Sarnia has landed another biorefinery demonstration plant.
Vancouver-based S2G BioChem is now looking at locations for a commercial-scale facility that will refine local forestry and agricultural residues into xylitol and other alcohol-based products such as glycols.
Xylitol is used in confectionary products like Trident gum, and in industrial products including detergents and antifreeze.
Bioindustrial Innovation Canada (BIC) Executive Director Sandy Marshall says the demonstration plant will cost about $20-million and employ 13 people.
"It would normally take a year to get these plants up and running," says Marshall. "Then it can take six months to a year to fully prove out the demonstration. I would say two or three years after the start of construction, companies are looking for their next step."
This is the seventh biorefining demonstration plant to locate in Sarnia.
Woodland Biofuels, GreenCore Composites, KmX Corporation, Comet Biorefining, Origin Materials and now S2G have all picked the Sarnia BIC Hub for pilot plants.
Marshall says it's hoped that some of them will grow into local, large-scale plants like BioAmber.