The depletion of fossil fuels and the negative impacts of their extraction and combustion on the environment have encouraged scientists and industrial stakeholders to explore the development of alternative, and renewable energy resources such as bio-oil, which can be produced from biomass by pyrolysis and bio-oil upgrading. The main disadvantages of crude bio-oils derived from fast pyrolysis are their poor quality caused by the presence of water and oxygen compounds, high viscosity, instability during storage,  low heating value, and high acidity to be used as a fuel in heating systems.

Dairy production in Québec, Canada, contributes for 38% of the province agriculture-related greenhouse gas emissions. These numbers could however increase in the near future due to the evolution in manure management of dairy farms.

Le secteur agricole québécois désire mettre en place une filière énergétique à la biomasse agricole. Toutefois, la combustion de biomasses agricoles en remplacement des combustibles fossiles rencontre certains freins à son développement. Comme la biomasse contient des quantités appréciables d’azote, de soufre, de chlore, de potassium et de silicium, sa combustion émet plus de particules et d’oxydes d’azote et de soufre et engendre davantage de problèmes d’opération (encrassement, corrosion et mâchefers).