Grant: Applied Research and Development Grants - Level 2

DMT Bioproducts was created from the Alymer, Ontario based company Creative Enterprises, who specializes in the design, engineering, and fabrication of equipment for the construction industry. In 2014, Creative Enterprises created the start-up company DMT Bioproducts to develop and commercialize an innovative high-efficiency bio-refining process to produce furfural from biomass Miscanthus grass. Furfural is typically produced from corn residues and is widely considered the most abundantly available furan, yet current operating plants still suffer from low-yielding processes. Miscanthus Giganteus grass crop, however, is a rapidly growing plant that can provide up to 7 times the biomass as corn per acre. In addition, Miscanthus can grow in poor soil and in short seasons where other food crops cannot grow. In collaboration with Lambton College's Bio-industrial Process Research Centre (BPRC), this project will focus on developing a bio-refining process for furfural production from Miscanthus grass. Once the process is optimized for Miscanthus, plans are to explore other crops like switchgrass (Panicum Virgatum), a native grass common along roadsides. The success if this project will provide significant advancement to bio-processing technology. If the yield can be increased from the current industrial standard of 10%, this will make furfural production in Canada competitive and may prove necessary to establish not only a sustainable bio-refinery, but a thriving one.