The addition of a new ethanol demonstration plant at the Sarnia-Lambton Research Park brings to almost 100 the number of organizations housed atht eh three research parks owned or operated by The University of Western Ontario.
Mississauga-based Woodland Biofuels Inc., which will produce sustainable fuels from virtually any type of biomass including wood waste and agricultural waste, will build a demonstration plant at the Bioindustrial Innovation Centre, in Western’s Sarnia-Lambton Research Park.
The provincial government will provide $4 million through the Innovation Demonstration Fund (IDF) to help build the plant to produce cellulosic ethanol from renewable wastes.
Research Park executive director Joel Adams says he has been working with Woodland Biofuels Inc. to locate to the research park, with the university’s initial involvement being that of landlord.
But as with most tenants, Adams hopes connections will draw closer so the firm taps into Western’s expertise.
“This one is significant as it is a very exciting technology and will be one of the first large- scale pilot plants to be set up in our newly renovated Bioindustrial Innovation Centre,” says Adams.
Woodland Biofuels Inc. president and CEO Greg Nuttall says he anticipates his company wil
produce ethanol from renewable waste with breakthrough efficiency – including being the lowest cost producer of automotive fuel in North America.
“This will not only put Ontario in the front of the global race to find an alternative to fossil fuels but ultimately will also provide Ontario with significant economic and environmental benefits,” says Nuttall.
The focus of the research park’s Bioindustrial Innovation Centre is to connect researchers and the local petrochemical industry to create and commercialize new sources of clean fuel. The centre, in partnership with others in the community, is expected to attract more than $1 billion in private sector investment by 2014, support job creation in the research and engineering fields, and help attract new bioindustrial plants to the petrochemical industry in Sarnia.
Created in 2007 with $10 million from Queen’s Park, the centre also received support from the research park, the City of Sarnia and Lambton County.
A retrofit of 60,000 square feet of laboratory space provides a commercialization centre with incubator suites, laboratory equipment, pilot plant space, and growth space for start-up companies. An additional 60,000 sq. ft. of new office space serves as an accelerator centre for Colt Engineering, a current tenant of the research park and rapidly growing company specializing in project management of ethanol, biodiesel, and bio-chemical plants, as well as traditional petrochemical facilities.