UBC and TEBO Group partnership includes focus on circular bioeconomy

TEBO Group of Industries, a global sustainable industrial developer, and The University of British Columbia (UBC) are embarking on an innovative research partnership aimed at driving highly sustainable and carbon-efficient construction and infrastructure technology. The collaboration will bring together TEBO engineers with researchers at UBC’s Vancouver and Okanagan campuses to explore and develop made-in-Canada solutions with the potential to inform TEBO’s infrastructure and development projects worldwide.

“We are a trusted engineering procurement and construction (EPC) provider striving toward sustainable approaches to design and construction. This co-created research and development program will enable us to integrate breakthrough technologies and process efficiencies to strengthen our leadership in building infrastructure for the green economy,” said Alan Khara, managing director, TEBO Group of Industries.

“This collaboration with TEBO further enhances the university’s commitments to sustainability. It enables UBC researchers across multiple disciplines to work closely with an industry partner to address pressing global challenges by focusing on both academic research exploration and viable industry applications,” said Dr. Gail Murphy, UBC vice-president, research and innovation. “It gives our next generation of researchers and engineers opportunities to develop approaches and technologies related to sustainable development and the circular economy with potential local and global impact.”

Initial research collaborations will include:

• Resilient Infrastructure: advancing technologies and building approaches that reduce the carbon footprint and improve resilience to climate change and natural disasters;
• Circular Bioeconomy: optimizing waste-to-energy processing performance through the development of engineered materials and system design to accelerate the production of renewable fuels;
• Advanced Fabrication: exploring the potential to develop circular supply chains, turning waste materials from decommissioned steel structures into raw feedstocks for additive manufacturing applications.

“In close collaboration with TEBO Group, we will leverage UBC research, development and demonstration capabilities such as the UBC Biorefining Research & Innovation Centre to support the development and adoption of waste-to-energy infrastructure technologies and supply chain optimization processes,” says UBC’s Dr. Xiaotao (Tony) Bi, director, Clean Energy Research Centre and director, Biorefining Research and Innovation Centre.