The Pulse: Aug. 30, 2024

Could your next bike be made from Alberta oil?

Researchers will establish processes to turn the bitumen found in Alberta's oilsands into carbon fibre, a common building material in sports equipment, automobiles, wind turbines, and mobility scooters, after Alberta Innovates received $10 million from Prairies Economic Development Canada in July.

InnoTech Alberta, a subsidiary of Alberta Innovates, will operate a new facility at the Edmonton Research Park. Paolo Bomben with Alberta Innovates told Taproot that bitumen contains a wide range of organic material, and the heaviest material can be thicker than molasses. These properties are a problem or a benefit, depending on what you are making. "It's very heavy, very difficult, and energy-intensive to convert to fuel — a lot of emissions, a lot of energy requirements," Bomben said. "However, that heavy part is actually really ideal to make carbon materials."

Carbon fibre is typically made with polyacrylonitrile fibre, and is used for many applications, Bomben said. Carbon fibre is significantly lighter than steel and aluminum, doesn't corrode, is thermally and electrically conductive, and has significant strength and stiffness properties. One downside is cost — carbon fibre costs between $10 to $12 per pound, whereas steel costs less than $1 per pound.

Bomben said using bitumen in carbon fibre production could open up a new market area for the material.

"We don't think we're competing with existing carbon fibre," Bomben said. "We think the demand is there for an entire new product offering that will expand the market for carbon fibre, to much greater sizes than currently exists today."

Though there are similar facilities around the world, including in Colombia and China, this would be the first in Canada, Bomben said.

The new facility is part of the Alberta Innovates Bitumen Beyond Combustion program, which aims to convert material mined in Alberta's oilsands into non-fuel products, including asphalt, activated carbon, carbon nanotubes, polyurethanes, and controlled-release fertilizers. The program aims to increase oilsands production and offset a potential decline in demand for combustible fuels.

The new carbon fibre facility will be used by teams in the Alberta Innovates Carbon Fibre Grand Challenge, a $26-million three-phase competition that aims to develop the large-scale production of carbon fibre from bitumen. Edmonton-based Thread Innovations was selected for the most recent round of funding. The companies in the challenge must find a way to make carbon fibre from oilsands bitumen that costs less than half of what current carbon fibre products cost. The facility will also be open to the public, Bomben said.

Harper International is constructing the facility, and once it is finished it will be shipped to Edmonton and installed at the Edmonton Research Park. It is expected to be open in 2025.

Photo: Innotech Alberta is building a new facility for converting bitumen into carbon fibre. (Supplied)

• As Edmonton Public Schools welcomed students back to school on Aug. 29, the City of Edmonton issued a reminder about road safety. The speed limit in playground zones and on school streets is 30 km/h from 7:30am to 9pm all year. The City is also promoting road safety by offering schools a Vision Zero School Kit, making safety upgrades around schools through the Safe Routes to School Program, and encouraging property owners to put up signs encouraging safer speeds.
• The Edmonton Fringe Festival successfully met its $300,000 fundraising goal thanks to a donation from MHCare Medical, an Edmonton medical supply company. Without the surprise donation, the festival may have needed to eliminate some free programming, including Kids Fringe, the festival's executive director said. In total, the festival grew from 34 to 500 monthly donors over the course of its Sustain Fringe campaign. MHCare Medical is the company contracted by the Alberta government to import children's pain medication from Turkey, which stopped being used six months later, and recently made the news for hosting several cabinet ministers and Alberta government staff in a luxury box at an Edmonton Oilers playoff game.
• The City of Edmonton's Rapid Emergency Support Terminal (REST), a support hub created to coordinate food, accommodations, and essential service access for Jasper wildfire evacuees, will close Aug. 30 at 4pm. Other municipal resources, including free access to City amenities and transit for registered evacuees, will end on Sept. 3. The evacuation alert for Jasper was lifted Aug. 17, and residents have gradually been returning home, officials say. Wildfire damage to the Jasper townsite caused an estimated $880 million in insurable damages, according to the Insurance Bureau of Canada.
• Metallica paid tribute to an Edmonton fan who died during the band's show at Commonwealth Stadium on Aug. 23. Lorne, whose nickname was "Viking," died after being taken from the Snake Pit area to receive urgent medical care. "He will be missed terribly! Please crank up a Metallica song, and raise a glass for the Viking," one of his friends said online, calling him "the kindest soul."
• Alberta Medical Association president Paul Parks criticized the UCP government's plan to turn some hospitals over from Alberta Health Services to third parties, like Covenant Health, calling it "ill-advised" and likely to create "added chaos." The Edmonton Zone is the only part of Alberta with two health authorities and has "performed worse on all objective measures than the Calgary Zone," Parks said. He also said he predicts a conflict between public interests and faith-based providers like Covenant Health when it comes to reproductive and end-of-life issues.
• The Alberta government's first-quarter fiscal update shows an expected $2.9-billion surplus, largely due to oil prices, up from the $367 million forecasted in February. However, it is an "accounting surplus," so the province can't access it and will need to borrow $641 million in the short term, said Finance Minister Nate Horner, adding the province expects to end the fiscal year with no surplus cash. Horner also said the province has no current plans to introduce the personal tax cut promised by Premier Danielle Smith in her 2023 election campaign, but added it could be brought in "hopefully by the next budget."
• CBC's Jason Markusoff analyzed recent musings by Premier Danielle Smith about relocating Alberta government offices to places outside Edmonton and Calgary. Markusoff connected the idea to the UCP's struggle to attract urban votes and Smith's past remarks to UCP audiences about growing Alberta's population to 10 million. If the relocations do happen, Smith may provide more "traditional justifications," but "Albertans will have first heard her touting these ideas to a UCP audience, for potential UCP benefit," Markusoff wrote.
• The Edmonton Oilers will have more screen time on American TV networks than any other Canadian NHL team in the 2024-2025 season and are tied with the Pittsburgh Penguins and Colorado Avalanche for most games to be broadcast on TNT and ESPN. The increased Oilers coverage is a move by the networks to showcase superstar Connor McDavid and "get more eyes on the game," said sports writer Colton Pankiw.
• Edmonton Oilers forward Evander Kane said in an Instagram story that someone spat on his car and used racist language toward him and a friend that had pulled over to intervene in the encounter. "It's incredibly disappointing," Kane wrote. "There are still people like this today."
• Edmonton Elks receiver Tevin Jones and offensive lineman Martez Ivey were both named to the CFL's Football Focus Honour Roll for August. Jones leads the CFL in yards per catch and has an 88.2% catch rate, while Ivey leads an Elks group named the best offensive line unit in August.

Here are some events happening this long weekend in the Edmonton area.

• Aug. 30: Alberta Avenue Night Market: The Wrap Up starting at 4pm at Alberta Avenue Community Centre
• Aug. 30: Grand Night Market starting at 5pm at Shamrock Curling Club
• Aug. 30-31: Golden Grove Gatherings at Felice Cafe
• Aug. 31: FitFest for Brain Care starting at 10am at Borden Park
• Aug. 31: VegFest starting at 11am at the Athlone Community League
• Aug. 31: Learn 2 Flag starting at 12pm at Foote Field
• Aug. 31: Peace and Unity Festival starting at 3:30pm at Beverly Heights Community Hall
• Aug. 31-Sept. 1: All Female Ninja Warrior Competition at West Edmonton Mall
• Aug. 31-Sept. 2: Themed Weekend: Transportation at the Ukrainian Cultural Heritage Village
• Sept. 1: Alberta Day starting at 11am at the Alberta Legislature grounds
• Sept. 1: Bring Out Your Dead starting at 3pm at Grindstone Comedy Theatre and Bistro
• Sept. 2: Parking Lot Sales starting at 9am at the Old Strathcona Antique Mall
• Sept. 2: Sheep Leaving Parade starting at 11:30am at Fort Heritage Precinct

And here are some upcoming events to keep in mind:

• Sept. 6: India Film Festival of Alberta at the Winspear Centre
• Sept. 12: ASKO at Festival Place
• Sept. 15: Terry Fox Run at Kinsmen Park

Visit the beta version of the Taproot Edmonton Calendar for many more events in the Edmonton region.