On May 26, 2025, the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) and a delegation from Thailand toured the Edmonton Research and Development Park (ERDP), specifically InnoTech Alberta, to collaborate on a new, more sustainable foundation for cement and concrete production.
Doug Podmore, director of business development at InnoTech Alberta, opened the presentations with a welcome speech, followed by a virtual tour of the Alberta Carbon Conversion Technology Centre (ACCTC) by Aref Najafi, InnoTech Alberta’s manager of carbon capture, utilization and decarbonization.
Additional presentations were delivered to the delegation by Vanessa White, Alberta Innovates’ executive director of clean technology; Kelly Piers, principal engineer in business development & strategic initiatives at C-FER Technologies; Dante Luu, from Carbon Upcycling Technologies; Kyle Hofstetter, from Carbon Corp; and Craig Werner, a representative from Emissions Reduction Alberta (ERA).
Cement and concrete production accounts for 7-8% of global energy emissions and has proven to be resistant to decarbonization. Two of the biggest challenges in making concrete and cement production sustainable include the production process and limited economic incentives for research and development.
The tour included coverage of hydrogen quality analysis, carbon utilization, additive manufacturing, energy services and biomass based fuel facilities, with a focus on how these technologies can be applied to cement and concrete production.
UNIDO’s Industrial Deep Decarbonization Initiative (IDDI) aims to take meaningful actions to support developing countries and economies in transition in their efforts to decarbonize hard-to-abate sectors and achieve net-zero targets by 2050.
Meanwhile, Thailand aspires to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050 and net zero by 2065, and is currently pursuing the following areas of collaboration and interest:
- Decarbonization of technology and best practices.
- Establishing peer-to-peer collaboration between North-South (Canada and Southeastern Asian Countries).
- Visiting Canadian facilities and observing technology in action.
- Presenting on international decarbonization best practices.
- Fostering South-South cooperation and exchange of knowledge with neighboring countries.
Canada is currently the co-lead in cement decarbonization research and is collaborating with UNIDO to develop solutions in the Indo-Pacific region, specifically Thailand.