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CENTRAL ALBERTA’S DAILY NEWSPAPER
BREAKING NEWS ONLINE AT WWW.REDDEERADVOCATE.COM
THURSDAY, OCT. 11, 2012
BioRefinex wins U.S. patent BY HARLEY RICHARDS ADVOCATE BUSINESS EDITOR The technology behind a proposed multimilliondollar plant that would process organic waste in Lacombe has been granted United States patent protection. Erik Schmidt, president of Ponoka-based Biosphere Technologies Inc., developed a system that converts material like livestock byproducts into nutrients for fertilizer, and biogas for power generation. It also destroys pathogens, including the organisms responsible for bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) and chronic wasting disease (CWD). Known as the BioRefinex process, it involves thermal hydrolysis and fractionation. The former uses high-pressure and high-temperature steam to break down tissue into its molecular components, and the latter relies on centrifugal separation to obtain fatty acids, amino acids and digestible minerals. Schmidt has been working on the technology for years, and hopes to see a commercial-scale plant in
Lacombe demonstrating the process. “The challenge is everyone says, ‘Hey, it looks great, but we want to see a plant running.’ ” A separate, broadly-owned company, BioRefinex Canada Inc., would own and operate the facility. In June 2011, Climate Change and Emissions Management Corp. — a non-profit organization that administers fees from large Alberta greenhouse gas emitters — pledged $10 million for the plant. At that time, the project’s cost was estimated at between $30 million and $35 million, so more money is needed. Schmidt said the U.S. patent should help with efforts to raise that capital. “If you don’t have an innovation you can protect, you don’t have much value,” he explained. Patents have also been issued in Japan, Australia and South Africa, with others pending in Europe, Asia, South America and Canada. The BioRefinex process has also been adopted by member countries of the World Organization for Animal Health as an acceptable method for destroying infectious microbiological pathogens, and certified
Ottawa, provinces on verge of smog deal
by the Canadian Food Inspection Agency as a way to process specified risk material — cattle parts like brains and spinal cords where BSE-causing agents are more likely to exist. Livestock producers currently pay for the disposal of specified risk material, which must be incinerated or landfilled. The BioRefinex process would instead turn this material, as well as municipal and industrial food waste, into products with market value. In addition to this economic benefit, and the fact the process eliminates disease-causing agents, Schmidt believes his system could improve the global food system. With the world’s population growing, it’s essential that we minimize waste and work to enhance the productivity of farmland, he said. “I think in time, probably in the future, they’re going to say we cannot destroy any organic waste. We’ve got to recycle it all, because we’ve got to get it back into the nutrient cycle.” Despite a lengthy regulatory approval process, Schmidt hopes the plant will be operational by 2014. hrichards@reddeeradvocate.com
THE WILD SINGS
BY HEATHER SCOFFIELD THE CANADIAN PRESS OTTAWA — Federal and provincial environment ministers are poised to announce a new deal to better control industrial air pollution and reduce smog. The Canadian Press has learned that officials from both levels of government have agreed in principle to the air-quality deal, and have the backing of almost all affected industries. Ministers are meeting today in Banff to sign the deal, barring last-minute objections, multiple sources say. “This is the first comprehensive national environment scheme that I can recall,” said Stephen Hazell, an Ottawa-based environment lawyer who has been involved in smog-reduction since 2007. “This is extraordinary in itself.” The deal would see the governments agree to higher standards on air quality, at first targeting fine particulate matter and ground-level ozone. Then they’ll move on limits to nitrogen oxides, sulphur dioxide and volatile organic compounds. “It’s a big improvement over the standards we have right now,” Hazell said. “You have Alberta, Ontario and the Government of Canada agreement on a national approach to deal with one of the big environmental problems of our time: smog.” Government sources cautioned that ministers still had to give a final stamp of approval Thursday. Quebec’s position was still unknown, given the recent change in government. Quebec often opts out of such agreements but implements them on its own terms. The federal-provincial environment ministers’ website said the changes were prompted because it became obvious that the current standards were too low. “With new science and research regarding the effects of air pollution on our health and the environment it has become apparent that the current Canada-wide standards need to be updated and more stringent ambient air quality standards are necessary,” says the website. In fact it was Prime Minister Stephen Harper who provided the political impetus in 2007, when he vowed to cut smog in half by 2015, Hazell said. This agreement won’t go nearly that far, he said, but it will likely result in sizable smog reductions over time. The new air-quality management system will specifically target industrial pollutants by setting minimum emissions requirements for each individual industry. “It’s not a one-size-fits-all,” Hazell said. Documentation on the ministers’ website says the requirements would affect a wide range of industrial activity related to mining, energy and oil sands, and would apply to boilers, heaters, turbines and engines.
Please see SMOG on Page A2
PLEASE RECYCLE
Photo by JEFF STOKOE/Advocate staff
Tangle Caron takes Steve McClure, left, wearing a mountain goat costume and Tyler Jarand in a mountain sheep outfit by the horns as they perform at Mountview School in Red Deer on Wednesday afternoon. The three Parks Canada Interpretive performers brought their musical Mountain W.I.T. Theatre production “Wild Sings” to the school for two shows Wednesday performing for all the students and staff in the school in both French and English. Rocking and rapping their way through the production they introduced the school to some of the wild animals that call the Rocky Mountain Parks their home in Banff and Jasper National Parks.
Curling centre set to open by the end of the month BY MURRAY CRAWFORD ADVOCATE STAFF Almost $9 million later, the Red Deer Curling Centre is nearly ready for curlers to throw the first stones. Renewal work began on the 57-year-old facility, located at 4725 43rd St., in mid-February and the bulk of the work is expected to wrap up later this month, said Rich Roberts, project manager. “We plan to be curling by the (Oct.) 29th,” said Roberts. On Tuesday, the compressors were tested and it is expected the ice will be ready by the end of October. “We’re moving along with the final stages of commissioning the ice plant. We hope to start making ice next week,” said Roberts. The $8.8-million expansion and renovation project will increase the number of sheets at the rink to 12 from eight and significantly upgrade the ice plant. Also included in the project are: upgrades to the viewing area and lounge on the second floor, including extending it to cover all 12 sheets; new dressing rooms; renovating the offices, storage area and small concession area and adding more seats. Almost 38,000 square feet were added to the building. “This is now a world class curling facility,” said Roberts. “Might well be the finest curling facility in
WEATHER
INDEX
Sun and cloud. High 6. Low -1.
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FORECAST ON A2
the world, because of the technology we have and the viewing we have from the warm side where we have wall to wall glass overlooking the ice.” The upgrades will be put to the test very quickly after the ice is laid down as the curling centre is set to host a World Curling Tour event from Nov. 2 to 5. Roberts said about 20 of the top 25 women’s teams in the world will be there and a significant number of the men’s top teams as well. In total, there are 32 women’s teams and 28 men’s teams for the bonspiel, including teams from China, Japan, Russia and Switzerland. Construction crews are now cleaning the floor, putting cameras over the ice, drywalling, painting and getting ready for carpeting. Although the sheets will likely be ready in time for Oct. 29, there will still be work to do, which Roberts expects will wrap up by the end of the year. “There will still some finishes in some of the rooms,” said Roberts. “Not all of the flooring and not all of the painting will be done.” The old ice area was totally demolished in the renovation and the front end, which was built in 1995, was extended to line up with the 12 sheets. “People will be amazed at what they see,” said Roberts.
Please see CURLING on Page A2
CANADA
ALBERTA
NAVAL OFFICER GUILTY UNION SAYS BEEF OF ESPIONAGE WORK GOES TOO FAST A Canadian naval officer pleaded guilty to espionage, five years after he walked in to the Russian embassy and began a relationship that resulted in the sharing of a ‘vast amount’ of sensitive information. A5
The union for workers at an Alberta meat packer shut down over E. coli concerns says the pace of slaughter operations forces workers to take shortcuts around cleanliness and puts the health of beef-eating Canadians at risk. A3