Ethanol's future bright in Canada

Wednesday, April 13, 2011

by SUSAN MANN

Federal and provincial governments in Canada have supported the ethanol industry’s launch and a Greenfield Ethanol spokesman expects that will continue as innovative companies develop new biofuels and renewable chemicals.

Barry Wortzman, Greenfield vice president of business development, says in its budget Quebec just announced “support of next generation ethanol by way of operating support in order to ensure the industry can get a kick start.”

Wortzman says he thinks the federal government and other provinces will adopt that model.

“I think Canada is in the forefront of being supportive of the new industries,” he says.

He made the comments during a teleconference from Washington. D.C. organized by the Biotechnology Industry Association (BIO) held to preview some speeches and presentations at BIO’s upcoming congress on industrial biotechnology and bioprocessing. The congress will be in Toronto May 8-11.

Brent Erickson, BIO executive vice president, says industrial biotechnology is the bridge between industry and agriculture that’s creating an economic transformation away from the current petroleum-based economy. The world wide bio-based economy, which uses renewable agricultural resources to produce fuel, chemicals and other consumer materials, such as synthetic rubber, is projected to generate  $230 billion in economic activity by 2020, according to a report from the World Economic Forum released at last year’s congress. “This sector has really grown.”

The United States and Canada are well positioned to lead in the development of the bio- based economy and  “in capturing its value,” he says. Seven per cent of Canada’s economy, equal to about $78 billion, is already driven by biotechnology and a significant additional portion is driven by agriculture.

BIO represents more than 1,100 biotechnology companies, academic institutions, state biotechnology centres and related organizations in the United States and more than 30 other countries. BF