In Canada organic waste management company Convertus Group (Convertus) in collaboration with key partners, has held a ground breaking ceremony in East Gwillimbury, in the Regional Municipality of York, Ontario on the province’s first large-scale biofuel facility to integrate liquid carbon dioxide capture technology.
According to a statement, this pioneering project will transform organic waste into renewable natural gas (RNG), helping to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and promote a sustainable energy future for one of Canada’s fastest-growing municipalities.
This facility embodies Convertus’ mission to close the loop by turning waste into valuable resources, ensuring a more sustainable and circular approach to waste management.
Gas-to-grid project
Held on October 21, 2024, and set to be operational by 2027, the East Gwillimbury facility will use cutting-edge anaerobic digestion (AD) technology to process food scraps and other organic materials into biogas.
This biogas will then be cleaned and upgraded into biomethane (aka renewable natural gas – RNG), which will be injected directly into local gas pipelines to provide clean energy for homes and businesses, replacing fossil fuels.
According to Convertus, this technology is “industry-leading” and will enhance York Region’s leadership in environmental stewardship and renewable waste.
Today’s groundbreaking is a major achievement not just for Convertus and York Region, but for the future of sustainable waste management in Ontario. With the support of Bird Construction and GHD Engineering, we are not only building a world-class waste facility but laying the foundation for a low-carbon future, said Mike Leopold, CEO of Convertus.
Meeting York Region’s long-term needs
The new facility, situated on a 12-acre site next to York Region’s Materials Recovery and Transfer Facility, will be able to process up to 165,000 tonnes of organic waste annually in its first phase, with the potential to scale up to 200,000 tonnes per year.
This capacity will meet the Region’s current waste management needs but also ensure sustainable waste processing through 2047.
Each year, the facility will generate between 250,000 and 350,000 gigajoules (GJ) of RNG. In addition to energy production, the facility will produce approximately 165,000 tonnes of biofertilizer, helping to enrich local agricultural land.
Innovation in action
The project is seen as a milestone for Convertus and York Region, providing environmental benefits in several key areas:
- Reduced transportation emissions: By processing waste locally, the facility will reduce CO2 emissions from transporting organic waste over long distances by around 15,000 tonnes.
- Renewable Energy Production: The facility’s production of RNG, combined with heat recovery throughout the site, will replace fossil fuels with clean, renewable energy. This process results in a very low carbon intensity for the RNG, which is injected into the natural gas grid and replaces traditional natural gas, avoiding approximately 15,000 tonnes of CO2 emissions annually. Additionally, the facility produces biogenic liquid CO2 (bioLCO2), which further offsets emissions by replacing an equivalent amount of CO2 from fossil sources.
- Landfill Diversion: The GHG emission reduction from diverting food waste from landfills, which York Region was already doing, represents 70,000 tonnes of CO2 per year.
Altogether, this facility reduces roughly 115,000 tonnes of GHG emissions per year diverting waste from landfill.
On behalf of York Regional Council and The Regional Municipality of York, today marks a significant achievement as we secure a local and cost-effective long-term processing solution for green bin materials. When complete, this new state-of-the-art Biofuel Facility will eliminate long-distance transportation of green bin waste, reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 15,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide annually and increasing processing capacity to 140,000 tonnes per year. Curbside green bin waste will be converted into nutrient-rich fertilizer for local farmers and renewable natural gas to heat up to 5,000 homes, reinforcing York Region’s commitment to waste reduction and innovation. York Region remains steadfast in our vision of a world where nothing goes to waste, setting a strong example for communities and ensuring a sustainable future for our residents, said York Region Chairman and CEO Wayne Emmerson.
Bird Construction will lead the construction of the facility, while GHD Engineering brings its extensive engineering and environmental expertise to the project.
With this collaboration, the facility will set new benchmarks in both operational efficiency and environmental impact, creating a model for future waste management solutions across Canada.
Bird is proud to work with Convertus to deliver the York Biofuel Facility. This is the first biofuel project in Canada to be executed under an IPD model, representing a noteworthy addition to our portfolio of collaborative contracts. The project aligns with Bird’s values to provide innovative and sustainable solutions to Canadians, said Teri McKibbon, President & CEO of Bird Construction.
By integrating innovative waste management solutions, the Convertus York Biofuel Facility will help York Region achieve its long-term sustainability goals, benefiting both the environment and the local community.
In an era where energy transition is so important, GHD is proud to be a key contributor to the development of a facility that not only produces significant amounts of renewable natural gas but does so using sustainable innovations and approaches. I believe that this facility will be looked upon as an example of what is possible when processing organics, and how to effectively integrate waste and energy solutions. This is a made-in-Ontario success story that will serve as an exemplary model for the industry going forward, ended Tej Gidda, VP and Global Leader in Future Energy for GHD.
