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GreenCentre Canada celebrates one year of milestones
March 9, 2010
KINGSTON, ON - One year after rolling out its vision of a collaborative ecosystem for advancing Green Chemistry innovations to market, GreenCentre Canada has struck oil – and plastic – thanks to a Green Chemistry research breakthrough brought to GreenCentre for development.
The technology, based on a discovery by Dr. Philip Jessop of Queen’s University, offers a non-toxic alternative for efficiently recovering both the unused motor oil, and the plastic, from the 150,000 metric tons of used motor oil bottles tossed into landfills every year. GreenCentre estimates that, in the U.S. alone, 75 million litres of virgin oil could be salvaged from the shredded bottles, while also diverting the cleaned plastic from landfills for other uses.
GreenCentre is now working with two of its industry partners to analyse both the quality of the recovered oil and shredded plastic, and the economic feasibility of the recovery process.
This project is just one of many milestones being celebrated by GreenCentre, the world’s first Green Chemistry commercialization centre. Launched with $9.1 million from the Canadian government and $13.6 million from the Ontario government, GreenCentre Canada continues to excite interest and buy-in across the innovation pipeline – from inventors to industry. (A complete list of GreenCentre milestones appears below).
Since its establishment last March, GreenCentre has attracted 86 Green Chemistry technology disclosures from universities across Canada, and enlisted both hands-on and financial support by eight industry members from around the world. It has also attracted the interest of a number of U.S. institutions.
The enthusiastic response to GreenCentre by these groups is a both an acknowledgement by industry of the economic advantages of “going green,” and a recognition of the gap in resources, facilities and talent that prevent promising Green Chemistry innovations from reaching their potential, says Dr. Rui Resendes, Executive Director of GreenCentre.
“From day one, the idea of GreenCentre was embraced by industry and researchers alike, and that pattern of enthusiastic buy-in continues,” says Dr. Resendes. “The most common response I’ve heard is, ‘where have you been all my life.’ It’s tremendously exciting to realize the depth of the need, both by industry and universities, for services such as ours, and we anticipate even greater participation as we head into our second year.”
“One of the main factors in this rapid progress is our people,” says Peter Snucins, Chair of the Board of GreenCentre Canada. “The expertise of our chemistry team is outstanding. With their assistance we are generating a rich pipeline of Green Chemistry technologies.”
“It is exciting to see the evolution of this new commercialization model,” says John Molloy, President and CEO of PARTEQ Innovations, which founded GreenCentre. “The rapidity with which industry and universities have engaged with the centre suggests that this is the right approach to building Canada’s innovation economy."
Projects accepted into GreenCentre so far for further development include metal-free hydrogenation catalysts for cleaner, less energy-intensive chemical production, green solvents and surfactants used in broad range of chemical processes, and a green cement additive that significantly increases the strength of concrete. Eleven technologies have been accepted into the centre to date, with six additional discoveries being funded with Proof of Principle grants.
GreenCentre officially opens its 10,000-square-foot commercialization facilities in Queen’s University’s Innovation Park later this spring.
GreenCentre Metrics 2009-2010:
- 86 disclosures from 68 research groups at 23 institutions
- Eight industrial partners secured
- 3 startups engaged for potential technology development
- $24 million in total funding
- 16 highly skilled jobs created
- 11 technologies accepted for in-licence
- 6 Proof of Principle grants awarded
- 10,000-square-foot facility 75% complete
Contact:
Mary Anne Beaudette
Director, Communications
GreenCentre Canada
P: 613-533-6000 xt 78238
E: Maryanne.beaudette@greencentrecanada.com
