
As a result, and prior to diesel engine testing, the Amended JDA now sets out a non-binding but more targeted development programme, including an updated timetable for the joint testing of the parties’ respective fuel technologies. Licella will contribute its expertise in scalable HTL bio-oil production, while Quadrise will provide maritime fuel expertise and market access. Subject to the successful completion of final laboratory testing on refined Licella HTL bio-oils in H2 2026, the parties plan to commence initial marine diesel engine pilot testing. Following this, Quadrise and Licella intend to undertake the larger-scale third-party engine testing required to progress toward commercial vessel trials.
Category: Fuels
