Canadian Government Supports Growth of CelluForce

 
Paul Lefebvre, Parliamentary Secretary to the Honourable Amarjeet Sohi, Canada’s Minister of Natural Resources, and Marie-Louise Tardif, Parliamentary Assistant to the Quebec Minister of Forests, Wildlife and Parks (MWFP), Pierre Dufour announced a combined $6.4-million investment to support CelluForce Inc.’s innovative cellulose nanocrystal facility becoming the world’s first full commercial demonstration-scale plant of its kind.

The funding, which is provided through Natural Resources Canada’s Investments in Forest Industry Transformation (IFIT) program and Government of Quebec by means of the MWFP’s Innovation Bois [wood innovation] program and the Ministère de l’Économie et Innovation’s Fonds du développement économique [economic development fund], will support the production of 300 metric tons of nanocrystals annually at the new, state-of-the-art facility.

This remarkable new material, which can be used in everything from papers to paints, electronics to adhesives and cement to cosmetics, is produced from the cellulose in trees and made from wood that is abundant, renewable and biodegradable.

This investment will allow CelluForce to increase production efficiency by 50% and help create more than 100 jobs in the next commercial plant.

CelluForce received the funding as part of the Government of Canada’s commitment to advancing innovative technology in Canada’s forest industry.

On June 1, 2017, the IFIT program received $55 million over three years as part of the Government’s $867-million Softwood Lumber Action Plan to support workers and forest-dependent communities that have been affected by U.S. duties on Canadian softwood lumber. This new funding enabled innovative transformative technology adoption for the sector.

The Government of Quebec is contributing $14.2 million to CelluForce, including $2.5 million from its wood innovation program. This program is one of the key measures of the 2018–2023 strategy to develop Quebec’s forest products industry. With a budget of $70 million, this strategy addresses the various challenges facing the forest products industry. In addition, Quebec is providing $11.7 million from its economic development fund, specifically $4.9 million in the form of equity investments and $6.8 million in the form of loans.

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TAPPI
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