R&D: Carbonix gets $3.1M for clean tech development

[caption id="attachment_1003729873" align="aligncenter" width="546"] Maryam Monsef, Minister of International Development and Minister for Women and Gender Equality, with Darren Harper, cofounder and executive VP of Carbonix. (Image: Carbonix)[/caption] FORT WILLIAM, Ont. – An Indigenous-led clean technology pilot project aimed at capturing contaminants from industrial waste streams and mine tailings has received a $3.1-million boost from the federal government. Carbonix has developed a proprietary process that produces tailored activated carbons from sustainably sourced feedstocks, like petroleum coke and wood waste that can capture contaminants. The technology is aimed at returning water used in the extraction process back to the environment more quickly, as well as accelerating land restoration. The funding, received from Natural Resources Canada’s $155-million Clean Growth program, will help Carbonix scale up the technology with the help of partners Trent University and SGS Lakefield. "The support of NRCan and partners such as Suncor and MNDM, enables Carbonix to take the R&D efforts the company began in 2011 and transition them for commercial-scale application,” said Paul Pede, Carbonix president and CEO. “Carbonix recognizes that Canada is a nation whose backbone of the economy and jobs is founded and largely based on the resource extraction industries of energy, mining and forestry. Carbonix supports these industries, and we wish them to flourish. Moreover, as an Indigenous company, we wish to support their efforts to return the lands and waters back to their natural state." The emerging technology company is based in Fort William First Nation in northern Ontario. For more information see www.Carbonix.ca.