ABOUT Agrinova-B
Agrinova - Biochar is a Technology Access Center affiliated with Alma College. The center is located in Mashteuiatsh in the Saguenay-Lac-Saint-Jean region of Quebec. It is dedicated to supporting companies in research and innovation for the development of biochars and pyrolysis co-products from forest and agricultural residues. The products developed are mainly intended for agricultural, forestry and environmental applications.
Contact Agrinova-B
Régis Pilote, biol., agr., M. Sc.
Team Leader - Agronomic services in an industrial environment
640 rue Côté, Alma, QC G8B 7S8
Services offered in: French
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RESEARCH AND INNOVATION EXPERTISE
EXPERTISE
- Drafting of R&D projects on potential applications
- Analysis of the level of behavior of the biomass to be valorized
- Analysis of the pyrolysis process yields (biochar, bio-oil, syngas)
- Study of the effect of operating conditions (temperature, residence time) on the yields and characteristics of the products
- Characterization of biochars and co-products
- Agronomic experimentation to demonstrate the safety and performance of products
- Scale-up of products under pre-commercial conditions
- Real-time analysis of operating conditions to ensure product consistency
- Economic profitability analysis
- Product life cycle analysis and carbon footprint
- Writing of customized reports
- Financing research
- Bioengineering of biochars for potting soils and soil amendments
- Optimization of bio-oils as plant biostimulants and bioherbicides
Previous Research Projects:
- Agronomic experimentation of biochars resulting from the thermochemical conversion of forest biomass in the Saguenay-Lac-Saint-Jean region using Biogreen® technology
- Establishment of a multi-resource thermochemical conversion research center for the development and production of biochar and derived bioproducts for agricultural, forestry and industrial use
- Knowledge transfer mission in Hungary and France for the production and valorization of biochars from the ÉTIA/VTGreen technology
- Experimentation of agronomic applications of biochars resulting from the thermochemical conversion of lignocellulosic materials
- Production and characterization of white birch biochars
- Potential for production of methane and bio-based alkanes from thermochemical conversion of lignocellulosic materials
- Development of biochars with a potential to reduce enteric methane emissions and improve the health of dairy cows
- Support in identifying promising markets for the production of pyrolytic products from forest biomass
- Realization of projects leading to business cases for products resulting from the thermochemical conversion of lignocellulosic materials
- Experimentation of the pyrolysis of forest residues with a view to developing high-energy pellet products
- Experiment with a new wood vinegar obtained from pyrolysis of agricultural residues for weed control in crop cultures
- Experimentation on CO2 capture with KOH modified biochar and performance evaluation in soil amendment applications
- Experimentation of micronization for energy recovery from CRD wood (construction, renovation and demolition)
- Trial of treatment of coffee residues in pods
- Experimentation of pyrolysis on Biogreen technology for the recovery of coffee grounds
- Operationalization of a thermochemical conversion center for the production of biochar and derived products
- Study of the potential of biochar as a means of reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in dairy production
- Development of the biochar sector in Saguenay-Lac-Saint-Jean
- Strengthening the innovation capacity of the biochar production sector
- Development of biostimulants from the thermochemical conversion of orphaned forest residues in the Saguenay-Lac-Saint-Jean region for plant and horticultural production
- Experimentation of pyrolysis of forest residues from landfills for the production of high value-added bio-oil
- Sine Saloum communities committed to climate resilience: straw coal production component
- Development and experimentation of liquid smoke for the smoking of cold cuts from bio-oils co-produced by the production of metallurgical biochar
- Conditioning and pyrolysis of woody material for the production of biochars and their experimentation on a pre-commercial scale
Fields of projects:
- Agriculture: water and soil resources
- Crop production and primary plant products
- Forestry (silviculture, forest management)
- Agricultural chemicals (fertilizers, pesticides, herbicides)
- Other products and manufacturing processes (industrial processes and products)
TECHNOLOGY SECTORS
- Biotechnology
- Construction
- Environmental Technology
- Forestry
EQUIPMENT AND LABS
| Equipment | Function |
|---|---|
| Micronex KDS | Grinding and drying of raw materials |
| Biogreen Bench-130 | Pyrolysis (small volumes) |
| Biogreen BGR-600 | Pyrolysis (pre-commercial volumes) |
| Torresak | Storage of biochars |
| MP-AES | Microwave plasma atomic emission spectroscopy |
| Environmental chamber | Experimentation in controlled environment |
| SPEXSamplePrep 8000M | Sample grinding |
| ULTRAPYC-1200 | Real density measurement |
| Four 220VAC | Ash and volatile analysis |
| Elementar | CHNS and O analysis |
| Micro-GC | Gas analysis |
| NOVAtouch LX2 | Specific surface and CO2 absorption analysis |
| Parr 6200 | Calorimetry |
| Hyprop | Analysis of the hydric tension of soils |
| ROTAP RX-29 | Sieving of samples |
| UltraSiever de GILSON | Ultrasonic sieving |
| Ensemble de distillation TURNKEY | Distillation of bio-oils |
| Ring of Fire Kiln | Artisanal production of biochar |
| Kon-Tiki | Artisanal production of biochar |
| Fiberbag | Fiber content analysis |
- BioChar Boréalis