Enerkem's municipal solid waste (MSW) to methanol plant in Edmonton, Alberta has achieved certification from the International Sustainability and Carbon Certification (ISCC) system. This makes it the world's first ISCC certified waste-to-methanol facility opening up export opportunities to the European Union (EU).
Canadian waste-to-biofuels and chemicals producer, Enerkem Inc., has announced it has obtained certification from the International Sustainability and Carbon Certification (ISCC) system for the biomethanol production of its Enerkem Alberta Biofuels full-scale facility in Edmonton, Canada. In doing so the biorefinery becomes the first ISCC certified plant in the world to convert municipal solid waste into biomethanol.
– This reputable third-party certification confirms that Enerkem meets high ecological and social sustainability requirements. Enerkem already sells its biomethanol as a renewable chemical in North America and, with the ISCC certification, we are now adding flexibility to export it as a biofuel in Europe, said Tim Cesarek, Senior Vice President, Business Development.
For biofuels to be eligible for use in Europe under the European Renewable Energy Directive (RED), they must prove compliance with stringent criteria in terms of greenhouse gas (GHG) savings, sustainability and traceability of the entire supply chain. This is done through third-party certification under an approved certification scheme such as ISCC EU. Under the RED Directive, all EU countries must ensure that at least 10 percent of their transport fuels come from renewable sources by 2020. The RED Directive also gives waste-based biofuels a so called double counting advantage towards this 10 percent requirement.
Cesarek said that with the addition of a methanol-to-ethanol conversion module in the second half of 2016, the Edmonton facility will also become the first to sell multiple renewable fuel and chemical products made from waste.
5477/AS
