Government announces funding for industrial bioproducts

November 4, 2013, Ottawa, Ont. – The Government of Canada
and the National Research Council of Canada have announced a new program that
will provide funding for the development of biomaterials for automotive and
building materials.

The Industrial Biomaterials program is a $55-million
initiative over five years consisting of a $30 million investment by the NRC,
and $25 million generated through collaborative projects with industry,
academic institutions and other government departments.

Canadian firms will now be able to transform agricultural
and forestry by-products to create new materials and reduce the use of
petroleum-based polymers (plastics). Bioresins, biofibers and biocomposites
made from Canadian non-food biomass will provide manufacturers sustainable and
durable green products to use in next-generation automobiles and building
materials.

"Agricultural and forestry by-products will be
integrated into new materials, which will ultimately reduce the use of
petroleum-based polymers," said John R. McDougall, President of the
National Research Council of Canada. "These biomaterials promise to be as
safe as the materials currently in use by industry, inexpensive to produce and
the ideal lightweight technology for the automotive and construction
sectors."

The Industrial Biomaterials program will enable Canadian
firms to create value by transforming Canadian biomass into engineering
products for key industrial sectors and will provide Canada with a sustainable
option by displacing petroleum-based resin and composite materials with
non-food renewable resources. The program will use agricultural and forestry
by-products to create new materials that will reduce the use of petroleum-based
polymers (plastics) and give manufacturers alternative green options to use in
next-generation automobiles and green building materials.