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Nova Scotia cleantech start-up Sustane to build waste2energy demo plant

April 9, 2015 | By Renée Francoeur


Sustane Technologies Inc.

April 9, 2015 – A clean technology startup is building its first commercial demonstration plant in Nova Scotia’s Municipality of the District of Chester. Halifax-based Sustane Technologies Inc. says it is working to commercialize and globally market a technology that diverts municipal waste from landfills and converts it into clean energy and other recyclable materials.

According to Sustane, engineers and suppliers are currently designing and building the plant, which is expected to be up and running in mid-2016. The project will generate additional jobs in the area over the course of construction and operation, the company added. Chester will see all of its garbage removed from the landfill—at a rate of 200 tons per day—and will save money in the long run as a result, Sustane claimed.

The federal government recently announced it is providing a $500,000 repayable contribution, through ACOA’s Business Development Program, to Sustane to acquire special equipment for the development of the plant.

“We are excited about our technology; it’s different from anything out there today,” said Peter Vinall, Sustane’s CEO. “Our long-term vision at Sustane Technologies is to build a technology company that can market this clean alternative to communities around the world. Our new operation in Chester will be a showcase site and brings us one step closer to that vision. Chester has shown admirable insight and vision to explore new alternatives to their status-quo and they are clearly a leader in this regard.”

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Sustane separates garbage into plastics, metals, glass, moisture and biomass, each at very high purity levels, the company said. This allows each material to be leveraged as a “valuable asset.” One of those assets is a biomass fuel pellet. Sustane said other value streams are in development.

The company said its process removes upwards of 90% of waste from landfills without involving ncineration, chemicals or pollutants, and that municipalities are expected to see an average savings of 20% on landfill and disposal costs.


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