S2G BioChem is bringing its green chemistry to Sarnia ON. The Vancouver-based company has kick started work on its first standalone biorefinery demonstration plant to be located in the southern Ontario city.
"This is a very exciting time for S2G BioChem as we begin to execute our growth strategy to generate revenues from the production of fossil-free, value-add products," said Mark Kirby, president and CEO at S2G Biochem. "Locating this new biorefinery in Canada is important as its high efficiency and use of sustainable feedstocks will reduce greenhouse gas and effluent emissions. We will bring increased revenue to local feedstock suppliers; and we will gain invaluable experience before replicating this high-yield facility throughout North America and the rest of the world.”
The commercial-scale facility will refine local, sustainable forestry and agricultural residues using S2G's patented process to produce the lowest-cost and highest-value food ingredient xylitol available on the market today while co-producing value-add bioglycols for a new generation of consumer, industrial and packaging and products.
The plant carries an estimated cost of $20 million. It will be funded by S2G BioChem and a a network of investors and partners, including previously announced support from food giant Mondelēz International. Bioindustrial Innovation Canada's (BIC) Commercialization of Sustainable Chemistry Innovation fund (COMM SCI) is also contributing funds.
"Bioindustrial Innovation Canada is very excited about its COMM SCI project with S2G," said Sandy Marshall, executive director at BIC. "Their innovative chemical conversion brings a new era of biorefining to everyday products, and we look forward to working with S2G to execute their business plan and support the development of their demonstration plant in Sarnia."
The S2G facility is considered a major advance in biorefinery development in Canada. It will have the capacity to produce over 2,000 MT/year of high-value xylitol and co-products utilizing a range of feedstocks from forestry and agricultural residues. Basic engineering for the facility is underway and construction is expected to begin in 2018.
The ability to co-produce these products results in the lowest production costs for xylitol and bioglycols available today. Xylitol is a natural, low-calorie sweetener, offering high sweetness, excellent flavour, oral health benefits and 1/5 the glycemic index of table sugar, enabling healthier snacks and food products. Bioglycols (EG & PG) are sustainable drop-in replacements for petrochemicals that can be used to make countless everyday products such as packaging, lotions, liquid detergents, deicing fluids and antifreeze.
For more on S2G BioChem, you can refer to the following Canadian Green Tech articles: