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Circular Economy

Circular economies aim to eliminate waste by reducing and reusing materials and using products that are less resource intensive. The multidisciplinary scientific and engineering expertise at InnoTech Alberta makes us ideally suited to enable industry and government to move towards circular economies in multiple industries through technology development, testing, scale-up and piloting to accelerate commercialization.

InnoTech’s circular economy program is driven by a clear and impactful vision: to enable circular technologies that support Alberta Government initiatives such as Extended Producer Responsibility program, Alberta’s Critical Minerals Strategy and Emissions Reduction and Energy Development Plan and meet evolving industry needs. This vision reflects both the government’s strategic environmental goals and the growing demand for sustainable, circular processes across industries.

Our Focus Areas and Expertise 

Circular Plastics 

  • Production and recycling of biopolymers, bio-based polymers, biodegradable, and compostable polymers 
  • Recycling and reuse of electronic waste plastics and hard-to-recycle materials 
  • Converting plastic to high-value-added materials 
  • Production of polymer composites such as thermoplastics, thermosets, rubbers, and fibers 
  • Facilities include bench scale, pilot scale and production lines 
  • Developing work on upcycling plastics using microbes 
  • Waste plastic valorization using advanced thermochemical processing and agglomeration/granulation technologies at pilot and industrial scales 

Contact: TriDung (TD) Ngo, PhD, Principal Research Scientist, Bio-Industrial Services, tridung.ngo@InnoTechAlberta.ca, 780-450-5492

Link to further content https://innotechalberta.ca/facilities/bio-composite-material-facilities/

Circular Fibres

  • Processing textile waste into new products at large scale
  • Recycling natural and synthetic polymers from mixed textiles
  • Enhancing recyclability of materials used in aerospace and automotive manufacturing with alternate natural fibres
  • Repurposing waste fibres for construction, growth media and wastewater treatment applications
  • Carbonizing spent fibres for value-add applications/opportunities

Contact: Frank Tosto, Manager, Bio-Industrial Pilot Facilities & Operations, Bio-Industrial Services, Frank.Tosto@innotechalberta.ca, 780-450-4617

Link to further content Fibre Processing Facilities – InnoTech Alberta

Sustainable Mining, Urban Mining, and Critical Minerals

  • Wear- and corrosion-resistant materials for aggressive environments
  • Repair and remanufacture of mining equipment
  • Design and development of sustainable fabrication technologies
  • Developing work on critical metals and minerals recovery from electronic waste (urban mining)

Contact:

Gary Fisher PhD, PEng, FIMMM FASM, Subject Matter Expert – Materials, Advanced Materials & Monitoring, Gary.Fisher@innotechalberta.ca, 780-450-5026

Kimberley Meszaros, MSc, PEng, WE, API 570, Principal Engineer, Welding, Advanced Materials & Monitoring, Kim.Meszaros@innotechalberta.ca

Karen Budwill, PhD, Principal Research Scientist, Environmental Impacts, Environmental Services, Karen.Budwill@innotechalberta.ca, 780-450-5128

Link to further content https://innotechalberta.ca/services/materials-and-reliability-in-oil-sands-program/

Carbon Capture and Utilization

  • Carburization of metal using CO2 (enhancing metal properties while reducing reliance on conventional carbon sources)
  • Producing fuel from CO2 in one step
  • Converting carbon-rich CO2 byproducts into carbon fiber for industries like aerospace and automotive
  • Converting CO2 into sustainable polymers for eco-friendly plastics and industrial materials
  • Developing work on biological CO2 utilization and conversion into value-added products

Contact: Farbod Sharif, PhD, PEng, PMP®, Senior Research Engineer, Carbon Capture, Utilization & Decarbonization, Environmental Services, Farbod.Sharif@innotechalberta.ca

Link to further content: Carbon Capture, Utilization & Decarbonization – InnoTech Alberta

Environmental Impacts

  • Environmental impacts of biodegradable/compostable polymers (e.g., testing biodegradability of biopolymers)
  • Monitoring and remediation of critical mineral and metal mining activities (e.g., eDNA, bacterial monitoring for risk assessments, ecotoxicity)
  • Ecotoxicity testing of biodegradable plastics and microplastics

Contact: Karen Budwill, PhD, Principal Research Scientist, Environmental Impacts, Environmental Services, Karen.Budwill@innotechalberta.ca, 780-450-5128

Link to further content (mesocosm, Environmental Services) Environmental Impacts Research & Risk Evaluation – InnoTech Alberta; Microbiology Laboratory – InnoTech Alberta; Mesocosm Test Facilities – InnoTech Alberta

Let's get started

We coordinate solution providers to accelerate tech development, and focus on using partners (private sector, post-secondary, and other research providers) to deliver complete solutions more quickly and at lower cost.

Let’s get started on your project.

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Related Links

Facilities

Bio-Composite Material Facilities Alberta Carbon Conversion Technology Centre Mesocosm Test Facilities See All

Services

Materials and Reliability in Oil Sands Program See All