Our Vision
Woodland BIO’s biomass-to-gasoline process is born from the idea that smart business and environmentalism are two sides of the same coin: creating efficient circular systems will benefit profitability and the environment at the same time.
Woodland BIO is the brainchild of Luca Pandolfi, who thought that if we could find circular solutions for locally producing transportation fuels it would help to immediately address many of the biggest barriers to a sustainable society. The idea was to utilize carbon that is already part of the natural cycle to produce gasoline that works with existing cars and distribution infrastructure. This model could displace the current model that relies on drilling sequestered hydrocarbons in distant lands, transporting them, refining them, distributing them, and then burning them.
After talking over the initial idea with some professors at Ithaca College, Luca settled into an independent study course with Professor Jake Brenner to closely investigate the options for creating renewable liquid fuels using technology that was available, or in the final stages of development. The plan was to try and bridge the gap between research and commercialization, bringing a business focus to scientific fields to see if a financially viable company could be created from existing technology.
Over two semesters of independent research, the feasibility of the idea was confirmed, and the research was refined into a business plan that would achieve the core objectives. The 2013 Ithaca College Business Idea Competition presented the perfect opportunity to test the idea and see what kind of reception it received from the business community. So the first iteration of what would become Woodland BIO first appeared.
The response was overwhelmingly positive, taking one of the first-place prizes in that year’s competition. In 2021 Luca started working on a revised version of a prototype system that would be implemented in the Northeast.
