Decarbonisation Technology November 2026 issue

Advanced biofuels

Feedstock 1 Feedstock 2 Feedstock 3

Mechanical pretreatment

Syngas treating

Shell Fischer- Tropsch Process

Drying and torrefaction

Solids gasication

Shell Wax Hydroconversion Process

Milling

Densication

E-fuels

Oxygen

Air separation unit

Nitrogen

XTL key utilities

Hydrogen

Electrolyser

Renewable power

Shell integration scope

Shell XTL key utilities

Partner/third-party scope

Figure 5 Integrated hybrid BTL/PTL line-up showing drying, torrefaction, densification, and milling, followed by gasification, syngas treating, Fischer–Tropsch, and wax hydroconversion

require integrated value chains, not isolated technology blocks. Torrefaction cannot remove every barrier to BTL deployment, but it can help address one of the most important: the need to convert varied biomass resources into a consistent industrial feedstock. Conclusion Scaling SAF production is expected to require routes that can use a wider range of feedstocks. For BTL, that means looking beyond established bio-SAF feedstocks to include residues and waste streams, while addressing the variability that makes raw biomass difficult to process at scale. Torrefaction plays an instrumental role in closing that gap. By converting varied biomass streams into a consistent, energy-dense, and flowable material, it can create the consistent gasifier feed needed for large-scale BTL and hybrid BTL/PTL production. Through their collaboration, Shell Catalysts & Technologies and Yilkins are connecting this pre-conversion step with the wider Shell XTL Process. The result is an integrated approach that links biomass upgrading, gasification, the Shell Fischer–Tropsch Process, the Shell Wax Hydroconversion Process, and key utilities, enabling diverse biomass materials to be used as feedstocks for scalable advanced bio-SAF production.

Each party brings experience to a specific part of the challenge. Yilkins contributes commercial- scale torrefaction technology and expertise in upgrading biomass residues. Shell contributes gasification experience, 30 years of commercial Shell Fischer–Tropsch Process and Shell Wax Hydroconversion Process experience, operating plants in Malaysia and Qatar, R&D capability, and experience in licensing and integrating complex process line-ups. Together, this helps connect distributed biomass resources with downstream fuel production, bringing feedstock preparation, gasification, syngas conversion, upgrading, and key utilities into an integrated design. From technology readiness to deployment The building blocks for BTL and hybrid BTL/ PTL production are at different stages of maturity. Entrained-flow solids gasification, gas cleaning, and Shell’s Fischer–Tropsch and Wax Hydroconversion technologies all have extensive commercial operating experience, while Yilkins’ torrefaction technology has entered commercial deployment and continues to move through industrial feedback and optimisation. Shell has applied its process integration expertise to bring these building blocks together in an integrated XTL line-up that is ready for deployment, with each stage designed to support the performance of the next. For producers, project development is expected to depend on several linked factors: securing suitable biomass at sufficient scale, managing integration risk, and reducing capital intensity as projects move from early deployment to replication. The direction of travel is clear: advanced bio-SAF and e-SAF production is expected to

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Patrick Bergman p.bergman@yilkins.com Harold Boerrigter harold.boerrigter@shell.com