What Pyrovac does

Pyrovac is a Quebec-based advanced pyrolysis technology developer and equipment manufacturer that converts organic waste streams — agricultural residues (notably almond shells), forestry biomass, and non-recyclable mixed plastics — into commercially valuable products including biostimulants, biochar, biocarbon briquettes, and pyrolytic transportation fuels. The core technology is a continuous-process pyrolysis reactor using molten salt (caloduc) heat transfer, enabling complete material transformation with no secondary residues and an energy self-sufficient design where incondensable gases are recycled as the reactor heat source. The platform was developed over 30+ years of R&D, originating in founder Dr. Christian Roy's doctoral work and progressing through multiple reactor generations to current industrial-scale units operating at 500-1,500 kg/hr.

The company's business model combines equipment manufacturing, technology licensing, and R&D services. Pyrovac designs, builds, and delivers industrial pyrolysis units to carefully selected commercial partners who then operate the plants and commercialize the end products under trademarks such as Coriphol (biostimulant) and Corichar (biochar). Named industrial partners include Elkem Metal Canada (forest-residue biocarbon for ferrosilicon, ~$26M pilot project), Polynergy/Groupe SG (plastic-to-diesel, $9M project), and Corigin Solutions (almond-shell processing in Merced, California); Penny Newman functions as a downstream agricultural distribution channel. Revenue is augmented by co-funded R&D with government bodies (Sustainable Development Technology Canada, Transition énergétique Québec, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada) and is project-based with multi-year, staged recognition.

The company employs approximately 30 people across R&D, engineering, manufacturing, and commercial functions and is in an explicitly stated expansion phase. Operations span three sites: the Saint-Lambert-de-Lauzon headquarters and pilot facility (Quebec), the Saguenay biocarbon pilot near Elkem's plant, and the Corigin-operated Merced, California almond-shell plant. The company is privately held with no disclosed institutional investors, holding CDFA and OMRI organic certifications on its biostimulant and an ISO 14064-2-validated 68% GHG reduction claim on its pyrolytic diesel.

Name

Pyrovac

Legal name

Pyrovac Inc.

Website

https://pyrovac.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2010

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Pyrovac is a Quebec-based advanced pyrolysis technology company that designs, builds, and licenses industrial reactors converting agricultural residues, forestry biomass, and non-recyclable plastics into biostimulants, biochar, biocarbon, and pyrolytic fuels for industrial partners.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Industrial Pyrolysis Equipment

NAICS

Petrochemical Manufacturing (32511), Basic Chemical Manufacturing (3251), Materials Recovery Facilities (56292)

SIC

Chemicals & Allied Products (2800), Industrial Organic Chemicals (2860), Cogeneration Services & Small Power Producers (4991)

akta.pro primary industry

Waste Pyrolysis (Plastics/tires/biomass-to-oil/char) (EUAAAKAF)

akta.pro secondary industries

Plastic-to-Fuel/Oil & Feedstock Upgrading (Naphtha/Cracker Feed) (EUAIAKAL), Bio-based Platform & Commodity Chemicals (e.g., bio-ethylene, bio-propylene, bio-BTX, bio-methanol) (EUAAAIAA), Biomass & Waste-to-Energy Plant EPC (EUAEAAAI), Industrial Waste-to-Energy (Non-Hazardous Process Wastes) (EUACAIAI)

Keywords

• Advanced pyrolysis technology
• Biomass waste valorization
• Biostimulant production
• Plastic-to-fuel conversion
• Biochar manufacturing

Headquarters

HQ city

Quebec

HQ country

Canada

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Supply Chain, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Technology Licensing: Pyrovac grants operating licenses to carefully selected commercial partners who commercialize the products derived from its pyrolysis technology. This is the primary revenue model where Pyrovac designs and builds industrial pyrolysis units and licenses the technology to partners.
2. Equipment Manufacturing and Sales: Pyrovac acts as an equipment manufacturer (équipementier) producing prototypes and industrial pyrolysis equipment. The company designs, builds, and delivers pyrolysis units to client-partners, such as the 500 kg/hr plant delivered to Corigin Solutions and pilot plants for Elkem and Polynergy.
3. R&D and Process Development Services: Pyrovac collaborates with large companies to develop cost-effective solutions for organic waste treatment. The company provides engineering, process development, and commissioning services as part of its partnerships. Revenue is derived from co-development agreements with government co-funding (e.g., SDTC, Technoclimat, Québec government grants).

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Pyrovac designs, builds, and licenses industrial advanced pyrolysis systems that convert organic waste streams — agricultural residues (almond shells), forestry biomass, and non-recyclable mixed plastics — into commercially valuable products including biostimulants (Coriphol), biochar (Corichar), biocarbon briquettes for metallurgy, and pyrolytic transportation fuels. The company operates as a B2B technology developer and equipment manufacturer, granting operating licenses to commercial partners who then manufacture and commercialize the end products.

Product overview

Pyrovac offers advanced pyrolysis technology as an integrated solution for waste valorization. The company operates as both a technology developer and equipment manufacturer, providing pyrolysis systems that convert various waste streams into commercial products. The core product portfolio includes Coriphol™ (biostimulant) and Corichar™ (biochar) derived from almond shells, pyrolytic fuels (diesel, gasoline, kerosene) from plastic waste, and biocarbon briquettes for metallurgy applications. Pyrovac licenses its technology to commercial partners and designs/builds industrial-scale pyrolysis units.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Industrial Pyrolysis Units Custom-engineered industrial pyrolysis reactors using proprietary molten-salt (caloduc) heat transfer, delivered to enterprise clients across agricultural, forestry, and plastics sectors. Units range from pilot (50 kg/hr) to commercial scale (1,500 kg/hr) and are designed for continuous, energy self-sufficient operation.
• Pyrolysis Technology Licensing Operating licenses granted to carefully selected commercial partners who then manufacture and commercialize the products derived from Pyrovac's advanced pyrolysis technology across agricultural, metallurgical, and energy applications.
• Coriphol Biostimulant Aqueous solution of phenols, organic acids, and light biomolecules sourced from almond shells via Pyrovac's pyrolysis technology. Applied as a biostimulant in agriculture via foliar and drip irrigation. Reduces NPK fertilizer use by 25-35% while maintaining crop yields. Registered with CDFA and OMRI for organic use.
• Corichar Biochar Biochar derived from pyrolysis of almond shell agricultural residues, used as a soil amendment to enrich agricultural soils, reducing petroleum-based fertilizer use while immobilizing carbon in soil. Also used in animal feed and composting. OMRI certified for organic production.
• Biocarbon Briquettes Biocarbon produced from forest residues via pyrolysis, manufactured into briquettes for use as a reductant replacing fossil metallurgical coal in ferrosilicon production. Massively reduces GHG emissions in metallurgy.
• Pyrolytic Diesel from Plastic Waste Diesel fuel produced from thermal decomposition of non-recyclable mixed plastics via pyrolysis. One kilogram of plastics converts to one liter of engine fuel. Reduces GHG emissions by 68% compared to petroleum diesel under ISO 14064-2 standard. Blended with petroleum diesel for use in transportation vehicles.
• Pyrolytic Gasoline from Plastic Waste Gasoline produced from thermal decomposition of non-recyclable mixed plastic waste via Pyrovac's pyrolysis technology.
• Pyrolytic Kerosene from Plastic Waste Kerosene produced from thermal decomposition of non-recyclable mixed plastic waste via advanced pyrolysis.
• R&D and Process Development Services Engineering, process development, and commissioning services provided to industrial partners developing cost-effective solutions for organic waste treatment. Includes co-development agreements with government co-funding.
• ECOPHEN S-01 New Pyrovac product launched in January 2026; limited product information available from the product page.

Quantifiable outcome

• 68% reduction in GHG emissions when using pyrolytic diesel compared to petroleum diesel, based on ISO 14064-2 standard
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Corigin Solutions LLCcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPyrovac partnered with Corigin Solutions LLC to deliver a 500 kg/hr almond shell processing plant in Merced, California. Pyrovac supplies the pyrolysis technology and equipment; Corigin operates the plant to produce CoripholTM biostimulant and CoricharTM biochar. A second, larger-capacity plant is planned for 2024. The partnership leverages California's position as the world's largest almond producer (80% of global supply, over 1.5M tons/year).
• Elkem Metal CanadacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPyrovac is working with Elkem Metal Canada to construct a 1,500 kg/hr pilot plant in Saguenay for manufacturing biocarbon briquettes to replace fossil metallurgical coal in ferrosilicon production. Elkem is a publicly listed Norwegian company and one of the world's leading advanced silicon-based materials suppliers. The total investment is NOK 180M (~CAD $26M), with government support reducing Elkem's net investment to NOK 60M. The goal is a full-scale 40,000-ton/year biocarbon plant by 2024 and up to four plants by 2030.
• Polynergy Inc (Groupe SG)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPyrovac and Polynergy, a subsidiary of Groupe SG (a major petroleum products distributor in Quebec), are business partners in a $9M project to convert mixed non-recyclable plastics into pyrolytic diesel and gasoline. A 50 kg/hr pilot plant is operating at Pyrovac's facility in Saint-Lambert-de-Lauzon. Successful road tests were completed in STM buses in Montreal. A full-scale 1,000 kg/hr plant is planned for 2024 in Quebec. The project is co-funded by SDTC and TEQ's Technoclimat program.
• Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (AAFC)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerResearch partnership to test the agronomic performance of pyrolysis-derived biostimulants for vegetable and grain crops, evaluate GHG reduction impact, and study the metabolic mechanisms of biostimulants on plants. The project aims to demonstrate 25-35% reduction in NPK fertilizer use while maintaining equivalent crop yields, aligned with Canada's target of reducing agricultural GHG emissions by 11 megatons CO2 equivalent by 2030.
• Cérom, Biopterre, Cribiq, Olds College, UdeM/UQOminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerFour agricultural research centers collaborating with Pyrovac and AAFC to conduct field and greenhouse trials across a wide range of Canadian crops (from Quebec to the Canadian Prairies), testing biostimulant performance under various conditions including abiotic stress, drought, and low-fertility soils. Studies follow ISO 14064 standards for GHG measurement.
• Sustane Technologies IncminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership for a planned 1,000 kg/hr plastics processing plant in Chester, Quebec. Sustane Technologies and Pyrovac are co-developing the facility to process mixed or soft plastics into valuable outputs.
• Penny NewmancoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorPenny Newman is a California-based agricultural products wholesaler and distributor that markets and sells CoripholTM biostimulant to growers in the Central Valley. Third-party field trials demonstrated increased crop yields (romaine lettuce, broccoli, cabbage) with CoripholTM application, even at reduced fertilizer rates.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Ensyn: Canadian/US pyrolysis company that converts biomass into renewable liquid fuels (RTP technology). Directly comparable to Pyrovac in feedstock (forestry/agricultural residues) and core technology (thermal conversion to fuels and char), with similar B2B/industrial licensing model.
• Plastic Energy: Global plastic-to-fuel pyrolysis company operating commercial plants in Europe and Asia. Directly comparable to Pyrovac's plastic pyrolysis division, addressing non-recyclable plastics via thermal conversion.
• Quantafuel: Norwegian plastic pyrolysis company converting mixed plastic waste into fuels and naphtha. Direct competitor in plastic-to-fuel pyrolysis space, serving similar regulatory tailwinds around plastic waste diversion.
• Sustane Technologies: Canadian plastic-to-fuel and feedstock recycler partnered with Pyrovac on a planned 1,000 kg/hr plant. Comparable in feedstock (non-recyclable plastics) and end markets, with regional Canadian overlap.
• Brightmark Energy: US-based pyrolysis company commercializing plastic-to-fuel technology. Directly comparable to Pyrovac/Polynergy's plastic pyrolysis pathway, addressing non-recyclable mixed plastics via thermal conversion into transportation fuels.
• BTG-Bioliquids: Dutch pyrolysis technology provider for biomass-to-liquid fuels. Direct competitor to Pyrovac in fast pyrolysis reactor technology, serving similar industrial customers seeking renewable fuel and chemical outputs.

Emerging players

• Anellotech: US pyrolysis company developing catalytic pyrolysis for chemicals and fuels from biomass and plastic waste. Comparable emerging player in advanced thermal conversion with similar R&D-stage commercialization profile to Pyrovac.
• Biochar Products (Biochar Supreme): North American biochar producer using pyrolysis of forestry residues. Comparable in biochar output, feedstock type, and agricultural carbon-sequestration applications, though with different reactor technology.

Broad incumbents

• Neste: Global leader in renewable diesel and circular economy solutions. Broad incumbent operating at much larger scale in renewable fuels and chemicals; competes for the same low-carbon fuel market that Pyrovac's pyrolytic diesel targets.

Regional players

• Corigin Solutions: California almond shell processor that operates Pyrovac's pyrolysis plant and commercializes CoripholTM/CoricharTM. Regional player in agricultural waste valorization, comparable in feedstock and California market focus.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/pyrovac
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/pyrovac

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Pyrovac