An Alberta company that produces an agri-food product from industrial carbon dioxide emissions has received more than $820,000 from the federal government to fund further research.
Calgary-based SFN Biosystems Inc. has patented technology that captures CO2 and heat from natural gas burning engines. It uses those byproducts in phytobioreactors, which are closed structures that contain algae, artificial light and nutrients.
An Oct. 12 government news release said the resulting product from algae growth can be used in omega 3 vitamin supplements, pharmaceuticals, nutraceuticals and cosmetics.
SFN has a full-scale demonstration facility that uses algae to extract up to 90 percent of CO2 emissions from facilities that use natural gas, said the release.
“The investment … will help fund further research into optimizing algae growth rates leading to more efficient methods of production, yielding the maximum amount of algae with the highest CO2 uptake capacity,” it said.
The algae produced in the phytobioreactors contains lipids, proteins and carbohydrates useful for various products.
SFN said it plans to install its technology on rural land near natural gas compression facilities, creating jobs while also creating product.
Funds received Oct. 12 were channeled through the federal Agriculture Innovation Program. Calgary-based energy company Encana is also a project partner, according to the news release.
