Pressurized Reaction Tower System

The Pressurized Reaction Tower can produce several valuable material streams from biomass feedstocks, including:

• Unbleached and bleached fibres for pulp, packaging, and textiles
• Lignin for resins and polymers
• Sugars for biofuels and biochemicals

The system was designed to process a wide variety of biomass feedstocks, including:

• Milled agricultural materials and residues
• Sawmill residuals and sawdust
• Wood and non-wood pulps or fibres
• Shredded textile waste

This flexibility allows organizations to evaluate both traditional and emerging feedstocks for new product and manufacturing opportunities.

A major challenge in the bio-industrial sector is demonstrating that biomass conversion technologies can operate reliably at scales beyond the laboratory.

The Pressurized Reaction Tower fills an important gap in pre-commercial fibre-processing infrastructure by providing continuous chemical extraction, purification, and treatment capabilities. This allows organizations to generate the technical data, product samples, and process knowledge needed to support investment, technology scale-up, and commercialization decisions. 

By helping organizations evaluate new feedstocks and develop higher-value products, the facility supports the development of new manufacturing opportunities based on Alberta’s renewable biological resources. 

The Pressurized Reaction Tower regularly supports projects involving:

• Fibre and pulp product development
• Textile and packaging innovations
• Biomass fractionation technologies
• Lignin valorization
• Biofuel and biochemical feedstock production
• Agricultural residue utilization
• Circular economy initiatives
• Pilot-scale process development and validation