Research pursues next generation of biofuels

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By Communications Staff
Thursday, July 3, 2008
The provincial government will pump $7.5 million into The University of Western Ontario's bioproducts initiative, further opening the door to commercializing the conversion of farm byproducts and waste into fuels.

Engineering professor Franco Berruti discusses a new device for converting farm waste into fuel and other chemicals. In the background are Ontario Research and Innovation Minister John Wilkinson and (rear) Attorney General Chris Bentley.
Engineering professor Franco Berruti discusses a new device for converting farm residue into fuel and other chemicals. In the background are Ontario Research and Innovation Minister John Wilkinson and (rear) Attorney General Chris Bentley.
 
In an announcement today at Western’s experimental field station in Middlesex County, Research and Innovation Minister John Wilkinson promised support for two key projects:
 
* $5 million for Western’s fledgling Institute for Chemicals and Fuels from Alternate Resources (ICFAR) which is working with university spin-off company Agri-Therm Ltd. to turn farm byproducts into fuel, fertilizer and pesticides. A mobile unit has been developed and will visit area farms this summer to test and demonstrate its operation with potential clients. A 19,000-square-foot ICFAR building will be constructed at the field station to allow testing of biofuel technologies. In addition, the facility will house two new energy-related research chairs and provide space for visiting scientists and students. The technology has already attracted interest from Mexico, Brazil and other countries.  

* $2.5 million to create a new biogas demonstration facility at Stanton Farms near Ilderton, north of London. The plant – to be the largest on-farm facility in Canada -- will convert manure and waste water from the farm’s large cattle operation into gas that will drive generators able to power up to 800 area homes. The conversion will reduce the amount of greenhouse gas emissions, as well as farm odours. The facility will operate in collaboration with Western, University of Guelph and University of Waterloo.  
 
“We believe government can act as a catalyst to spur innovation,” said Wilkinson, adding the province is committed to supporting peer-reviewed research in seeking solutions to society’s needs.  
 
“We have internationally renowned researchers, savvy entrepreneurs and now – with the launch of Western’s bioproducts initiative – another world-class research institute working quickly to commercialize the ideas that will fuel our future and our economy.”
 
The announcement fleshes out details of a provincial commitment to Western presented in the March provincial budget. Speakers emphasized the target is to move research into production as quickly as possible.  
 
Ted Hewitt, Vice-President (Research & International Relations), said the work places Western at the forefront of bioproducts research and development.
 
“Western is committed to playing an important role in making Ontario a global leader in next generation biofuel research and commercialization, particularly from technologies based on manufacturing from residues rather than food crops,” he said.  
 
The Western-developed Agri-Therm technology is particularly attractive to policy-makers since it relies on what has been traditionally considered waste byproducts of farming, such as corn husks. In contrast, the large-scale conversion of crops such as corn into ethanol and other fuels has generated increasing debate with some social commentators saying it is contributing to a global rise in the cost of food and fertilizer.  
 
Overall, the province has its eye on the 50-million-ton mountain of biomass produced in Ontario every year, much of which gets treated as waste or is underused. The biomass could meet the needs of seven million homes if harnessed by processes such as the projects unveiled today. 
 

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