Producing glycol from Alberta sugar beets is a promising possibility, but growers plan more research before moving forward.
Producers were told at the Alberta Sugar Beet Growers Association’s annual meeting Feb. 12 that work with Vancouver-based S2G BioChem showed beet sugars could be a cost-effective feedstock for glycol, which is used in liquid detergents, antifreeze and plastic bottles.
“The volume of testing with the thick juice that we would provide, we felt that’s not enough to move forward confidently to commercialization, to build a plant,” said association president Rob Boras.
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“We’re confident that it will work. It’s going to take some tweaking. We’re at a stage that we feel we’re getting close to the pre-commercialization.”
Executive director Gerald Third said in his report that the association and S2G believe a facility that could produce 100,000 tonnes of glycol from 130,000 tonnes of beet sugar would cost $100 to $450 million.
It would require producers to grow an extra 800,000 tonnes of beets.
For the moment, Third said the two parties will research ways to reduce costs, further refine the conversion process and develop third party financing.
Alberta sugar beet growers are interested in diversifying uses for their product because they have only one buyer, Lantic Sugar, which operates the only sugar factory in Alberta at Taber.
Lantic contracted 24,000 acres of beets in 2013-14 and will contract the same number this year, which is down from previous levels.
“We’re a small industry and with what’s happening with our acres dropping off, we can’t get this project up and going quick enough,” said Boras.
“Growth is non-existent in our industry. We’re capped at raising those 100,000 tonnes (of sugar) and if we raise 120,000 tonnes we get cut back the following year.
“We had a substantially good crop last year, and we’re back down from 30,000 acres to 24,000 acres. It doesn’t give the industry a lot of stability in the sense that guys can plan around set acres from one year to the next.”
Boras said the proposed plant would produce glycol feedstock rather than white sugar and would not compete with Lantic.
A viable alternative market for beets would make the industry healthier and increase producer numbers beyond the current 230, he added.
“This doesn’t compete with Lantic. If we use them as a feed stock provider, it could complement them,” he said.
“But ultimately it’s the growers having hands-on involvement in it. Vertical integration. That’s our focus right now.”
Boras said he was encouraged by remarks from Alberta premier Alison Redford that the province supports rural development and innovation efforts.
Redford, who spoke at the meeting, noted the $36 million in annual farm receipts generated by the beet industry.
“We will continue to work with you to open new markets, to diversify the use of your products, to invest in research and innovation and to know that some of those decisions need to be made today so that we can see future success for the long term,” said Redford.
