BC Research Projects ~~ BC Companies ~~ Research projects elsewhere in Canada
BC research projects and potential academic partners:
- Kwantlen – potential academic partner on the greenhouse testing side
No one from Kwantlen shows up in lit searches.
Kwantlen Institute for SA: http://www.kwantlen.ca/ish.html
Launch: http://www.kwantlen.ca/news/2009/101609.html
Research arms: http://www.kwantlen.ca/ish/research.html
The Horticulture program includes at least 2 relevant courses – Soils and Growing Media and Introduction to Sustainable Horticulture, plus greenhouse, production & student work placements – and they offer a BSc in Sustainable Agriculture. - UBC – the role of catalysts in biochar production
Two researchers in the Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering
http://www.chbe.ubc.ca/faculty-staff/ellis.php#resrch
http://biomass.ubc.ca/, past research is on forestry/sawmill feedstock http://www.biomass.ubc.ca/docs/bbrgresearch.pdf, sponsors are from forestry sector
http://www.cerc.ubc.ca/index.php
Publications:
- Dehkhoda, A., West, A. H., & Ellis, N. (2010). Biochar based solid acid catalyst for biodiesel production. Applied Catalysis A: General, 382(2), 197-204. doi:10.1016/j.apcata.2010.04.051
- Biochar-based catalyst for simultaneous reactions of esterification and transesterification Catalysis Today, In Press, Corrected Proof, Available online 21 June 2012 Amir Mehdi Dehkhoda, Naoko Ellis
- Biochar based solid acid catalyst for biodiesel production Applied Catalysis A: General, Volume 382, Issue 2, 15 July 2010, Pages 197-204 Amir Mehdi Dehkhoda, Alex H. West, Naoko Ellis
- UBC Okanagan & UGuelph – grasslands soil amelioration with biochar
The potential of soil amendments for restoring severely disturbed grasslands Applied Soil Ecology, Volume 60, September 2012, Pages 77-83Brian M. Ohsowski, John N. Klironomos, Kari E. Dunfield, Miranda M. Hart
- UNBC – application of biochar to improve forest soils – overall focus at UNBC appears to be forestry sector
Robertson, S., Michael Ruthertord, P., López-Gutiérrez, J., & Massicotte, H. (2012). Biochar enhances seedling growth and alters root symbioses and properties of sub-boreal forest soils. Canadian Journal Of Soil Science, 92(2), 329-340.
http://www.unbc.ca/nres/ - BCIT – has a connection with Diacarbon as in April 2011 they received a $37,000 grant from the BCIT Commercialization Assistance Program.
http://www.diacarbon.com/blog/diacarbon-receives-grant-from-bcit/
It doesn’t look like there’s a faculty/research connection though.
Biochar Companies in BC
Employee & sales data on these companies can be found in Reference Canada database (access via VPL – requires a VPL library card):
- Renewable Bioenergy (Vancouver) http://www.canadarenewablebioenergy.com/
- Crimson Bioenergy Ltd (Surrey) http://www.crimsonbioenergy.com/
- Diacarbon Energy Inc (Burnaby) http://www.diacarbon.com/
- Dynamotive Energy Systs Corp (Richmond) http://www.dynamotive.com/
- Pacific Bioenergy Corp (Prince George) http://www.pacificbioenergy.com
News stories about companies:
- Dynamotive Energy Systems
C. p. (2011, October 3). BlueLeaf and Dynamotive Announce 3rd Year Field Trial Results with Dynamotive’s CQuest™ Biochar. Business Wire.
See also Peckham, J. (2009). Dynamotive Touts Hydrotreating Scheme for Pyrolysis Oil ‘Renewable Diesel’. Diesel Fuel News, 13(9), 7. - Out of Ashes BioEnergy Inc (Prince George)
http://turtlebackbiochar.com/about-us/
This company does not appear in the Reference Canada database.
New Bioenergy Company Launches Biochar Sales at BC Farmers’ Market: Canada NewsWire [Ottawa] 21 Feb 2012.
- ZeroPoint Clean Tech (based in Germany, no plants in North America yet)
ZeroPoint Clean Tech Announces Second Live Biomass Gasification Power Plant and More to Follow
Canada NewsWire [Ottawa] 06 Aug 2012.
“ZeroPoint is currently working with a number of strategic relationships to assemble and deploy a basket of similar projects across North America and Europe.”
Biochar research projects elsewhere in Canada:
Alberta
- Lakeland College & Alberta Innovates Technology Futures – Biochar Production & Application
They got a major federal grant this spring –
http://www.lakelandcollege.ca/applied-research/projects/environmental-science/2012Biochar.aspx
http://www.albertatechfutures.ca/RDSupport/BioandIndustrialTechnologies/BiocharProgram.aspx
http://www.wd.gc.ca/eng/77_13547.asp
News story Edmonton Sun
Saskatchewan
- University of Saskatchewan & Yukon College – Northern Biochar for Northern Remediation
biochar soil remediation for oil spills and gas leaks
Star – Phoenix [Saskatoon, Sask] 12 July 2012: A.4.
http://search.proquest.com.ezproxy.langara.bc.ca:2048/docview/1024846655?accountid=37673
http://news.usask.ca/2012/07/11/u-of-s-team-helping-decontaminate-soil-in-canadas-north/
http://www.yukoncollege.yk.ca/research/post/scientists_reclaim_contaminated_soil_with_ancient_technique
- U Saskatchewan & Federated Cooperatives Limited – soil remediation for contaminated sites
http://bit.ly/RpMx2F
Ontario
- Institute for Chemicals and Fuels from Alternative Resources, ICFAR, Department of Chemical and Biochemical Engineering, University of Western Ontario. Research article:
Xu, R. R., Ferrante, L. L., Hall, K. K., Briens, C. C., & Berruti, F. F. (2011). Thermal self-sustainability of biochar production by pyrolysis. Journal Of Analytical & Applied Pyrolysis, 91(1), 55-66. doi:10.1016/j.jaap.2011.01.001 - International Research Development Centre – Canadian Crown corporation (located in Ottawa)
Biochar focus is as a soil fertilizer/soil improvement – researcher Marco Rondon
http://www.cbc.ca/news/technology/story/2009/04/23/tech-090423-biochar-carbon-trading.html
Noguera, D., Rondón, M., Laossi, K., Hoyos, V., Lavelle, P., Cruz de Carvalho, M., & Barot, S. (2010). Contrasted effect of biochar and earthworms on rice growth and resource allocation in different soils. Soil Biology & Biochemistry, 42(7), 1017-1027. doi:10.1016/j.soilbio.2010.03.001
- Queens University – carbon sequestration
http://me.queensu.ca/People/Matovic/
Matovic, D. (2011). Biochar as a viable carbon sequestration option: Global and Canadian perspective. Energy, 36(4), 2011-2016. doi:10.1016/j.energy.2010.09.031
Quebec:
- McGill University, Department of Bioresource Engineering – pyrolysis rates and effect on birchwood biochar
Dutta, B. B., Raghavan, G. V., & Ngadi, M. M. (2012). Surface Characterization and Classification of Slow and Fast Pyrolyzed Biochar Using Novel Methods of Pycnometry and Hyperspectral Imaging. Journal Of Wood Chemistry & Technology, 32(2), 105-120. doi:10.1080/02773813.2011.607535 - Département de génie chimique et de génie biotechnologique, Université de Sherbrooke – analysis of switchgrass as biochar feedstock
Pilon, G., & Lavoie, J. (2011). Characterization of switchgrass char produced in torrefaction and pyrolysis conditions. Bioresources, 6(4), 4824-4839.