THE GOVERNMENT OF CANADA INVESTS $3M IN OILSEED RESEARCH

Public Works and Government Services, Secretary of State (Agriculture) and MP for Mégantic–L’Érable, today announced that the Government of Canada is contributing $3 million in funding to the Industrial Oil Seed Network (IOSN) under the Agricultural Bioproducts Innovation Program (ABIP).

“The Government of Canada is committed to developing Canada’s bioeconomy while delivering results for our farmers and protecting our environment,” said Minister Paradis. “This important research and development network will help increase the oilseed value for Canadian farmers and advance our biofuels industry.”

The IOSN will enable a group of experts to work together and exchange ideas and expertise in oilseed biology. Out of the total of $3M in funding Linnaeus Plant Sciences Inc., in Vancouver, British Columbia, will receive $2.556M to administer the network and fund non-government research activities. IOSN will also involve researchers in the United States who will share their significant expertise in soybean oil so that it can be applied to Canadian oilseed crops.

The network will develop a new type of oilseed that will be used solely for the production of petroleum substitutes, in a variety of applications, such as fuel additives for use in heavy equipment and marine towing operations; bio-based hydraulic fluids; and bio-based oils in the construction industry, civic bus transportation, and lobster fishing.

“Oilseed crops have the potential to provide bio-based alternatives to a variety of petroleum products,” said Jack Grushcow, the President of Linnaeus Plant Sciences Inc. and the project lead for the ABIP Industrial Oil Seed Network. “The Industrial Oil Seed Network will transition non-food Canadian oilseeds crops from a low value commodity to a high value industrial feedstock that can substitute for petroleum in a variety of applications. We very much appreciate the support of the Federal government in helping us reach these goals.”

From this funding, a Thetford Mines-located company OLEOTEK will receive a total of $235,000 as one of the participants in the network.

“Thetford Mines area has shown a great vision when it banked on developing the oleochemical channel, and I am very pleased that our government is once more supporting this move towards diversification,” said Minister Paradis. “OLEOTEK is a leader in the region and its expertise is now accepted across the country. This success extends all over the area.”

“OLEOTEK is very pleased to have obtained this $235,000 contract with Linnaeus Plant Sciences of Vancouver – a contract made possible by the contribution of the Canadian government,” said François Dornier, President of the Centres for the Transfer of Technology. “The contract will give OLEOTEK an opportunity to work with a multidisciplinary team throughout the country to achieve a sustainable development objective.”

A key part of the IOSN’s activities is helping capture value for the farm community. In addition to increasing the value of oilseed, several other economic development opportunities for the rural economy will be explored. These include blending, packaging and distribution business opportunities that will come from the increased usage of bio-based products.

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For more information please contact:

Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada

Ottawa, Ontario

The Industrial Oil Seed Network (IOSN) is administered by the Vancouver-based Linnaeus Plant Sciences Inc. that engineers specialized plants to provide oils that can be used to replace petroleum-based industrial oils. This new network will bring together a group of experts to exchange complementary areas of expertise. The network will apply the long established science of tribology (the study of lubrication and how materials wear), with our best Canadian researchers in oilseed biology. This group will develop new oilseeds with the express goal of substituting them for petroleum in a variety of applications:

Quebec, will focus on the chemical synthesis of a variety of triacylglycerol (TAG) moieties containing hydroxy fatty acids (HFA) to develop oilseed-based oils suitable for use in industrial fluid applications.

a variety of oilseed based petroleum substitutes into their practices. These include fuel additives for use in heavy equipment and marine towing operations. Testing of bio-based hydraulic fluids will also be included to lessen the impact of toxic industrial fluids currently in use in the sensitive Georgia Strait region.

ambitious Green Plan. Part of this process will be to investigate how bio-based fluids can lessen the impact of community housing in the urban environment. TCH will evaluate a vegetable based bio-degradable elevator fluid for use in their buildings. They will also undertake a fluid audit to examine other areas where petroleum product usage can be replaced by vegetable-based products.

oils in the construction industry, in civic bus transportation and in the lobster fishing fleets.

several initiatives designed to capture value for the farm community. These include blending, packaging and distribution business opportunities that will come out of the increased usage of bio-based products. Other opportunities include recycling of used bio-degradable fluids into other useful products and user support including bio-based fleet management.

With the help of AAFC’s ABIP, the IOSN will develop renewable biodegradable oils that can substitute for petroleum as bio-lubricants, polymers and fuel additives that can deliver higher peracre value of oilseeds while helping protect our environment.

The Agricultural Bioproducts Innovation Program (ABIP) is designed to promote research, development, technology transfer and the commercialization of agricultural bioproducts, including biofuels, in Canada. The program will benefit farmers by generating new agricultural knowledge and technology and facilitating its transfer to those that can commercialize these innovations for the benefit of farmers and others in Canada's bioeconomy.The program will support the establishment, development and operation of bioproducts research networks that focus on:

• Developing effective and efficient technologies for biomass conversion; and

Through ABIP, each bioproducts research network may receive a total of up to $25 million. Eligible network participants include universities, the private sector, federal government departments and agencies, and other public sector research organizations.

For additional information about the Agricultural Bioproducts Innovation Program (ABIP) and other Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada programs please visit www.agr.gc.ca.