Previously, everything that came from the forest that was not fiber was treated as waste. This section of the film will look at the future of forest Bio-products in Northern Ontario that come from the lignin chemistry that binds wood fiber together (up to 30% of wood’s mass) and from chemicals produced by the forest ecosystem itself. There are many bio-products that can be derived from the forests of Ontario, including those which result from biorefining, like polymers, carbon fiber, plastics, methanol, and pharmaceuticals; and those which occur naturally like bacteria, yeasts, fungi, enzymes and antibiotics. You can even make oil out of wood, after all that is what the earth has been doing for millions of years. “This is just the same as the geological processes, but sped up” (Dr. Robert Dekker, personal communication). Over the next few decades, as fossil fuel supplies decrease and prices rise, biorefining technology will play a leading role in replacing petro-chemicals.

This section will feature two researchers in the field: Dr. Luc Duchesne and Dr. Robert Dekker. Ontario is the leading world researcher of forest bio-refining. Thus, research will be the focus of this section because, while on the way, there are not as of yet any major commercial operations in Northern Ontario.

Dr. Dekker can speak about the new pilot biorefinery to be built somewhere near Thunder Bay which will allow testing of forest biomass for both use in renewable energy and in the kind of next-generation forest products which could be commercialized. The Provincial and Federal governments have invested $20 million dollars in what will be a $40 million dollar plant. It is being built by the Center for Research and Innovation in the Bio-Economy (CRIBE – a Thunder Bay-based Bio-energy think tank) in partnership with FPInnovations.