Seeking Solutions to convert Bio-oil for valuable Automotive Applications

OVERVIEW

Wazoku, the Seeker for this Innocentive Scouting Challenge, on behalf of Stellantis, is seeking innovative solutions to valorize bio-oil, by converting it into permanent valuable materials, such as polyurethane, polyester, or polyamide, suitable for automotive manufacturing and applications, aiming to lower the carbon footprint of its vehicles.

This is a Scouting Challenge seeking a partner or supplier to provide solutions and expertise to solve the Stellantis business challenge; the Solver is invited to submit a written proposal to be evaluated first by Wazoku and then finalists by Stellantis, with the goal of establishing a collaborative partnership and potential future funding.

Solvers with a viable solution and demonstrable business case will be supported by Wazoku:

• With the potential to pitch directly to Stellantis, with applications reviewed by technical experts in raw materials
• Stellantis is willing to support scale-up as an accelerator, with award winners introduced to Stellantis leadership for further decision-making
• Successful solutions may lead to co-developed R&D, pilot studies, or business relationships such as joint ventures or equity shares

In return, Wazoku will retain a share of 25% of any financial benefits you are paid for the collaboration, as a result of the challenge.

Submissions to this Challenge must be received by 11:59 PM (US Eastern Time) on February 10th, 2026.

Please review the later Participation Guidance section before submitting a proposal.

- Login or register your interest to solve!

ABOUT THE SEEKER & ELIGIBILITY

Wazoku is an innovation ecosystem platform encompassing AI, market intelligence, venture building, patent analysis and open talent networks. It centralises data, talent, and tools to make innovation measurable, impactful and able to solve pressing challenges.

Wazoku also operate Innocentive open innovation Challenges like this one, supporting the preeminent problem solver community who have delivered breakthrough results for organisations like NASA, the International Rescue Committee, and ExxonMobil.
 

Stellantis is a constellation of 14 iconic automotive brands and two mobility arms that are about more than transportation: they’re about moving people and making connections. Stellantis aim to develop, engineer, manufacture, and scale the best breakthroughs in all facets of sustainable mobility from autonomous, connected, electrified, shared and pre-owned vehicles to micro-mobility, commercial vehicles, and even electric aircraft.

This challenge is open to sole innovators, start-ups, SMEs, or individual entrepreneurs.

THE CHALLENGE

Background

Stellantis, as part of its Carbon Net Zero strategy, produces biochar through biomass pyrolysis, which also generates bio-oil as a currently underutilised byproduct.

With approximately 26 litres of bio-oil produced per tonne of biomass, Stellantis is exploring ways to leverage this resource to advance its carbon removal goals and enhance sustainability within its operations.  Current quantities are small but could scale to thousands of tonnes if a viable  business case is established.  Process and feedstock variability may affect bio-oil composition, so flexibility in handling different qualities is important.

The Challenge

Stellantis is seeking innovative solutions to valorize bio-oil, a byproduct of biomass pyrolysis whose composition vary depending on feedstock and process conditions and is currently uncharacterized. The goal is to convert this bio-oil into permanent materials, such as polyurethane, polyester, or polyamide, suitable for automotive applications. By valorizing bio-oil, the initiative enhances sustainability and opens new business opportunities for Stellantis.

The challenge aims to unlock the potential of bio-oil by converting it into materials that offer longer-term CO₂ storage, such as polymers for automotive applications. While initial production volumes will be small, the goal is to scale to thousands of tonnes if a viable business case is presented. 

Solutions should therefore demonstrate scalability, commercial viability, and a clear roadmap to market.

The proposed solution processes must prioritise efficiency in energy use, low CO2 footprint, and cost-effectiveness.  A key metric is the additional cost per ton of CO2 saved compared to fossil-based materials,  benchmarked against the Emissions Trading System (ETS) CO2 price. 

SOLUTION REQUIREMENTS

Technical & Operational Requirements 

Solutions must operate under realistic conditions that reflect the nature of bio-oil production and its environmental responsibilities, and should:

• be at minimum Technology Readiness Level 5 (TRL5)
• be demonstrated at operational lab-scale or pilot experiments
• be harmless for humans and the environment
• be without leakage, does not displace or create emissions
• work with bio-oil produced from biomass pyrolysis
• enable conversion of bio-oil into materials with longer-term CO₂ storage (e.g. polymers for automotive parts)
• Ability for the process to run on renewable energy sources should be considered.

Cost Requirement

Please ensure it meets the following:

• The process must be cost-effective, supporting a favourable business case for scale-up and commercialisation
• The solution must demonstrate its ability to produce material at a levelized cost less than or equal to current fossil-based material production costs, with the lowest possible CO₂ footprint
• Alternatively, if the levelized cost is higher than fossil-based production, the solution must quantitatively demonstrate a lower CO₂ footprint, using the ETS CO₂ price as a reference

Business Case

Solutions should demonstrate scalability, commercial viability, and a clear roadmap to market:

• Provide an outline business plan up to the pilot plant stage
• Provide the status and outlook of key performance indicators (KPIs) for the solution, including energy demand, CO₂ emissions, and cost
  • consider an assessment of overall production costs (CAPEX+OPEX)  
  • consider CO2 footprint assessment per tonne of produced material 
  • consider an assessment of energy demand per tonne of produced material 
• Include values for:
  • current solution (status) and
  • projected scaled-up market solution, with an indicative timeline for achieving scale-up
• Consider what KPIs for scale-up projections are required based on current work (eg, validated lab scale or pilot plant data).

Out of Scope

• Solutions focused solely on burning bio-oil as fuel or producing only energy
• Solutions for converting bio-oil to bio-coke
• Storing bio-oil underground
• Academic concepts without a commercialisation roadmap
• Any solution that does not comply with the “no harm” and “no leakage” criteria

Proposals will be assessed on:

• Relevance to the defined challenge
• Benefit of implementation
• Feasibility/economic viability including business case
• Innovative nature
• Ability to launch promptly
• Credibility of applicant
• Coherence of the proposed business model
• Development potential
• Maturity of the solution
• Suitability for the intended geographic market

YOUR SUBMISSION

Please log in and register your interest, to complete the submission form and add attachments.

The submitted proposals must be written in English and include:

1. Participation type – you will first be asked to inform us how you are participating in this challenge, as a Solver (Individual) or Solver (Organization).
2. Idea Summary - Please identify your technology and its advantages for the potential solution to the challenge (Keep this summary under 300 words. Below, you can also upload up to 3 supporting documents - PDF, Word, PowerPoint and images (jpg and png), Max 10MB per file).
3. Technology Readiness - Please select which TRL (Technology Readiness Level) your technology is currently at.
4. Describe your technology readiness level (Keep the description under 300 words).
5. Intellectual Property - Describe your intellectual property (IP) status. Have you, or do you intend to, protect IP status associated with your technology? Please identify the IP status for any supporting technology. (Keep the description under 300 words).
    

PARTICIPATION GUIDANCE

1. Submission Close Date: Submissions to this Challenge must be received by 11:59 PM (US Eastern Time) on February 10th, 2026.
2. Late submissions: Late submissions will not be considered.
3. Multiple submissions, One Maximum: In case of multiple submissions by the same Solver, only one submission – the final one submitted – will be considered. Any other submissions will be deleted prior to evaluation.
4. Submission form and attachments: Your submission will first be evaluated by Wazoku and finalists by the Stellantis evaluation team, first reviewing the information and content you have submitted at the submission form, with attachments used as additional context to your form submission. Submissions relying solely on attachments will receive less attention.
5. Evaluation notification steps: After the Challenge submission close date, Wazoku will review and select the solutions it will propose and position with Stellantis, according to the timeline in the Challenge header. Everyone who submits a proposal will be notified about the status of their submissions.
6. Use of AI: Please note that any submissions produced solely with generative AI are not of interest.
7. Learn more: Find out more about participation in Innocentive Challenges.