Research that turns vegetable oil and animal fat into high-value fuel, chemicals and solvents has received a financial boost from the federal government.
Researchers at the University of Alberta have spent nine years creating a lipid-to-hydrocarbon technology that turns agricultural waste into valuable fuel.
The $970,000 from Western Economic Diversification Canada will help establish a pilot plant at the university’s Agri-Food Discovery Place to help test, demonstrate and commercialize the technology.
It is considered highly marketable because of its ability to convert agricultural materials now treated as waste into high value products. These byproducts can then be used to enhance commercial applications such as jet fuel, gasoline, diesel fuel, specialty solvents for canola oil extraction facilities and specialized chemicals used in oil and gas drilling operations.
