Five Edmonton-area projects share in emissions-reduction funding

If the five Edmonton-based projects to share in $15.7 million from Emissions Reduction Alberta succeed, they are expected to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by the equivalent of 4,700 tonnes of carbon dioxide by 2030, generate 504 person-years of employment, and contribute $81 million to Alberta's GDP, the agency said in a release. The five companies to receive the funding are examples of "what Edmonton does a great job at," ERA CEO Justin Riemer posted, noting the progression from deep expertise to promising ideas to commercial reality.

Zylotex will receive $3.75 million — a titch more than any other recipient — to scale up production of Lyocell fibre from hemp for the production of textiles that span medical, industrial, and clothing-related uses, among others. The grant means a lot after "building a company from scratch, developing technology, finding the right partners, raising capital, applying for funding, hearing no, trying again, and somehow continuing to believe that the thing you are building deserves to exist," posted co-founder Lelia Lawson. CEO Ken Barker added in a statement sent to Taproot that Zylotex is "proud to be building a new Canadian industry here in Alberta, creating commercial fibre today, frontier materials tomorrow, and meaningful benefits for the climate, the bioeconomy, and the planet." The company is one of the top 10 to watch as part of Edmonton Startup Week, running Oct. 5 to 12.

Quantiam Technologies will receive $3.4 million to develop technologies that convert captured carbon dioxide and clean hydrogen into low-emissions, low-cost methanol. Azolla Hydrogen will receive $3 million to deploy a methanol-to-hydrogen fuelling system and rapid deployment station to expand access to affordable, high-pressure hydrogen refuelling. Though headquartered in Calgary, it has been a steadfast partner in fuelling the City of Edmonton's hydrogen vehicles as well as trucking collaborations with the Alberta Motor Transport Association. Two B.C.-based companies with projects in the Edmonton area were also funded: Mangrove Lithium, which got just over $3 million to pilot the use of an industrial byproduct as a low-carbon material for concrete production; and VulcanX Energy Corp, with $2.5 million to demonstrate a next-generation methane pyrolysis reactor that produces low-emission hydrogen and high-value solid carbon at its pilot plant in Fort Saskatchewan.