Vancouver, CANADA – August 20, 2018 — Foresight Cleantech Accelerator Centre and BC Bioenergy Network (BCBN) today announced three Canadian companies have been selected as finalists in the ARCTIC Innovation Challenge for improving the business case for on-farm production of renewable natural gas (RNG) in British Columbia. The companies will receive funding and support to advance their technology solutions, which convert the by-products associated with anaerobic digestion into commercially viable products.
Biogas is produced when organic waste – such as animal manure and municipal solid wastes – decomposes. This biogas can then be purified into RNG. That RNG can be used as a substitute for conventional natural gas when generating power, heating homes and businesses, and fueling vehicles. The by-products of the RNG production process can be turned into value-added products, such as organic fertilizers.
The three winning companies and their technologies are:
- Muddy River Technologies – providing a cost-effective technology to improve the nutrient extraction process for phosphorous and nitrogen using biochar;
- CH Four and BioPolynet – providing an organic substitute for the polymer that is used to extract the nutrients from the sludge produced during the anaerobic digestion phase; and
- Trident Processes – providing an innovative drier and nutrient granularization technologies.
Over the next ten months, the three companies will work with Seabreeze Farm in Delta, B.C., to develop their technology solutions across the RNG and nutrient recovery supply chain.
“Selecting three winners for a joint sprint and field trial phase has never been done before in the ARCTIC Challenge program,” said Neil Huff, Foresight’s Founder & Director. “This kind of collaboration between technology providers is exactly what we need to fully realize the benefits of their solutions across the entire RNG and nutrient recovery supply chain.”
“For the last several years, we have been producing RNG and supplying it to FortisBC’s grid to supply the local market in BC,” said Jerry Keulen, Owner, Seabreeze Farm. “We are looking forward to working with these companies to optimize our current system and improve our business case.”
“BC Bioenergy Network is pleased to be the Solutions Hub in the low-carbon economy, identifying industry challenges and opportunities for revenue generation and a positive environmental impact,” said Scott Stanners, Executive Director of BCBN. “These field trials will showcase innovative technologies for adoption in the agriculture sector.”
The ARCTIC Innovation Challenge series is Foresight’s flagship program, with six challenges currently underway. ARCTIC is funded with support from Western Economic Diversification (WD), Innovate BC, and NRC-IRAP. This ARCTIC Challenge is also made possible through the financial support of industry partner BC Bioenergy Network and Growing Forward 2, a federal-provincial-territorial initiative; and the advisory services of consulting partners Tessellate Inc. and The Delphi Group.
About Foresight Clean Technology Accelerator Centre
Foresight is a BC-based not-for-profit that provides early-stage innovators in cleantech, automation and advanced manufacturing with the resources, expertise, and partners they need to accelerate their growth and eventually commercialize their products. Foresight startups have gone on to create millions of dollars in investment and almost 200 jobs in Canada. ARCTIC is Foresight’s flagship program and brings together industry, entrepreneurs, and the public sector to find and fund cleantech solutions for resource sector challenges in western Canada. Find out more at www.foresightcac.com and follow on Twitter @ForesightCAC.
About BC Bioenergy Network
Established in April 2008 with a $25 million grant from the BC government, BC Bioenergy Network (BCBN) is an industry-led association that acts as a catalyst for deploying near-term bioenergy technologies and organizing mission-driven research for the development and demonstration of sustainable world class bioenergy capability in BC. For more information about BCBN, visit www.bcbioenergy.ca.
