The Government of Alberta is advancing the province's circular economy by committing $58 million through Emissions Reduction Alberta (ERA) to projects across the province worth $528 million in public and private investment. All funding is sourced from the province's Technology Innovation and Emissions Reduction (TIER) fund.
Producing high-quality fertilizer for farmers, recycling asphalt from roof shingles, sequestering carbon in concrete, and novel plastics recycling are some examples of the technology solutions receiving funding through ERA's circular economy challenge.
If successful, these projects will result in cumulative greenhouse gas (GHG) reductions of up to 4 million tonnes by 2050 – equal to offsetting the GHG footprint of 1 million homes. The funding is expected to create 1835 person-year jobs in Alberta and have a $350 million GDP impact in the province by 2025.
The investment aligns with provincial initiatives including the proposed extended producer responsibility (EPR) approach, the agricultural plastics recycling initiative, and the natural gas vision and strategy's goal to establish Alberta as a centre of excellence for plastics diversion and recycling.
"Advancing technology solutions that support a circular economy makes good environmental and economic sense. Circular economy challenge projects supported by the TIER fund will help keep valuable materials in the economy and out of landfills, which drives investment, bolsters economic activity, cuts emissions, and creates jobs. It's a win across the board," says Sonya Savage, minister of environment and protected areas.
"A more sustainable, diversified provincial economy requires using our resources more wisely, we need to think about waste as a resource rather than a cost. This investment in converting waste into other uses is going to make a real difference," adds Justin Riemer, CEO of Emissions Reduction Alberta
Circular Economy Challenge projects support waste reduction, material, and feedstock substitution, value recovery, and reduction of the lifecycle environmental footprint of materials and products. These technology solutions can reduce the impacts of material production, processing, and disposal. The invested innovations will support industry competitiveness, new venture creation, and economic diversification.
Projects that will receive funding
Northstar Clean Technologies Inc.
The project will design, build, and commence operations of a new asphalt roof shingles recycling facility.
ERA funding: $7.1 million | Project cost: $20.6 million
Sparks Eggs
Dehydrate inedible eggs from an existing grading and packing facility into a powder to be used for pet food and animal feed.
ERA funding: $500,000 | Project cost: $1 million
Rimrock Renewables LP.
Treat the byproduct of the anaerobic digestion process to produce fertilizer, peat, cattle bedding, and clean water on-site.
ERA funding: $8.4 million | Project cost: $19 million
Hydrovac Waste Solutions Ltd.
Divert slurry from the landfill and recover valuable products from the hydro-vacuum process.
ERA funding: $1.7 million | Project cost: $8 million
Carbon Upcycling Technologies
Demonstrate a commercial-scale carbon sequestration and utilization technology for the cement and concrete sector.
ERA funding: $4.4 million |Project cost: $11 million
Phyto Organix Foods Inc.
Construction of a large-scale, commercial, net zero yellow pea fractionation facility.
ERA funding: $10 million | Project cost: $231 million
Suncor Energy Inc.
Recover Vanadium, a valuable critical metal/element, from the fly ash by-product from coke-fired boilers and use it in the growing energy storage market.
ERA funding: $7 million | Project cost: $36 million
INCA Renewtech
Construct and operate a first-of-kind commercial facility to create a sustainable, advanced bio-composite material made from hemp stalk.
ERA funding: $10 million | Project cost: $174.5 million
Circular Rubber Technologies Inc.
Reclaim rubber from end-of-life, high-grade tires from industrial activities and sell the end product back to manufacturers for use in new tires.
ERA funding: $3.2 million | Project cost: $16 million
RBW Waste Management Ltd.
Install and commission a recycling system for high-density polyethylene containers used to transport liquid and solid wastes and process them into new products.
ERA funding: $700,000 | Project cost: $1.4 million
