Carolina Renewables outlines Orangeburg plant to turn wood chips into renewable diesel and biochar
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Summary
Carolina Renewable Products’ CEO Robert Bridal told the committee his Orangeburg facility will dry and micro-chip mill residuals, use high-temperature pyrolysis and syngas conversion to produce renewable diesel, and aims to begin accepting chips in Orangeburg by year-end.
Robert Bridal, chief executive officer of Carolina Renewable Products, told the Senate subcommittee that his company will open an Orangeburg plant to convert wood chips into renewable diesel, biochar and other co-products.
"We take 800,000 wet tons and we turn it into 43,000,000 gallons of diesel fuel," Bridal said, describing the plant model and the company's intended scale. He said the plant will start by purchasing mill residuals from local suppliers and expand over time to accept chipped roundwood taken directly from the woods.
Bridal described the process in operational detail: chips are dried to roughly 8–12% moisture, run through a micro-chipper, then exposed to high-temperature pyrolysis to produce syngas and biochar; syngas is then processed and distilled to make renewable diesel. He said biochar will be marketed to the state's agricultural sector.
On economics, Bridal said chips will be accepted at about $40 per wet ton and, accounting for current electricity prices, his projected production cost is about $1.85 per gallon. He said most output is contracted with local distributors and that the company expects three nearby counties to consume the plant's production.
Bridal discussed sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) and other product mixes, saying about 60% of the end product can qualify as SAF while completing the remaining 40% is more costly. He also said state regulations would not block production or local sales and that engineering has moved into a kickoff stage that would allow site-work bidding in March, with first chip deliveries to Orangeburg targeted by year-end.
Why it matters: If built at scale, the plant would create a local market for mill residuals and small-diameter material, offering private landowners and sawmills an outlet for material that otherwise has depressed value since recent pulp-mill closures. The company asked lawmakers about financing help such as favorable loans to speed deployment.
The committee did not take action on incentives during the briefing.
