“Canada has a tremendous biomass base. In Alberta we have 22m+ ha of agricultural land and 35+m of forest land. We see groups coming from around the world to access our biomass”. To say it is Stan Blade, Chief Executive Officer at Alberta Innovates – Bio Solutions, a research agency funded by the Government of Alberta that works with partners to identify, coordinate and fund research projects. It helps solve industry challenges with solutions that deliver economic, environmental and social benefits. In this interview with Blade we talk about the bioeconomy in Canada, with a special focus on Alberta, which is investing strongly in converting the province’s biomass resources beyond traditional commodities into higher value products. These new products increase economic returns from Alberta’s natural resources. Biomass includes agriculture and forestry fibre, by-products and other feedstocks such as livestock manure and municipal solid waste.
Interview by Mario Bonaccorso