Algae Carbon Capture Project in Canada
The Government of Canada is investing in algae to reduce the country’s GHG emissions. The National Research Council of Canada (NRC) is working with Canadian Natural Resources Ltd. (CNRL), one of the major oil sands producers in Canada and Toronto-based Pond Biofuels Inc. The $19-million Algal Carbon Conversion (ACC) pilot project aims at proving the commercial viability of using industrial flue gases from CNRL’s processing plant to feed algae in a biorefinery unit.
The demonstration-scale algal biorefinery will be established at Canadian Natural’s Primrose South oil sands site, near Bonnyville, Alberta. The demonstration facility will be integrated into the Canadian Natural’s operations with direct access to industrial flue gas emissions, wastewater and waste heat.
The ultimate goal of the project is to test the viability and feasibility of this technology on a large scale. If proven successful, it can then be used as a model for recycling industrial emissions in the oil sands as well as in other industries across Canada and globally.
NRC believes the algal technology could eventually capture 20 per cent of Canada’s carbon-dioxide emissions from large industrial sources, although it will take several decades to reach that scale.
More about the project: http://www.cnrl.com/upload/media_element/623/01/cnq—algae-project—media-sheet.pdf
