InnoTech Alberta announces two projects will share $1.85M to address cleantech challenges
by CM Staff
The two teams, led by researchers at InnoTech, will examine new technologies that will address environmental concerns that face the industry.
InnoTech Alberta announces funding recipients of CRIN competition.
EDMONTON — InnoTech Alberta (InnoTech), a subsidiary of Alberta Innovates, announces the results of its involvement in the Clean Resource Innovation Network (CRIN): Reducing Environmental Footprint Technology competition. Two projects will share $1.85 million – providing real-world solutions to address high-priority environmental challenges across the oil and gas industry.
The two teams, led by researchers at InnoTech, will examine new technologies that will address environmental concerns that face the industry. CRIN announced the Reducing Environmental Footprint Technology competition in March, 2021. As a result, 17 projects, from across Canada, were awarded $44.6 million to look at:
- water technology development,
- methane emissions, monitoring, quantification, and abatement,
- land and wellsite reclamation, and
- novel hydrocarbon extraction.
One of InnoTech’s successful projects, led by Haibo Huang, PhD, will look at how bitumen recovery from subsurface can use less water, and produce less greenhouse gasses (GHGs), by utilizing alternatives like dimethyl ether (DME). By using DME in the recovery of bitumen, the process can reduce GHG emissions by up to 86 per cent and reduce water consumption by nearly 79 per cent, when compared to steam-assisted gravity drainage (SAGD). DME is both nontoxic and non-carcinogenic.
The second successful InnoTech project, led by Fred Wassmuth, PhD, will look at alternative technologies to aid in well remediation and closure, preventing the leakage of methane from abandoned wellbores. Canada has around 54 thousand wells that are leaking methane into the atmosphere. Fred and his team are looking at alternative technologies that can aid in the proper sealing and closure of these wells. Working with industry partners, they are proposing real solutions to help Canada meet its NetZero commitments by 2050 by providing solutions to close the backlog of Canadian wells.
“Implementing innovative solutions developed by our team at InnoTech Alberta, will contribute to solve the challenges of GHG omissions along with further reducing the need for valuable water use in our oil & gas industry. We are encouraged by CRIN’s investment and we look forward to aiding industry and tackling some of their biggest concerns.” said Laura Kilcrease, CEO, Alberta Innovates.
