Beets As Energy

photo: Stephanie Hopf

Southern Alberta is the only producer of sugar beets in Canada and a new hybrid beet may provide growers with a whole new market.

Executive Director of the Alberta Sugar Beet Growers, Gerald Third says they are working on new technology that may convert the beet into clean, green energy.

Third says growers have actually seen a reduction in their ability to grow sugar beets so they took it upon themselves to look for alternatives and new uses for sugar beets.

He says the result was a new hybrid beet they call an "energy" beet.

The energy beet is renewable and can be used for clean, green energy and can be used for anything from ethanol to glycol.

Third says the growers are currently researching the science behind the technology to convert the energy beet into glycol.

"So far that testing is extremely positive, the process, the technique looks viable", he explains, "it still has to go through two more phases to prove it, but once the technology is proven then the growers would have the option of commercializing the technology and building a facility here in Southern Alberta.

He says, glycol is currently manufactured out of petro-chemicals and it's a growth industry of about 15% per year.

He says anything that you can make out of petro-chemicals you can make out of an energy beet, things like plastic ketchup bottles, water bottles, shampoo, nylons even paint.

"As long as the technology is viable and the catalysts hold up", he says, "then we certainly believe that this is a great alternative, not only for producers, but for the economy and the environment".

Third says, if the testing continues at the rate that it's going and it proves positive then they would like to be in a position to start raising money by the fall with a goal to  begin construction of a plant in the Spring of 2014.