Natural gas from farm waste
This article was originally written and submitted as part of a Canada 150 Project, the Innovation Storybook, to crowdsource stories of Canadian innovation with partners across Canada. The content has since been migrated to Ingenium’s Channel, a digital hub featuring curated content related to science, technology and innovation.
Believing there is a more sustainable way to farm, this Canadian company turns farm waste into natural gas and organic fertilizers.
In 2010, Fraser Valley Biogas was the first facility in North America to produce and supply renewable natural gas to customers through a utility company.
By processing over 30,000 tons of organic waste per year from local farms, the company captures methane that would otherwise be released to the atmosphere. By capturing the methane, which has twenty-one times the greenhouse gas potential of carbon dioxide, up to 4,500 tons of emissions are prevented.
But methane capture is only part of how this company helps reduce the impact of farming. They have partnered with local farmers to replace chemical fertilizer usage with nutrient rich organic fertilizer produced as a result of their organic waste processing.
Fraser Valley Biogas produces enough biomethane per year to heat approximately 900 homes. This biogas is cleaned of impurities to meet the same standards as traditional natural gas using no chemicals.
Britannia Mine Museum
With the support of the mining community and the federal and provincial governments, the Britannia Beach Historical Society (now known as the Britannia Mine Museum Society) opened the Britannia Mine Museum in 1975. The Museum was established to preserve the material and social history of mining in British Columbia and to educate the public about mining.
