2019-04-24 12:10:44
WPAC APPOINTS NEW DIRECTOR OF RESEARCH AND TECHNICAL DEVELOPMENT
Gordon Murray, executive director of the Wood Pellet Association of Canada (WPAC), is pleased to announce the appointment of Fahimeh Yazdan Panah as Director of Research and Technical Development.
Dr. Yazdan Panah joins WPAC from the University of British Columbia, where she was a research associate with the Biomass and Bioenergy Research Group. For the past 12 years, she has carried out bioenergy research on behalf of the university, governments and private industry clients, focusing on biofuel densification, pretreatment, storage, biomass handling and safety.
A prolific writer, Dr. Yazdan Panah has co-authored more than 80 technical reports and peer-reviewed publications on the topic of bioenergy.
Dr. Yazdan Panah also serves as the project lead within ISO Technical Committee 238 (Solid Biofuels) and as the chair within ISO Technical Committee 300 (Solid Recovered Biofuels).
She received her Ph.D. and MASc from UBC and a BASc from the Amirkabir University of Technology in Iran. She is registered as a professional engineer with the Association of Engineers and Geoscientists of B.C. and as a professional project manager with the Project Management Institute.
Dr. Yazdan Panah also volunteers as the regional director of the B.C. chapter of the Canadian Society for Bioengineering.
Her appointment is effective April 1, 2019.
CO2 SOLUTIONS STARTS UP CARBON CAPTURE UNIT AT SAINT-FÉLICIEN
A CO2 capture unit installed by CO2 Solutions Inc. has started commissioning at a Resolute Forest Products pulp mill in Saint-Félicien, Que.
The project is in conjunction with Fibrek General Partnership, a subsidiary of Resolute Forest Products Inc., and Serres Toundra Inc., and involves the deployment of a 30-tonne per day (TPD) CO2 capture unit and ancillary equipment at the pulp mill, as well as the commercial reuse of the captured CO2 by the adjacent Toundra Greenhouse complex.
Start-up of the CO2 capture unit officially took place on March 14, preceded by the successful pre-operation verifications of each of the capture unit’s systems, after which the unit was put into operation and the first tonnes of CO2 were captured.
“This unit, a three-times scale-up from our currently operating 10-TPD unit in Montreal-East, confirms the position of our proprietary enzymatic technology as the world’s most advanced second-generation carbon capture technology,” said Richard Surprenant, chief technology officer at CO2 Solutions.
Once the Saint-Félicien capture unit reaches its nominal capacity of 30 tonnes of CO2 per day, a six-month demonstration period will begin, after which the commercial phase will begin and CO2 Solutions will generate revenues from the sale of the CO2 to Toundra Greenhouse.
CELLUFORCE SCALING UP CELLULOSE NANOCRYSTAL FACILITY
CelluForce’s cellulose nanocrystal facility in Windsor, Que., is set to become the world’s first full commercial demonstration-scale plant of its kind.
The federal and Quebec governments announced a combined $6.4 million investment in the facility’s upgrade in early February. The funding will allow CelluForce to double its annual production to produce 300 tonnes of nanocrystals a year. Extracted from wood fibre, the nanocrystals can be used in everything from papers to paints, electronics to adhesives and cement to cosmetics.
“CelluForce has been working hand in hand with industrial partners, helping them develop high-performance and sustainable products using cellulose nanocrystals,” CelluForce CEO Sébastien Corbeil said in a news release. “This investment will allow us to maintain our leadership in the field and expand the development of improved products with our customers. It will further enable our continued growth.”
The federal funding is provided through the Natural Resources Canada’s Investments in Forest Industry Transformation (IFIT) program, and the provincial funding is through Quebec Minister of Forests, Wildlife and Parks’ Innovation Bois [wood innovation] program and the Ministère de l’Économie et Innovation’s Fonds du développement économique [economic development fund]. The increase in capacity is expected to help create more than 100 jobs.
“This project is a terrific example of the brighter, bio-based future ahead of us. Congratulations to CelluForce for leading the way in forest sustainability and providing eco-friendly development solutions in Canada,” Paul Lefebvre, parliamentary secretary for Natural Resources Canada, said in the release.
CANADA INVESTS IN BIOMASS RESEARCH CLUSTER TO GROW BIOECONOMY
The federal government is investing up to $7 million in a biomass research cluster led by the BioFuelNet Canada Network. Funding for the research cluster will include an additional $3.1 million in contributions from industry, for a total investment of $10.1 million.
The cluster’s research aims to drive innovation and help improve technologies for processing agricultural biomass that can then be used as a renewable and sustainable starting material for production of cleaner bioenergy, and other bio-based products.
The focus will be on three key areas of research including:
• Advanced technologies to boost biomass production;
• Using biomass heat and energy to extend the greenhouse growing season in Northern Canada; and
• Reducing production costs and expanding export markets for biomass.
McGill University is receiving up to $888,061 to fund a project focusing on the development of biological inputs that will enhance the growth of biomass crops including switchgrass.
“This investment in biomass research will help farmers manage agricultural waste, reduce energy costs and environmental impacts, while creating new market opportunities for Canadian bioenergy,” Agriculture Minister Lawrence MacAulay said.
Donald L. Smith, CEO of BioFuelNet Canada, said the agricultural sector has a key role to play in the full development of Canada’s bioeconomy.
“The potential payback of a thriving agro-bioeconomy to Canada is enormous in that it will cause meaningful reductions in Canadian greenhouse gas emissions and create new wealth and employment in the agricultural sector. The Biomass Canada cluster is focused on research that will help make this happen,” he said.
WHEAT-BASED BIOFUELS FACILITY SET FOR CONSTRUCTION IN ALBERTA
Strathmore, Alta., is the chosen site of a new $285-million construction project that will see a first-of-its-kind wheat-based biofuels facility producing denatured ethanol, biogas, and electricity.
Carbon Clean Energy Inc. (CCE) is the lead developer of the project, known as Project Wheatland. The facility is designed to produce 160 million litres of denatured ethanol for fuel blending, 1.76 mmBtu of biogas and 12 MWh of green power generation annually.
The project received $5 million in funding from Emissions Reduction Alberta, one of three announced through its new Partnership Intake Program.
The Project Wheatland facility is expected to generate 1.3 million tonnes of Alberta carbon offset credits annually, the first of its kind in North America. Production is anticipated to begin in early 2021.
“This project meets the provincial and federal government’s mandate to focus on new technologies that assist in the overall economic diversification of the province,” Bruno Rizzuto, vice-president of corporate development for CCE, said in a news release.
“With the support of both governments, CCE will continue to be a catalyst for local companies to test their innovation for scalability purposes in the energy, agricultural, supply chain, and transportation industries in an operational setting.”
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