Enerkem, a producer of biofuels and chemicals from waste, and GreenField Ethanol, the largest ethanol company in Canada, have joined forces to construct and operate a first full-scale waste-to-biofuels facility in Varennes, Québec.
Quebec's first commercial waste-to-ethanol facility in Varennes.
The Government of Québec has planned to invest $27 million in this project. The new cellulosic ethanol facility will employ proprietary technology from Enerkem to produce biofuels from non-recyclable municipal waste. It is expected that the plant will have an annual production capacity of about 38 million litres.
The Varennes plant will enable the establishment of a new energy segment by manufacturing cellulosic ethanol, a renewable fuel, from non-recyclable waste. It will also allow sustainable management of Enerkem’s waste materials. Enerkem and GreenField Ethanol JV project will signify integration between a new ethanol facility and first generation ethanol facility. Cellulosic ethanol will help decrease Québec’s dependence on petroleum products. By supporting the first full-scale waste-to-biofuels project, the government is strengthening the energy protection for Québec.
The new plant will help minimize landfilled volumes, fossil fuel imports and greenhouse emissions. It will reduce greenhouse gas emission by approximately 110,000 metric tons of carbon dioxide per year. The non-recyclable solid waste materials are produced by industrial, commercial and institutional sectors. The Varennes-based cellulosic ethanol plant is the third full-scale commercial development of Enerkem. Two waste-to-biofuels plants are under construction in Mississippi and Edmonton, Alberta.