Canadian Energy Innovation to build biodiesel facility in Toronto

(ADPnews) - Dec 15, 2010 - Canadian biofuel company Energy Innovation Corp said on Tuesday it intended to build a biodiesel manufacturing plant in Toronto as it seeks to meet rising domestic demand and the government's renewable fuel goals.

The facility, touted the first of its kind in Toronto, is to come on stream in 2011. Located in an existing 8,600-sq-ft (799 sq m) building in Canada's largest city, it will have a capacity of 10 million litres (2.6 million gallons) a year. Energy Innovation said that the facility is the first of eight planned biodiesel units to be developed throughout Ontario.

At present, Canada's annual biodiesel production is more than 200 million litres, while in 2011 the figure is to exceed 650 million litres, driven by the government's new requirement for heating oil and diesel fuel to contain some 2% biodiesel.

Energy Innovation makes fuel out of flax seeds grown in Ontario and used coffee grounds. Flax-based biodiesel is ideal for cold winters, compared to petro-diesel. The oil made of flax has limited use as it becomes rancid and inedible when heated. A total of 56% of the global flax production now comes from Canada.

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