Today, on behalf of the Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food, the Honourable Marie-Claude Bibeau, Parliamentary Secretary Neil Ellis and the Member of Parliament for Niagara Centre, Vance Badawey, highlighted funding of up to $1.48 million for extractX Inc. to develop a mobile, ethanol-based extraction lab for biomass processing.
The announcement took place at extractX's head offices in Welland, Ontario.
Canada's agriculture and agri-food sector plays an important role in the fight against climate change. Through research, development and adoption of clean technologies, the sector is finding innovative ways to cut greenhouse gas emissions and improve energy efficiency, promoting sustainable and clean growth that helps meet Canada's climate change goals.
This funding helped extractX complete the final stages of research and development for its proprietary, fully-automated extraction technology. The company's process uses ethanol, which helps reduce greenhouse gas emissions compared to other processes widely used in the industry. As a mobile unit, extractX is able to bring environmentally-efficient processing facilities to producers across Canada and around the world.
The project is funded through the original Agricultural Clean Technology Program, a $25-million, three-year (2018-2021) investment to support research, development and adoption of clean technologies. The Government of Canada recently launched the new $165.7-million Agricultural Clean Technology Program, which provides farmers and agri-businesses with access to funding to help develop and adopt the latest clean technologies to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and enhance their competitiveness.
Quotes
"In the face of the new climate reality, we must double down on our efforts, particularly by speeding up the adoption of more environmentally-friendly practices and energy efficient technologies to further reduce our emissions and be leaders in sustainable agriculture. This is what Canadian and international consumers are asking for, and today's announcement for extractX is a great example of how the Government of Canada is supporting these efforts."
- Neil Ellis, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food
"Canada's agriculture and agri-food sector continues to innovate to reduce the environmental impact of its practices. By investing in clean technologies, we are contributing to a smaller carbon footprint and a better future, while supporting businesses like extractX so they can help grow the local economy and the agriculture sector as a whole."
- Vance Badawey, Member of Parliament for Niagara Centre
"Canada has an incredible international reputation for the highest standards in hemp and cannabis regulation, technological innovation and business practices to support cultivators, processors and the pharmaceutical industry achieve efficient and more environmentally-friendly extraction. Our innovative solution builds on that reputation by providing extremely high quality CBD and THC distillate in a small mobile footprint while reducing CO2. We're proudly Canadian, globally focused and grateful that the Agricultural Clean Technology program has contributed to our first step in the commercialization and distribution of our game-changing technology."
- Albert Iannantuono, Co-CEO and CMO & Collin Stone, Co-CEO and COO of extractX
Quick facts
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The new $165.7-million Agricultural Clean Technology Program has two funding streams:
- The Adoption Stream supports the purchase and installation of proven clean technologies and solutions that show meaningful reductions in GHG emissions.
- The Research and Innovation Stream supports pre-market innovation including research, development, demonstration and commercialization of agricultural clean technologies.
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The new program focuses on three priority areas: green energy and energy efficiency; precision agriculture; and the bioeconomy. The program will allocate $50 million specifically for the purchase of more efficient grain dryers for farmers across Canada and $10 million towards powering farms with clean energy and moving off diesel.
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Established in 2018, extractX is a biotechnology company that designs, builds and operates industrial-scale mobile extraction laboratories which target the hemp and cannabis markets. The company is headquartered in Welland, Ontario, and its manufacturing and research facility is located in Winnipeg, Manitoba.
