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Driving Green Innovation: Paper Machine Upgrades for Sustainable Grades and Lower GHG Emissions
Alberta Newsprint Company (ANC), Alberta’s first and only paper mill, is undergoing significant energy efficiency upgrades to reduce costs, cut emissions, and improve product quality. By integrating advanced technologies, ANC will reduce energy consumption and raw material use while improving its competitiveness in the industry. The project integrates energy-efficient upgrades, and expected outcomes include cutting…
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MPR Fibre Procurement Project
Mercer Peace River (MPR), a pulp mill and cogeneration facility located in Northern Alberta, is undertaking a capital investment project to transform its fibre procurement process, improving environmental performance and creating a more sustainable business model.This transformative process improvement optimizes forestry operations, allowing for enhanced natural GHG sinks, novel fuel switching from fossil fuels to…
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Hinton Bioenergy Carbon Capture and Storage Project
The Hinton Bioenergy Carbon Capture and Sequestration (BECCS) Project Study is led by Vault 44.01 in collaboration with West Fraser and TorchLight Bioresources. The study supports a project that would capture and store biogenic carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions at West Fraser’s Hinton Pulp Mill site, permanently removing 1.3 million metric tonnes of CO2 from the…
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Application of Artificial Intelligence at Pulp Refiners to Optimize Energy Usage and Product Quality
Project Overview Approved for funding through ERA’s Food, Farming, and Forestry Challenge in 2021, the project assessed the value and feasibility of using a Pulp Expert System (PES) driven by artificial intelligence developed by Innotech Alberta. By project completion in 2024, the technology demonstrated substantial potential for improving operational efficiency and environmental performance. Process Optimization…
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The Conversion of Forestry Residue to Advanced Biofuels in Alberta
Project Overview Approved for funding in ERA’s Food, Farming, and Forestry Challenge in 2021, Steeper Energy demonstrated their Hydrofaction® technology for converting waste biomass into bio-crude. By completion in 2024, the project saw upgrades to the biocrude and evaluated the commercialization potential of the technology in Alberta. Converting Waste Biomass into Biocrude Steeper Energy developed…
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Carbon Sequestration via Next-Generation Bioreactor Technology
Project overview: Demonstration of LanzaTech’s next-generation bioreactor technology Approved for funding through ERA’s BEST Challenge in 2019, the project demonstrated advancements in gas fermentation technology. Although some challenges to commercialization remain, through this project LanzaTech was able to successfully validate their next-generation gas fermentation platform at demonstration scale. Gas fermentation is an emerging next-generation biofuels…
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Kraft Pulp Mill Flue Gas Energy Recovery Project
Installing the First Heat Recovery System in a Pulp Mill Boiler Alberta-Pacific Forest Industries (Al-Pac) utilizes wood waste in its power boiler and wood by-products in its recovery boiler to generate energy and steam for use within its pulp production processes. Funded through ERA #3: Industry Efficiency, the Flue Gas Energy Recovery Project installed a…
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Bio-Methanation with Power Generation
Turning Waste for Pulp Mills into Methane Funded through Round 3: Renewable Energy in 2012, this project tested a new anaerobic digestion system that turns organic waste into biogas, which can be used to generate energy. The system was successfully demonstrated at a pulp mill, showing it could reduce waste and produce renewable fuel from…
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Weyerhaeuser Grande Prairie Evaporator Project
Pulp Mill Becomes a Net Energy Exporter Funded through Round 2: Industrial Energy Efficiency in 2011, this project involved upgrading Weyerhaueser’s Alberta pulp mill by replacing an outdated evaporator plant with a new, more efficient system. This upgrade aimed to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, lower water usage, and increase energy output and pulp production. In…
