Round 11 Funded Projects

1. Lead Organization:Biothermica Technologies Inc, Montreal, Quebec

Economic Category: Energy Utilization

Environmental Benefit: Climate Change

Consortium Members: 
Hillsborough Resources Limited

Project Description:

Biothermica Technologies Inc. and its partner, Hillsborough Resources Limited, will demonstrate a technology that can oxidize low levels of methane contained in the ventilation air of underground coal mines to carbon dioxide, thereby reducing GHG emissions while being able to sell the resultant carbon credits on the carbon trading market.  A 1/10th scale demonstration unit will be installed at Hillsborough Resources Limited’s Quinsam coal mine near Campbell River, BC. 

2. Lead Organization: Effenco Development Inc., Montreal, Quebec

Economic Category: Transportation

Environmental Benefit: Climate Change, Clean Air

Consortium Members: 
Private refuse truck fleet operators
Labrie Environmental Group
Transport Canada
École de technologie supérieure

Project Description:
Effenco Development and its partners will complete the development and demonstrate a new hybrid hydraulic regenerative braking system dedicated to refuse trucks.  Using a hydraulic pump, the system regenerates kinetic energy while the truck is braking and the energy is stored in a hydraulic accumulator to be reused later in the hydraulic operations of the vehicle. The system is more cost effective than hybrid electric solutions. The project aims to reduce fuel consumption by 20 % and improves brake lifespan by a factor of three. The demonstration project will validate these performance targets by collecting data from five different trucks operating on waste collection routes.

3. Lead Organization: EnQuest Power Corporation, Fonthill, Ontario

Economic Category: Waste Management

Environmental Benefit: Climate Change, Clean Air, Clean Water, Clean Soil

Consortium Members: 
University of Toronto
Clean 16 Technologies Corporation

Project Description:
Provinces and municipalities are under increasing pressure to provide landfill diversion alternatives and to relieve the strain on the electrical power system.  EnQuest has developed a proprietary method to economically and efficiently divert municipal solid waste from local landfills and convert it into clean energy. The Enquest Power Corporation led consortium will use EnQuest’s proprietary Aqueous Transformation (AqT) technology to demonstrate solutions to the challenges of municipal waste management and renewable energy production. They will construct a 5.8-Megawatt energy-from-waste power plant next to a major greenhouse operation. This plant will process 26,000 tonnes of municipal solid waste per year. The electricity from EnQuest’s power plant will be sold to the electricity grid.   Norfolk County will provide the waste input and the greenhouse operator will use the resulting waste heat generated through the cogeneration to generate steam and/or hot water.  This AqT, oxygen deprived, gasification process makes it easier to clean the syngas and has near zero generation of dioxin and furans. It has the additional benefit of a significant reduction in carbon dioxide per unit of electricity generated. 

4. Lead Organization: EnviroTower Inc., Toronto, Ontario

Economic Category: Waste Management

Environmental Benefit: Clean Water, Climate Change

Consortium Members: 
Toyota Motor Manufacturing Canada

Project Description:
Cooling towers are a critical process in many industrial operations.  These systems consume a tremendous amount of chemicals which typically are discharged to sewers.  EnviroTower will demonstrate an industrial application of a patented cooling tower water treatment system as a more reliable, effective and economical alternative to traditional chemical water treatment. The technology is an innovative real-time process control system and the adaptation of existing patented Electrostatic Water Treatment technology.  The system enables industrial facilities to reduce cooling tower costs, lower energy and water consumption, reduce the risk of process interruption, improve operator safety and reduce chemical discharges to sewage systems.

5. Lead Organization: Ferrinov Inc., Montreal, Quebec

Economic Category: Waste Management

Environmental Benefit: Clean Soil, Climate Change, Clean Air

Consortium Members: 

Dofasco Inc.
Mittal Canada Inc.
Centre de recherche en environnement UQAM/Sorel-Tracy (CREUST)
Université du Québec à Montréal (UQAM) / Département des Sciences de la Terre

Project Description:
In North America, approximately 1.1 tonnes of steel mill dust from electric arc furnaces (EAF dust) is produced annually—50% of which is disposed of via landfill and the other 50% is treated by energy intensive processes.  Ferrinov has developed a patented hydrometallurgical process for the treatment of electric arc furnace (EAF) dust and recovery of valuable ferrites and magnetites.  The ferrites and magnetites are transformed into anti-corrosion pigments for use in paint manufacturing.   Compared to pyrometallurgical treatment for EAF dust, Ferrinov’s process represents a reduction in energy intensity of up to 80%.  As well, it only consumes about 15% of the energy input typically required for the production of pigments.   Ferrinov is partnering with Dofasco and Mittal Canada, the two major steel manufacturers in Canada, to further develop and demonstrate the technology which provides a more sustainable alternative to EAF dust disposal with resultant benefits in reduced GHG emissions and minimize use of land fill. 

6. Lead Organization: GE Canada, Mississauga, Ontario

Economic Category: Transportation

Environmental Benefit: Clean Air, Climate Change

Consortium Members:
CN Rail
CP Railways
GE Global Research
GE Company
University of Toronto
Biox Corporation
GE Transportation
Engine Systems Development Center (ESDC)
CAD Railway Services (CAD)
ESW Canada
Umicore Autocat Canada Corp.

Project Description:
As new emissions standards emerge in Canada, the rail industry is faced with increasing challenges to remain competitive.  GE Canada and its partners will develop and demonstrate a retrofit emissions control package for use on diesel locomotives—thereby propelling the Canadian railway industry to the forefront of emissions control. They will incorporate state-of-the-art Diesel Particulate Filtration (DPF) targeted to reduce particulate matter emissions by more than 85% from US EPA Tier 2 emission standards.  Innovative Selective Catalytic Reduction (SCR) technology will also be integrated into the locomotive to reduce NOx emissions by more than 65%. The project will also utilize biodiesel fuels to demonstrate compatibility with NOx and PM emissions reduction technology.  CN will host the Clean Diesel Locomotive (CDL) project on its newer GE locomotives used both in Canada and the US.  CP will host the project to modernize old EMD SD40-2 locomotives, expecting to reduce NOx 24%, HC 29%, GHGs 20% and improve fuel consumption, lube oil consumption and improve availability.  CP will test the DPF and biodiesel on the modernized EMD locomotives.   

7. Lead Organization: Corporation HET - Horizon Environnement Technologies, Quebec City, Quebec

Economic Category: Waste Management

Environmental Benefit: Clean Water, Climate Change, Clean Soil

Consortium Members: 
Fromagerie Perron
NUTRECO Agresearch

Project Description:
Unlike large cheese factories, small- and medium-sized cheese factories do not have economic ways to deal with waste from their operations.  HET proposes to develop and demonstrate a commercial scale continuous aerobic bioreactor that converts a waste by-product of cheese production (whey) to a valuable product (animal feed). The technology converts 90% of the whey effluent to yeast based biomass and useful heat. The process provides an alternative whey disposal option to existing restrictive land and sewer disposal options that limit the operation and expansion of small and medium-sized cheese factories. The biomass is used as growth factor additive for animal feed without the risk of viral risk contamination considering it is a non-animal protein source.

8. Lead Organization: HSM Systems Inc, Fredericton, New Brunswick

Economic Category: Power Generation

Environmental Benefit: Climate Change, Clean Air

Consortium Members: 
University of New Brunswick (UNB)
Hawaii Hydrogen Carriers LLC (HHC)
United Technology Corporation (UTC)
Linweld Inc.

Project Description:
Cost-effective hydrogen storage is a key enabler to the development of hydrogen infrastructure.  HSM Systems Inc. (HSM) is developing a novel hydrogen storage system using aluminum based hydride materials (alane or AlH3 complex) and the use of super critical fluid (SCF) such as supercritical CO2 and dimethyl ether (DME) to facilitate hydrogenation.  Compared to other forms of hydrogen storage systems such as compressed gas cylinders and liquid hydrogen, the HSM system provides a safe, low cost, low weight and high energy alternative to storing and transporting hydrogen which is expected to meet or exceed the criteria established by the U.S. DOE and the IEA for economical hydrogen storage.  Safe and economical means of hydrogen storage and transport is a key infrastructure hurdle to broadening the use of hydrogen. 

9. Lead Organization: MSR Innovations Inc., Burnaby, British Columbia

Economic Category: Power Generation

Environmental Benefit: Climate Change, Clean Air

Consortium Members:
Century Group
EMS Grivory
Advantage Tool & Machine
Lynnx Solar
 
Project Description:
Improving systems installation of Building Integrated Photovoltaic (BIPV) is a key priority for the solar industry.  MSR Innovations and its consortium partners plan to develop and demonstrate a unique solar roofing system which dramatically improves installation of solar PV.  The system’s extensive design and manufacturing flexibility produces a sustainable product that will reduce the costs of solar power systems, enabling mainstream market entry.  Increased access and availability to renewable energy will create a corresponding reduction of greenhouse gas emissions associated with traditional power generation.

10. Lead Organization: Menova Energy Inc., Ottawa, Ontario

Economic Category: Energy Utilization

Environmental Benefit: Climate Change, Clean Air

Consortium Members: 
Menova Energy Inc.
Trident Exploration Corp

Project Description:

The use of algae to sequester CO2 and produce biodiesel offers tremendous promise if growing conditions can be offered at an industrial scale.  The consortium, led by Menova Energy Inc., will develop and demonstrate the technical  and commercial viability of a Solar Concentrating Photo Bio-Reactor (SC-PBR) for sequestering CO2 emissions from compressor stations (and other installations in the fossil fuel, power generation sector) and subsequent production of biofuels. The project will integrate existing proprietary solar concentrating technology with a new closed loop proprietary PBR system using algae to both sequester the CO2 and to generate significant quantities of feedstock for biofuels and other high value applications. End users will be able to convert a process waste and greenhouse gas (CO2) into a valuable feedstock for bio-fuel production.

11. Lead Organization: St-Jean Photochimie, St-Jean-sur-Richelieu, Québec

Economic Category: Power Generation

Environmental Benefit: Climate Change, Clean Air, Clean Soil

Consortium Members: 
Konarka Technologies Inc.
National Research Council – Institute for Microstructural Sciences
Université Laval – Department of Chemistry

Project Description:
The high cost of PV cells is a major obstacle for wider adoption of solar power generation, a renewable source of electricity which can provide GHG emission reduction benefits by displacing conventional power generation based on fossil fuels.  St-Jean Photochimie has teamed up with Université Laval to produce a new polymer derivative which promises to greatly reduce the cost of solar photo-volatic (PV) cells.  This unique polymer has higher material stability and light absorption properties than its nearest competition. The aim of the project is the development of a novel manufacturing process for the fabrication of the polymer at a cost of less than US $1.00/Wp with a power conversion efficiency of 8%.

12. Lead Organization: TM4 inc., Boucherville, Quebec

Economic Category: Transportation

Environmental Benefit: Climate Change, Clean Air

Consortium Members: 
Magna Electronics

Project Description:
A new joint venture of TM4 and Magna Electronics Inc. will design, develop and demonstrate a new automotive electric powertrain based on TM4’s high density permanent magnet motor.  TM4 has developed a permanent magnet, outer rotor, electric motor technology, power electronics and control technologies which will enable car manufacturers to offer superior gasoline-electric hybrid technology.  Magna’s experience in producing quality automotive products at the lowest possible price will enable large automotive OEMs to integrate this Electric All Wheel Drive system on existing platform.  The E AWD system will use stored electric energy to send torque and power to the rear wheels from standstill, through vehicle acceleration and whenever more torque or traction is required. The E AWD system will recharge the battery pack through regenerative braking and during coasting. It will be able to operate in ZEV mode (Zero Emissions Vehicle) under limited load conditions. 

13. Lead Organization: Trilogics Technologies Inc, Vancouver, British Columbia

Economic Category: Energy Utilization

Environmental Benefit: Clean Water, Clean Air, Clean Soil

Consortium Members: 
Utilities Kingston
Hatch Mott MacDonald
Fuseforward Inc.

Project Description:
Current practice requires organizations with significant assets, such as municipalities, to undertake expensive studies if they wish to understand how to improve their environmental performance. Trilogics proposes demonstrating enabling technology using its Infrastructure Asset Intelligence (IAI) system to interconnect the existing, business, operational and generic IT systems to enable better problem resolution and decision making.  In many Canadian municipalities, leakage rates from potable water infrastructure can exceed 40%.  A pilot project with a specific focus on the water and wastewater infrastructure will be undertaken in the Municipality of Kingston, Ontario before a city wide implementation is undertaken. A successful demonstration will result in identifying opportunities to reduce water losses and wastewater infiltration and exfiltration and their related environmental impacts.

14. Lead Organization: Vidir Biomass Inc., Arborg, Manitoba
           
Economic Category: Agriculture

Environmental Benefit: Climate Change, Clean Air, Clean Soil

Consortium Members:
Entropic Energy Inc.
Prairie Bio Energy Inc.
Community of Saint Laurent
Manitoba Hydro
University of Manitoba

Project Description:
Cost-effective distributed energy systems have been a challenge for most small communities.  This project will demonstrate a Biomass Combined Heat and Power (CHP) system in a rural community which uses a variety of distributed agricultural biomass as an alternative to burning coal and other fossil fuels.  Vidir Biomass, the lead proponent, is developing a two-stage 2 MWth combustor which vitrifies the high silica content associated with straw.  Vidir’s partners in the project will further develop a low cost feedstock densification technology (biomass cubing) and also a proprietary thermodynamic power cycle to produce hot water and electrical power to demonstrate a district heating system for rural communities.