Enerkem breaks ground in Edmonton on waste-to-biofuels plant

Montreal-based Enerkem has broken ground on a $75 million USD waste-to-biofuels plant in Edmonton, Alberta, a facility that’s being described by industry analysts as the first industrial-scale biofuels project to use municipal solid waste (MSW) as a feedstock. Enerkem has signed a contract with the city of Edmonton to convert 100,000 tons of MSW into biofuels annually. According to Enerkem CEO Vincent Chornet, there are in excess of 500 municipalities that have sufficient MSW to make an Enerkem plant feasible, and the company has received “dozens of calls” from municipalities looking to investigate construction of an Enerkem facility, Biofuels Digest reported.