CERC receives nearly $1 million to optimize carbon capture and recycling technologies

The University of British Columbia's Clean Energy Research Centre (CERC) has received $913,516 from Western Economic Diversification Canada, a federal institution that seeks to diversify the economy and improve the quality of life in Western Canada by supporting innovation and business and community development.

With the government’s support, CERC will be able to continue working with Squamish-based Carbon Engineering to scale up the company’s innovative carbon capture, purification and recycling technologies, which have the potential to remove one million tons of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere each year — equivalent to the annual emissions of 250,000 average cars — and produce ultra-low-carbon synthetic fuels for the transportation sector.

Reducing greenhouse gas emissions has never been more imperative, as a recent UN report has made clear, and developing low-carbon energy sources, renewable fuels and innovative technologies is a crucial part of achieving this goal. Composed of just atmospheric CO₂ and hydrogen split from water, Carbon Engineering’s cost-competitive fuels are compatible with existing engines and infrastructure and may significantly reduce transportation-related emissions by displacing fossil fuels.

"The University of British Columbia is a leading-edge research institution that is tackling one of our greatest challenges — creating sustainable energy solutions,” said Joyce Murray, Parliamentary Secretary to the President of the Treasury Board and Minister of Digital Government. “By supporting the Clean Energy Research Centre, we're helping to drive innovation, job creation and clean growth."

For more information, please see the Government of Canada's official press release.