Alberta’s bitumen can produce more than oil. In fact, carbon fibre is one the hot new commodities that can be extracted from the resource.
Alberta Innovates hopes the $15 million Carbon Fibre Grand Challenge will jump start development of carbon fibre from bitumen.
The challenge is part of the Bitumen Beyond Combustion initiative which aims to advance the development of non-combustion products and production technologies derived from the bitumen in Alberta’s oil sands.
“Bitumen Beyond Combustion and the Carbon Fibre Grand Challenge aim to produce large-volume, high-value, non-combustion products from bitumen. It has the potential to shift the oil sands industry toward value creation and significantly enhance sustainability in a low-carbon emission economy,” John Zhou, vice-president, Clean Resources, Alberta Innovates, stated in a news release.
The oil sands are among the world’s largest hydrocarbon resources with proven reserves of approximately 170 billion barrels, said Alberta Innovates.
“The Carbon Fibre Grand Challenge is directed toward funding technologies and projects that can convert bitumen or asphaltenes into carbon fibre. The high strength and stiffness of carbon fibre make composites functionally superior to many conventional materials used in the transportation, infrastructure, construction and consumer product sectors. Asphaltenes are organic molecules found in bitumen that are commonly used in asphalt,” it said.
“Applications are expected from Canada, the United States, Europe and Asia. The challenge will consist of three phases which will wrap up at the end of 2024. Three grand prizes of $3 million will be awarded to the winners who will be required to produce more than 10 kg of carbon fibre per day, with a line of sight to scale production to more than 250 tonnes per day.”
It said the production process could result in more than 100,000 barrels of Alberta bitumen being used daily to produce carbon fibre. Asphaltene derived from Alberta bitumen will be provided to competitors through an asphaltene sample bank operated by InnoTech Alberta, an applied research subsidiary of Alberta Innovates.
Mario Toneguzzi is a business reporter in Calgary.
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