The province is investing $58 million in Emissions Reduction Alberta (ERA) for projects meant to extend the life cycle of certain recyclable materials.
Ten of the Circular Economy Challenge projects working to support waste reduction and the environmental footprint of products will receive a financial boost through ERA in partnership with the government’s Technology Innovation and Emissions Reduction (TIER) fund, Environment and Protected Areas Minister Sonya Savage announced Monday.
“In a circular economy, a product’s life cycle is extended through reuse, recycling, upcycling, resource recovery and sustainable design. And innovators across Alberta will be using this funding for a number of exciting proposed initiatives,” said Savage.
Together, the projects could create 1,800 jobs and cut emissions by four million tonnes by 2050, Savage said at a news conference at Platform Innovation Centre in Calgary.
“Giving products new life drives investment, bolsters economic activity, cuts emissions and creates jobs. It’s a win across the board,” she said. “Embracing circular economy strategies and practices will help reduce emissions while keeping our industries competitive.”
The proposed technology solutions supported by the Circular Economy Challenge include ways to capture and store carbon in concrete, and recycle old tires. They were selected during a competitive review and will produce an outcomes report that will be made public.
Asphalt roof shingles recycling facility among projects receiving funding
Northstar Clean Technologies is designing and building an asphalt roof shingles recycling facility that’s estimated to cost $20.6 million. It will receive $7.1 million from ERA.
Aidan Mills, president and CEO of Northstar Clean Technologies, said the funding is helpful in their effort to build the first North American asphalt shingle reprocessing facility in Calgary.
“We’ll have the flagship location here and we’ll headquarter this business in Calgary,” said Mills.
Mills said the plant is expected to be commissioned in the second quarter of 2024.
“It will enable us to divert 40,000 tonnes a year of asphalt shingles that would go into landfill, to our facility. That’s the equivalent of about 60,000 barrels of oil a year,” said Mills. “This is the first step in a huge North American program.”
‘Think about waste as a resource’
Sparks Eggs is a company working to dehydrate inedible eggs from an existing packing facility into a powder, which is used for pet food or animal feed for livestock. It’s estimated to cost about $1 million, and it will be given half of that from ERA.
Other projects receiving funds include Rimrock Renewables LP, Hydrovac Waste Solutions Ltd., Carbon Upcycling Technologies, Phyto Organix Foods Inc., INCA Renewtech, Circular Rubber Technologies Inc. and RBW Waste Management Ltd.
As well, Suncor Energy Inc. will get $7 million for a $36-million project to recover Vanadium from the fly ash byproduct from coke-fired boilers to use in the energy storage market.
Justin Riemer, CEO of ERA, said it’s necessary to use the resources Alberta has more wisely to build a more sustainable and diversified economy.
“We need to think about waste as a resource rather than a cost. This investment in converting waste into other uses is going to make a real difference,” said Riemer.
