IRSI Blog
Sharing our installations, case studies and knowledge.The Home Stretch
The Ulysses Pyrolysis System’s setup in Drayton Valley is heading into the home stretch! IRSI is very excited to begin the demonstration period facilitating the production of large volumes of Biochar for the Western Canadian market. Alberta Innovates Technology Futures will be on site following the start up of the demonstration period to perform full performance validation and testing on the feedstock and Biochar end product. The framework of the Ulysses demonstration project will showcase the Ulysses’ ability to reduce large volumes of waste material (ex. sawmill wood residue, construction and demolition waste), produce high quality Biochar, produce value-added charcoal for landfills, demonstrate the viability of pyrolysis for heat and power generation, and confirm the value proposition of the Ulysses for waste reduction and Biochar production.
IRSI has a number of interested parties, project developers, companies, and academic institutions excited about the start up of the Ulysses Pyrolysis System. Stay tuned for further developments in the next month.
Biochar 2016 The Synergy of Science and Industry: Biochar’s Connection to Ecology, Soil, Food, and Energy
IRSI is very excited to have been accepted for an oral presentation on the second day of the US Biochar Initiative’s fifth conference. The event, as outlined in their title, is aimed at connecting the academic and the corporate spheres looking for environmental solutions utilizing applications for Biochar in a wide range of areas. Recent reports over the last year have indicated that the Biochar market is going to grow at an approximate rate of 18% over the next five years. IRSI believes that the litany of applications for Biochar will only increase in number as more and more industry players begin to explore and work with Biochar in a variety of scenarios. This eventuality is the direct result of increased production of Biochar, spear headed by systems like the Ulysses. Through IRSI’s demonstration project in Drayton Valley, Alberta, beginning in the next 6 weeks, IRSI will soon be the largest single producer of Biochar in Canada. Very exciting developments to come and IRSI is keen to explore the state of the Biochar market and its key players during this event in August.
The event will be held at the beautiful Oregon State University campus in Corvallis, Oregon from August 22nd to 25th. Please click on the image below for a link to the details for the event.
Student Biochar Project
One of the main issues with the development of the biochar market in North America is the awareness of the general public on the benefits of biochar. The attached link is a class project that can be executed in academic institutions to help students understand the value of biochar and its characteristics. IRSI believes that by exposing younger generations to the benefits of biochar, pyrolysis and similar technologies/processes we will be taking a significant step towards shifting the paradigm in the western world for waste management and agricultural practices.
Climate Leadership Plan
Climate Leadership Plan is a plan set forth by the Alberta government to combat pollution and climate change. The government’s plan was released in November 2015 following public consultations and a report by the Climate Change Advisory Panel. Contained in the plan are key areas that will be focused on including; carbon pricing, coal & electricity, emissions from the oil sands, methane emissions, financial support for renewable, gas emitters regulations, and the Climate Change and Emissions Management Act (CCEMA).
Increasing price of carbon is a governmental disincentive for industry to step away from carbon intensive practices. This is aimed at encouraging innovation to produce solutions to reduce carbon emissions. Coal will be phased out by 2030 and replaced with renewable alternatives. The oil sands will have a limit put on the amount of emissions that can generate per year; currently there is no limit. This, similar to the increased carbon price, will be a disincentive for the oil sands to use carbon intensive practices and will hopefully drive them towards innovative practices that reduce emissions. An overall reduction methane emissions from oil and gas of 45% by 2025 is the aim for methane reduction.
Financial support for renewables as well as the CCEMA plan will drive forward change that will set the foundations for future generations’ energy network.
The Ulysses system nicely fits into a number of these categories and can be a significant contributor to a new energy paradigm. The Ulysses will generate thousands of carbon offsets per year that can be sold into the carbon market. In order to properly phase out coal by 2030 an alternative for baseline power requirements is needed and the Ulysses system can be a part of this by producing electrical and thermal energy through the pyrolysis process. Methane emissions are produced during the natural decomposition of material in landfills and by adding biochar (the end product of the Ulysses system) to the alternate daily cover on landfills methane will be absorbed and removed from the atmosphere.
Financial support for municipalities, landfills, and waste haulers to purchase and implement the Ulysses system throughout Alberta would be a tremendous step towards developing this technology as a viable contributor to the government of Alberta’s goals. Finally, the main tenants of the CCEMA plan revolve around emission offsets, improving processes, emissions performance credits, or fund credits paid into the CCEMF. The Ulysses can play a part in these areas by providing improved processes for utilizing waste and sequestering carbon and other greenhouse gases, by providing offsets for the carbon market and by receiving support from the Climate Change and Emissions Management Fund for sites throughout Alberta utilizing a Ulysses system.
There is no immediate solution, but IRSI and the Ulysses system are keen to take the first steps towards improving our world for future generations! Come be a part of the of the solution!
Alberta Biochar Initiative’s Workshop: Commercialization of Biochar
On Wednesday, April 27th, the IRSI staff attended the Alberta Biochar Initiative’s workshop on the commercialization of biochar hosted at the Alberta Innovates Technology Futures’ building in Edmonton. The event had a terrific turnout of approximately 60 attendees representing academia, government, industry, and researchers. Topics covered everything from the different applications for biochar to the types of technology available for the production of biochar. In terms of identifying a direct path to the commercialization of biochar I believe that the audience was split between two camps. One side was of the opinion that further research was needed and the production of biochar should be done with specific characteristics in small volumes. The other perspective was that large volumes of homogeneous, consistent biochar was needed and that once available the applications would be realized. Although no consensus was reached on the clearest path to commercialization the dialogue was fruitful and the networking opportunities will undoubtedly lead to positive developments. IRSI will continue to forge ahead with the demonstration of the Ulysses pyrolysis system in Drayton Valley and hopefully will be a contributor to the expansion of the biochar markets in both Canada and the United States.
IRSI would like to thank the ABI and AITF staff that put on the event and look forward to the next workshop.
Exciting Things in Drayton Valley!
IRSI is excited to be teaming up with Drayton Valley’s Bio Mile & Clean Energy Technology Centre to begin our demonstration period. We will be operating the Ulysses pyrolysis system for six to eight months in Drayton Valley. Working with a collection of stakeholders in the town, IRSI will be demonstrating the first ever continuous feed pyrolysis system of this size! Alberta Innovates Technology Futures will be on site preforming performance validation testing on the entire system. The feedstock or fuel for the Ulysses system will be sourced from the local Weyerhaeuser sawmill and will be clean, chipped wood waste, which is ideal for high-grade biochar production. During the demonstration period testing will also be completed by AITF on the feedstock and biochar by-product.
IRSI’s goal for the demonstration period has always been to confirm the economic and operational viability of the Ulysses system. We are extremely fortunate to have found a receptive community and collection of businesses in Drayton Valley that are willing to take part in this exciting opportunity. The Drayton Valley Bio Mile offers an ideal environment for the operation of the Ulysses pyrolysis system and the production of high-grade biochar. The biomass that will be run through the Ulysses system currently has no market and therefore is a concern for the sawmill, the final biochar product has a burgeoning market throughout North America (as discussed in previous posts), the potential for combined heat and power as well as carbon offsets has huge potential for businesses within Drayton Valley, and the further development of the Bio Mile and the work being done by the CETC is a cornerstone of IRSI’s demonstration project. IRSI hopes to showcase the Ulysses system as a viable option for dealing with large volumes of woody biomass and sees huge potential for the town of Drayton Valley to establish themselves as a hub for high grade biochar production in Canada.
The stakeholders involved in this project include: Alberta Innovates Technology Futures, Albert Innovates Bio Solutions, Industrial Research Assistance Program, Bio Mile & Clean Energy Technology Centre, Valley Power, The Town of Drayton Valley, Mojo Trucking, as well as a number of other parties interested in the Ulysses technology, possible applications, and the biochar by-product.
Stay tuned for updates!