Saskatchewan-based business, Prairie Clean Energy (PCE), is thrilled to announce they have been awarded a $1.1 million grant from the Mining Innovation Commercialization Accelerator (MICA) Network for their GHG emissions reduction project utilizing prairie biomass. Of the 24 projects receiving MICA funding, PCE was the only Saskatchewan recipient. This MICA grant provides yet another opportunity for the fast-growing bioenergy company.

By using PCE’s proprietary, patented flax straw pellets to help heat potash mines, the carbon intensity of heat consumption in

these mines can be reduced drastically. PCE’s chief product and supply chain development officer, Mahmood Ebadian, suggests, “This technology has the potential to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by up to 80 percent when used to displace fossil fuels for industrial process heating.” Meanwhile PCE president and CEO, Mark Cooper, states, “The $1.1 million grant will help PCE continue to drive an energy revolution around the world through the use of our local prairie biomass.”

Partnering with Saskatchewan Polytechnic, PCE is using the grant money to provide a living lab demonstration through the implementation of a pilot operation at Saskatchewan Polytechnic’s Agriculture and Food Production diploma program field site near Moose Jaw. Saskatchewan Polytechnic is excited to welcome PCE to their Moose Jaw campus. Dr. Robin Smith, director of Saskatchewan Polytechnic’s Sustainability-Led Integrated Centres of Excellence (SLICE), shares, “We are excited for this applied research collaboration with Prairie Clean Energy. This project aligns perfectly with SLICE’s focus on the circular economy. With this project, agricultural waste in the form of flax straw will be used to generate energy and support the potash industry in lowering greenhouse gas emissions.”

As Saskatchewan produces 30 percent of global potash, making it the largest sole potash producer in the world, the ability to significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions in these mines by utilizing local prairie biomass is an incredible opportunity. PCE’s partnership with Saskatchewan Polytechnic and their $1.1 million MICA grant will go a long way in making this significant greenhouse gas emissions reduction a reality.

SLICE is based in Saskatchewan Polytechnic's School of Mining, Energy and Manufacturing and the School of Natural Resources and Built Environment. SLICE's vision is to advance sustainability in Saskatchewan and beyond through collaborative applied research for the benefit of our economy, environment, society, and future generations.