Biomass, biofuels and byproducts on the Prairies

To celebrate International Day of Clean Energy on January 26, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (AAFC) highlighted some of its work in this area.

In the Prairies, this includes work done on the hardy biofuel winter camelina, research into willow and poplar biomass as a potential heat source for northern greenhouses (Saskatoon), and a look at some of the uses of value-added byproducts of traditional crops, such as oat starch and flax mucilage (Winnipeg).

Other research projects related to renewable energy and biomass and bioproducts from across the country are found below.

AAFC renewable energy research heating up

The United Nations Office for Partnerships designated January 26, 2025, as the International Day of Clean Energy.  The awareness campaign was designed to inspire a global response to climate change that includes a transition away from non-renewable fossil fuels to renewable clean energy.  At Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (AAFC), researchers and analysts are working to help farmers and industry develop the renewable resources needed for biofuels and bioenergy.

Mapping agriculture’s bioenergy reserves: (Regina) David Lee is in the renewable energy version of oil and gas exploration. The manager of Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada’s National AgroClimate Information Service is leading a team mapping the amount of agricultural biomass across the country that could be used to produce bioenergy, or material for bioproducts, like packaging.  That material includes the seed, chaff, stubble, and straw of crops like wheat, barley, oats, flax, canola and corn. Using Statistics Canada yield data and satellite imaging, the team is mapping the raw material in 10-kilometre squares from coast to coast. The maps will show policy makers, academics and industry investors where there could be massive stores of material with potential for industrial use. If you would like to learn more about this mapping, including how analysts calculate how much residue should stay in the field to prevent soil erosion and build soil health, please reach out to us.

Finding a sweet spot: (Quebec) Canada is the world’s 5th largest producer of ethanol, a renewable fuel made mostly with corn and wheat. Dr. Annick Bertrand has two more contenders – sweet pearl millet and sweet sorghum. The drought-tolerant millet species require less fertilizer or water than other energy crops and have the added benefit they can be used as silage for cattle. But extracting the sugar-rich juice that is fermented into ethanol has been a challenge. The millet stalks are expensive to transport to a processing plant, and the stalks degrade quickly once cut. To find out how Dr. Bertrand and a research team overcame that challenge to produce up to 750 litres of ethanol per acre of millet, please contact AAFC.

AAFC scientists are re-defining waste

Biomass is renewable organic material that comes from plants and animals, including crops grown for non-food uses, leaves and stalks, fruit skins, and manure.  We are putting the spotlight on scientists who are re-thinking waste in agriculture.  At one time, biomass waste was just a byproduct of harvest and processing.  Today, it can be found in packaging, as an ingredient in medicine and health products and in combustible pellets for heating, to name a few value-added uses.  It can also find its way back to the farm as products to improve soil quality.

Coming full circle: (Edmonton) Economist Dr. Emma Stephens wants to turn Canadian agriculture’s value chains into value circles. Dr. Stephens and a team of data analysts are taking the most comprehensive look yet at Canada’s entire agriculture and agri-food industry, from the field, to processing and exports, to the end use by consumers. Using a concept called Circular Agriculture, Dr. Stephens wants to know where agricultural resources are being used and potentially lost in the system. The goal is to re-imagine and divert the waste as value-added raw material for new value-added products and renewable energy, or to come full circle to improve agricultural production by bringing surplus resources back to the land.

Health wealth in waste: (Charlottetown) Did you know that there are small molecules waiting to be discovered in agricultural and food processing waste that could produce big health benefits?   We are talking about molecules that could potentially fight cancer or lower inflammation in the body. Phytochemist Dr. Jason McCallum has found and named a few of these molecules that have shown promise, and he is confident there are a lot more.  Despite decades of study on fresh foods, we are still learning what effect processing has on the formation of new molecules.  At the same time, the economics of finding these new biochemicals have been a challenge for industry. Dr. McCallum and a nationwide team of analytical and food chemists and health researchers are now working on unlocking the potential of this waste using an array of high-tech tools and methods.

Packaging from waste: (Guelph) Canadian canola oil is world famous as healthy, versatile cooking oil. Canadian pulses are helping meet the surging demand for plant-based protein.  But the extraction processes to remove the oil and protein leave behind a lot of waste meal.  While some of it becomes animal feed, a lot is discarded. Dr. Qiang Liu wants to change that, and he’s got a clear idea how to turn the waste into a revenue stream – single-use bioplastic film, sheets and foam for food and non-food packaging. Dr. Liu and his team are isolating starch in the pulse meal to create starch-based bioplastic, while proteins are being extracted from the canola meal to produce protein-based bioplastic.

Pea is for Possibilities: (Lethbridge) Dr. Wade Abbott and his research team are launching a ground-breaking study of the field pea that will open the door to new food and non-food products made from the under-utilized legume and its waste byproducts. Closely related to garden peas, field peas are grown for their seeds as food. The seeds are also milled to extract protein for the plant-based protein market, with the remaining starchy fibre waste sold as animal feed. Work will begin next month on the analysis of peas from 10 farms in Alberta and Saskatchewan. Industry processors have been seeking the information to develop a range of products, from 3D-printed biodegradable packaging and construction materials to improved meat replacement foods and additives.

More details about these projects, and research contacts for each, can be found at: Biomass, biofuels and byproducts on the Prairies – agriculture.canada.ca. 

Thank you to Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada for submitting this article and photos

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