Tech + Science

Three Canadian companies selected as finalists in renewable natural gas challenge

By The Editors /

Credit: Courtesy of BCIC

Muddy River Technologies aims to remove phosphorus and nitrogen from manure to reduce the degradation of soil, surface water and groundwater.

B.C.’s Muddy River Technologies and Trident Processes will get a chance to further innovation in the oil and gas sector

Three Canadian companies will battle for the right to advance the field of renewable natural gas (RNG) in B.C.

Today, Foresight Cleantech Accelerator Centre and the BC Bioenergy Network announced the three finalists in the Advanced Resource Clean Technology Innovation Centre (ARCTIC) Innovation Challenge. The next step for the trio: developing technology that improves the business case for on-farm production of RNG.

The ARCTIC challenge, in its second year, seeks to find innovations through “sprints,“ or competitions, that highlight breakthroughs related to environmental improvement in sectors such as oil and gas, water, mining and forestry. 

Finalists Muddy River and Trident Processes are based in Delta and Abbotsford, respectively, while the third is a joint effort from Ontario-based CH Four and New Brunswick’s BioPolynet.

Biogas is produced when organic waste—such as animal manure and municipal solid wastes—decomposes and produces biogas, which can then be purified into RNG. That renewable is a potential substitute for conventional natural gas to generate power, heat homes and businesses, and fuel vehicles.

Over the next 10 months, the three finalists will work with Seabreeze Farms in Delta, B.C., to apply their technology solutions across the RNG and nutrient recovery supply chain. 

Here’s what each one hopes is a winning idea:

  • CH Four and BioPolynet – providing an organic substitute for the polymer that is used to extract the nutrients from the sludge produced during the anaerobic digestion phase; 
  • Muddy River Technologies – providing a cost-effective technology to improve the nutrient extraction process for phosphorous and nitrogen using biochar; and
  • Trident Processes – providing an innovative drier and nutrient granularization technologies.