Prairie Clean Energy has teamed up with Saskatchewan Polytechnic in a project to turn the province’s agricultural waste into low carbon bioheat. 

The Mining Innovation Commercialization Accelerator (MICA) Network gave Prairie Clean Energy a grant for $1.1 million for a research project seeking to create heat from flax straw that would otherwise be a waste product.  

Prairie Clean Energy is working together on the project with Saskatchewan Polytechnic’s applied research centre, known as Sustainability-Led Integrated Centres of Excellence (SLICE).  

Dr. Robin Smith is the director of SLICE at Saskatchewan Polytechnic and says that the research centre focuses on projects relating to a circular economy.  

Prairie Clean Energy will seek to turn waste flax straw into pellets that can be used for heating. “Rather than that material, for example, being burned as a waste material, we can utilize it to create these pellets to generate heat and energy.” 

The heat generated from the pellets could reduce Greenhouse Gas Emissions by up to 80 per cent, compared to the emissions released from fossil-fuel sources. The eventual practical use of the pellets on an industry scale would be in providing a heat source for the potash industry.  

Dr. Smith says the research project has three main components.  

One component is a living lab demonstration project. This will be based at the Moose Jaw campus’ field site for their Ag and Food Production program. Saskatchewan Polytechnic is looking to purchase and install a 250 kW biomass boiler before the end of the year with the capability to use Prairie Clean Energy’s flax pellets to generate heat. 

“It will solve a practical problem we have, which is heating a space that we have constructed to store our ag field equipment, and also engage in teaching. At the same time, it will offer the opportunity to demonstrate that technology here in southern Saskatchewan.” 

The second component is offering free online micro-credentials, which are currently live on Quick Train Canada, and do not require prior experience or prerequisites. “People can access [these] to get some initial training, introduction to biomass handling production and storage.” 

The final component is the development of an online Geographic Information System (GIS) to assist Prairie Clean Energy in mapping out a supply chain to source the discarded flax straw within the region. This component will run out of Saskatchewan Polytechnic’s Regina campus.  

Dr. Smith says the GIS seeks to “optimize transportation routes, reduce fuel consumption costs, and also just create a way of tracking the supply chain within Saskatchewan.” 

She says Saskatchewan Polytechnic’s Regina campus is looking to develop this component by March or April of 2024, so Prairie Clean Energy has the information available to make the flax pellets.