Producing cleaner fuels and green products
The focus of the Bioindustrial Innovation Centre is to help Canada become a globally recognized leader in taking sustainable feedstock, such as agricultural and forestry by-products and wastes, and turning these renewable resources into energy and value-added chemicals for use in applications ranging from construction to automotive parts.
The BIC plays a major role in translating Southwestern Ontario's strengths in agriculture, chemical and automotive production into new, sustainable bioproducts and renewable energy. It is creating North America's first biotechnology laboratories and shared pilot plant facilities for gasification, pyrolysis, fermentation and bio-conversion. Key technologies involved in converting agricultural and forestry by-products into fuels, chemicals, products and materials.
Set up with $15 million in seed funding from the National Centres of Excellence program with renovations partly funded by Ontario's Ministry of Innovation through a $10 million grant, the BIC is designed to help bridge the gap between research and market in chemicals and energy production from biomass. It is located at the Sarnia Lambton Campus of the University of Western Ontario Research Park.
- Research OpportunitiesThe BIC is a member of the MITACS Accelerated Consortium. MITACS is a federally and provincially funded Canadian research network which connects industry and researchers at Canadian universities to apply cutting-edge research to industrial challenges. Industries have the opportunity to access university experts and researchers for short and long-term research projects through the MITACS Accelerated program.
- Centre of ExcellenceThe BIC is virtually connected to a nation-wide network of Centres of Excellence, as well as to the burgeoning operations of the Western Research Park in London, including the other Western-associated biotechnology incubator, the Stiller Centre. There are extensive technology transfer connections with the main university campus through the WORLDiscoveries™ unit.
- Fast Facts about the BIC:
·6 labs ready for final fit-up to suit client needs, each 600ft2 with two attached offices
·8 larger offices for BIC staff and tenants
·2,800 ft2 of low-bay pilot plant space 200ft2 at-line for common use and a 400ft2 closed-in fermentation room.
·3,400ft2 of high-bay pilot plant space
·Single-tenant pilot plant space with further 1,300ft2 of low-bay and 1,200ft2 of high-bay
·4,100ft2 warehouse, walk-in fridge and freezer, chemical storage, loading docks
·1,200ft2 Shared Services Lab offers ASTM analytical services for biomass and bioproducts
