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FPInnovations And CRIBE Join Forces To Develop Forest Bio-Economy

MONTREAL — A new partnership has been created between the Center for Research and Innovation in the Bio- Economy (CRIBE) and FPInnovations, to facilitate the adoption of innovative technologies relat…

MONTREAL — A new partnership has been created between the Center for Research and Innovation in the Bio- Economy (CRIBE) and FPInnovations, to facilitate the adoption of innovative technologies related to the forest bio- economy.

Aimed at the forest products sector in Ontario, the new partnership will employ existing infrastructure and engage industrial partners in developing bio-refinery pilot plants to evaluate promising technologies and new concepts and validate ideas relevant to the bio-economy.

“The Government of Ontario has recognized the need to move the prov- ince to the forefront of the commer- cialization of chemicals, fuels, fibres, and energy that can be produced from forests,” says Lorne Morrow, CEO for CRIBE. “There is a significant opportu- nity to move products derived from the forest up the product value chain, using our forest fibre to produce higher value, novel products while reducing costs of manufacture for the more traditional forest products.”

Pierre Lapointe, president and CEO for FPInnovations says the engineering and technical studies are focused on three alternatives: lignin, methanol, and hemicellulose. “Our aim is to identify technical and business challenges around extracting and reusing these products. I have great hope for this partnership and the new possibilities it represents for the Ontario forest industry.”