Driven by encouraging LCA study results, Sustane converts curbside waste into high-value biomass products
Canada’s Sustaine Technologies – is on the cusp of scaling up a potentially disruptive technology and business case to turn more than 90 per cent of a municipality’s household garbage into usable material.
The company is in the late stages of opening a demonstration plant in the community of Chester, N.S. The 40,000-square-foot pilot plant, built on site at the local landfill, diverts 90-plus per cent of waste entering the gates to produce biomass pellets, synthetic diesel and recyclable material.
Sustane’s vice-president of finance and strategy, Fraser Gray, says the process is a game changer for municipal waste reduction.
“We are not really waste-to-energy. We are not turning our material into electrons on site. We are a platform for advancing recycling,” he says.
In 2017, the company completed a full lifecycle greenhouse gas assessment that found their 70,000 tonnes-per-year facility would reduce CO2 equivalent emissions by nearly 186,000 tonnes annually – comparable to taking more than 41,000 cars off the road.
“We think this is a really positive story,” Gray says. “Eliminating waste has a massive impact.”
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