Events
CBIN hosts a community web site with an up to date Events Calendar.
Click here to join.
Event Documents
Annual BIO world Congress on Industrial Biotechnology and Bioprocessing
View the Government of Canada's bioeconomy factsheets and other material. The posters and abstracts presented by CBIN project leaders are available in English only on the private "CommunityZero" web site.
SAFT V2 was lauched May 2nd 2006
Available in PDF and includes pictures
Factoring in Sustainability - a New Framework to Help Decision-Makers
Sustainability. It's a commonly recognized word but what does it really mean to people involved with developing, funding and commercializing new bio-based technologies? Frequently, attempting to assess the sustainability of an emerging technology is a hurdle that researchers and program managers alike must grapple with. Until recently, there was no practical approach that would yield consistent assessments of the sustainability of new technologies based on three criteria: environmental, economic and social.
In 2003, Dr.
SAFT V2 was developed with the guidance of an interdepartmental working group from Industry
According to Environment Canada's Dr. Terry McIntyre, a member of the interdepartmental working group, "this tool is expected to significantly improve our overall capability to accurately assess new and emerging bio-based technologies. This is critical as we move from a petroleum-based economy to one that is carbohydrate-based and, where the (time) period for assessing new technologies is diminishing while the need for consistency throughout the assessment process is increasing".
Five Winds' Kevin Brady summed up the technology assessment challenge from a business perspective. "Companies are looking to integrate sustainability considerations at the front end of their business strategy process. They want to create value while managing the risk of adopting or developing new technologies. The ability to produce a sustainability profile for their products is seen to be a significant competitive advantage in today's markets".
A number of NRC research projects at NRC-ICPET, the NRC Biotechnology Research Institute (NRC-BRI, Montréal) and the NRC Plant Biotechnology Institute (NRC-PBI,
Specifically, Dr. Kumar's team incorporated SAFT V2 assessment parameters while investigating two different methods for refining isoflavones. Isoflavones are commonly used in natural health products. SAFT V2 was used to contrast and compare two experimental processing methods to extract and concentrate isoflavones, one using soymilk waste and a second using red clover. According to Dr. Kumar, "SAFT V2 is a relatively simple approach that allowed us to evaluate the sustainable aspects of the two different processes. What would add even more value to our SAFT V2 analysis would be the addition of quantitative information on the environmental and social impact of these processes. For example, if red clover replaced an existing agricultural crop, what would be the environmental and social impact? This input to the SAFT V2 model is only possible when quantitative scientific data can be combined with sound economic and social data, and this demands a team effort".
SAFT V2 was also tested on processes developed by NRC-BRI and its partners. In the NRC-BRI case the use of SAFT V2 was somewhat complicated because the entire conversion process includes the post-harvesting of flax up to the end-use of the fibres in industrial materials, namely composite materials for auto manufacturing. As a baseline, the process was compared to existing enzymatic processes used by industry to extract fibres from straw, as well as mechanical processes used for fibre extraction in pulp and paper production. Replacing fibreglass with natural fibres in composite materials for automobiles was also assessed using existing life cycle analysis data and other Green House Gases (GHG) reduction calculations. SAFT allowed for a comprehensive evaluation of the value chain and process train of flax fibres as integrated into the upstream (production) side and the downstream (end-use) side (for example, the use of fibres in industrial materials). The NRC-BRI team also considered a series of social implications along with economic opportunities and environmental impacts on a rural community.
Both Kumar and Pilon conclude that SAFT V2 can provide a structured approach to developing a context for discussion and decision-making regarding the sustainability of new bio-based technologies. Expectations are that it will become a useful screening tool in the technology development and evaluation process, where program managers regularly face the task of making strategic R&D investment decisions related to sustainable technologies. SAFT V2 promises to be a valuable tool to assist this process.
The development of SAFT V2 was supported by the Canadian Biomass Innovation Network (CBIN), a research network that supports applied R&D related to bioenergy, biofuels, bioproducts and industrial biotechnology.
You will find the SAFT V2 analysis tool on CBIN's Key Documents page.
The Canadian Biomass Innovation Network Goes East
January 16 - 20, 2006
Continuing the series of meetings to link with the provincial biocommunities, from January 16 to 20, a federal delegation of the Executive Committee of the Canadian Biomass Innovation Network (CBIN) held meetings in Nova Scotia, New Brunswick and Prince Edward Island. The federal delegation included Nathalie Beaupré of CETC-Ottawa, Hamid Mohamed and Jeff Karau from NRCan, John Jaworski and Joe Cunningham from IC, Terry McIntyre from EC and Mark Stumborg, Christiane Deslauriers and Catherine Neumeyer from AAFC. Members of the CBIN ExCo presented overviews of the programs of various federal agencies involved in R&D of bioenergy, bioproducts and industrial bioprocesses to representatives from the Maritime industry, governments, local NRC-IRAP representatives, universities and associations. The meetings were organized by AtlanticBioVenture Centre (Nova Scotia Biotechnology and Life Sciences Industry Association), Prince Edward Island BioAlliance and BioAtlantech. A meeting was held with J.D. Irving Forest Services Limited and Cavendish Farms at their request to present their future plans and seek federal advice. Site visits included SF Rendering (biodiesel), PEI Food Technology Centre (separation technologies such as ultrasonics, etc), BioVectra (bioactives extraction and purification), and the Hugh John Flemming Forestry Centre of CFS (bioproducts research). This series of meetings was an opportunity to exchange information, identify new areas of collaboration, and strengthen partnerships in the Atlantic region.
Biomass Innovation: Moving Forward in Canada
Workshop, November 8, 2005 in Ottawa
Save this article (includes pictures)
If necessary technologies and policies were in place to produce ethanol from biomass, how much of an impact would it make on US gas consumption? That was the question that initiated the "Role of Biomass in America's Energy Future" (RBAEF) project in 2002.
Participants from the bio-innovation© field were invited to "view the future with the high beams on" during Mark Laser's presentation at a workshop in Ottawa in November. Mark, along with several other researchers, has developed a model that evaluates biorefinery pathways that could be used by the US to develop an economically and environmentally sustainable transportation future. For the purpose of establishing their model, a low input perennial crop, was chosen as the feedstock. Switchgrass can be converted through a combination of processes into protein rich animal feed, ethanol, heat and power, Fischer-Tropsch fuels and other valuable co-products.
One of the objectives of the Canadian Biomass Innovation Network (CBIN) is to tell Canada's bioplayers about the American study. "We think that we can learn from the study, Canadianize the model and use it to assess different bio pathways that make the most sense for Canada," says CBIN Program Coordinator Maria Wellisch of NRCan-CETC.
The second objective of the workshop was to identify key facilitators along the bio-innovation curve and discuss how to better advance biomass innovation in Canada.
Participants representing federal programs, industry associations and university consortia stated their position on the curve and spoke about their role in the development of bioenergy, biofuels, industrial bioproducts and bioprocesses.
Other topics of discussion included challenges particular to the emerging bioenergy and bioproducts sector and available financing options for R&D, demonstration and commercialization. Gaps such as support for commercialization were acknowledged and Jay Thompson from Technology Partnerships Canada (TPC) articulated the "need to identify mutual opportunities and potential for complementarities."
The workshop succeeded in creating awareness as to how a series of programs and resources are needed in the bio area that is competing with a more mature, petroleum industry. The organizers of the event will be posting the day's proceedings on CBIN's website to further stimulate discussion and awareness.
Some Presentations From the Workshop:
AAFC Agricultural Policy Framework - Innovation and Renewal Team
CBIN Overview
NSERC - Bio-Innovation - Moving Forward in Canada
SDTC - Partnering for Real Results
Key CBIN Program Dates 2005 - 2006
All CBIN Project Status Reports Due
April 14, 2006
T&I R&D Project Selection 06 07
February 16 & 17, 2006
PERD BEST Progress Reports 05 06 Due
February 10, 2006
ExCo Review of T&I Continuing Projects
January 31, 2006
Requests for RD Funds - Final Submissions Due
January 31, 2006
CBIN Theme Review
Input required from Theme Leaders for the review of theme descriptions as described in CBIN Action Plan and Strategic Plan
December 5, 2005
2004 - 2005
Theme Selection meeting
April 14 - 15, 2004