In 2018, the Biomass Canada Cluster was established by the BioFuelNet Canada Network with support from the Government of Canada under the Canadian Agricultural Partnership, through Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada’s (AAFC) AgriScience program. With a total investment of $12.3 million over five years, funding was provided by AAFC ($8.3 million) and industry partners ($4 million). The Cluster’s mission focused on commercializing agricultural biomass as a strategy to address climate change, focusing on three key research areas:

• Biomass and Bioenergy for Northern Latitudes: Extending the growing season in northern Canada by generating heat and power from biomass sources such as crop residues and greenhouse waste.

• Optimization of Biomass Production: Enhancing technologies for producing biochar and hydrochar from agricultural wastes.

• Biomass Preprocessing: Reducing costs and improving logistics within the biomass supply chain.

During its first five-year operational cycle, the Biomass Canada Cluster carried out 11 research activities led by 11 researchers from 7 Canadian universities and 5 Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (AAFC) researchers from 3 federal research centres. The Cluster collaborated with 21 industrial partners, leading to significant scientific advancements, including the filing of 3 patents and the publication of 155 scientific articles in peer-reviewed journals. Additionally, 85 graduate students were trained. BioFuelNet Canada managed all research coordination and knowledge translation activities.

A summary of cycle 1 research activities is accessible here (document to come).