This week, employees from InnoTech Alberta’s Bio Industrial Services Division, namely Jan Slaski, Susie Li, Frank Tosto, Michael Dronyk and Juan Segura, hosted a tour of 40 national and international delegates attending the Canadian Hemp Trade Alliance’s (CHTA) 2023 Annual Conference: Harvesting Potential: Cultivating Sustainable Futures.
Attendees were introduced to cutting edge research in the areas of fibre processing, engineered composite pilot production lines, and biomaterial/ bioproduct extrusion. Visitors were familiarized with the panel laboratory, which feature North America’s only automated Research & Development (R&D) Oriented Strand Board line, coupled with a 4×8-foot press and larger scale pulping pilot plants. They also received a presentation of a new biosensor for plant disease detection and prediction that could be used for hemp diseases. Susie Li was a finalist in the provincial AsTech awards as a result of this innovation. The visitors, representing different sectors of the hemp industry, were impressed with the breadth of InnoTech’s service offerings and facilities at the Edmonton Research Park.
Jan Slaski, who is also the research director on the board of the CHTA, delivered a talk highlighting recent activities and future endeavours of hemp research and development in Canada at the conference in Nisku.