The federal government is investing $950,000 in new technology that will help turn carbon emissions into useful, everyday products such as building materials, alternative fuels and consumer goods.

The investment will enable the Carbon Capture and Conversion Institute (CCCI) in Richmond, B.C., to design, acquire and install equipment to be used for carbon capture and turning carbon dioxide emissions into consumer-friendly products. The specialized research equipment will also allow researchers from industry, government and academic institutions to collaborate and test carbon use technologies.

The investment in the Richmond facility complements another announced last spring in Calgary to help fund the Alberta Carbon Conversion Technology Centre, capable of testing carbon conversion at near-industrial scale. Together, the two test centres will provide a full spectrum of research and development solutions for carbon capture, utilization and storage development, and test facilities for early- and late -stage projects.

The project will establish a multi-purpose technology development and scale up facility to validate and test carbon capture and conversion technologies at a small scale (up to one tonne/day), and prepare them for scale-up, for testing in the field or at the commercialization centre in Alberta or elsewhere.

The facility will be unique in its synergistic and system engineering approach in developing the most efficient solutions for GHG emissions from a broad range of industrial processes, Natural Resources Canada said in a press release.

The funding announcement was made during the official opening of BC Research Inc.'s Technology Commercialization and Innovation Centre, where the CCCI's new pilot laboratory is located.

"This strategic investment from Natural Resources Canada allowed the Carbon Capture and Conversion Institute to purchase state-of-the-art process equipment and analytical instruments necessary for clean technology development. We are now able to compete on the world stage and are attracting industry, academic and government developers from across Canada and abroad," stated Goran Vlajnic, executive director of the Carbon Capture and Conversion Institute.