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Alberta Newsprint adopts new technology for beetle-killed wood

The Government of Canada has invested $1.05-million at the Alberta Newsprint Company mill in Whitecourt, Alta. The mill will receive funding under the Transformative Technologies Pilot Scale Demonstration Program to implement technology that will result in substantial reductions in energy and fresh water consumption at the mill.

Alberta Newsprint will contribute more than $1 million to the project, along with an $80,000 investment by Alberta Innovates Bio Solutions.

“This technology will enable Alberta Newsprint to consume larger sawmill residual chip volumes of beetle-attacked pine and threatened green pine while simultaneously reducing our fresh water consumption from the Athabasca River,” said Gary Smith, technical director, Alberta Newsprint Company. “The technology holds great promise for many pulp and paper producers. The technology provides for concentrating pitch-laden dark pulp fibres, enabling reductions in water usage, chemical usage and energy savings. We expect to start up the equipment in early March.”

“The commercialization of this technology at Alberta Newsprint may lead to new solutions for our pulp and paper industry in addressing the mountain pine beetle challenge and water sustainability,” said Stan Blade, CEO of Alberta Innovates Bio Solutions.

The federal government’s Transformative Technologies Pilot Scale Demonstration Program is administered by FPInnovations and supports the development of new and emerging highly transformative Canadian forest products and technologies.

“As Canada’s forest sector innovation hub, we believe that through multipartite projects we will be able to demonstrate the viability of new technologies with a view to creating and marketing new products and developing new markets,” said Alan Potter, FPInnovations’ vice-president of strategic initiatives and technology. “This innovative technology, developed by FPInnovations, positions the organization as a strong partner of the forest industry’s transformation.”