A rendering plant’s biomass boiler at Levis, Que., funded in part by a $7.7 million federal loan, has officially opened for use.
Local MP Jacques Gourde recently touted the new boiler at the Sanimax rendering facility for its ability to destroy specified risk material (SRMs), the tissues known to harbour the proteins that cause BSE in infected animals.
“This plant will help meat processors and cattle producers throughout Quebec and eastern Canada become more competitive by offering them more cost-effective and safe disposal facilities,” he said in a release.
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In addition to being able to incinerate up to 10,350 tonnes of processed SRM annually, the plant generates enough energy to power about 40 per cent of its own needs, the federal government said in a release.
Tipping fees paid to abattoirs for the disposal of SRM have gone down by $22.50 per tonne, while the cost of picking up deadstock has decreased by 56 per cent (from $90 to $40 per head).
With the $15.5 million biomass boiler, “we can now turn animal protein waste into energy while reducing our CO2 emissions by close to 22,000 tonnes a year,” said Sanimax CEO Martin Couture.
The loan was funded under the federal Slaughter Waste Innovation Program (SWIP), which was budgeted for up to $40 million to support study, development and adoption of technologies or processes to help reduce processing costs or generate profits through use or elimination of SRMs. SWIP expired at the end of March. — AGCanada.com Network
