This is a story, with some lessons, about setting up a biotech company on Vancouver Island focused on using logging waste to create a carbon product, activated carbon in this case. The story starts in 2015 and ends in 2018 in Port Alberni. The core of the problem were complaints by nearby residents on the air quality from the emissions of the plant. Initially the company blamed a cracked valve in the wet scrubber that was supposed introduce a water mist to remove pollutants from the exhaust gas. An independent consulting group were brought in and a series of recommendations were made in a 146 page report. Ultimately the company couldn’t meet the recommendations to the satisfaction of the Port Alberni Port Authority and on May 31st, 2018 their license to operate was terminated.
Category Archives: Canada
HydroGraph – HG.CN
HydroGraph is a Canadian graphene producer, the head office is in Toronto, accounting and legal are in Vancouver.
HydroGraph graphene is a type of graphene produced by HydroGraph Clean Power Inc., a company that uses a patented detonation synthesis technology to create high-quality nanomaterials and alternative-energy fuels. HydroGraph graphene has applications in various industries, such as lubricants, composites, coatings, concrete, and 3D printing.
Zentek – ZEN.V
Zentek, formerly Zen Graphene, describe themselves as an “IP development and commercialization company that uses expertise in nanomaterials and strategic partnerships to uncover new possibilities in healthcare”. Their flagship product is a mask treated with a graphene coating called ZenGUARD purported to have “99%+ proven filtration of viruses and bacteria.” Mark’s, the Canadian clothing store chain, will be carrying the masks.
NanoXplore – NNXPF
Nanoxplore is based in Montreal and boasts that it is the “world’s largest manufacturer of sustainable, high-quality, cost-effective graphene with 4,000 metric tons of annual production capacity. They recently made the news with a supply agreement to produce and sell GrapheneBlack™ SMC (Sheet Molding Compound).