Exciting news! Alberta Innovates and Emissions Reduction Alberta announce successful projects in Phase III of the Carbon Fibre Grand Challenge, allocating over $15.2 million to five teams, including Edmonton's Thread Innovations Inc. Led by Dr. Weixing Chen, they're transforming Alberta bitumen into high-value carbon fibre.
Competing across Alberta and British Columbia, these projects aim to produce 0.5 – 1 kg of carbon fibre daily, scaling to 5,000+ tones yearly by 2030. The challenge? Make commercial carbon fibre 50% more cost-effective.
Out of 13 applications, expert-selected teams have 36 months to complete their innovative projects. Funding focuses on converting Alberta oil sands asphaltenes into carbon fibre, with Alberta Innovates leading Phase I and collaborative support for Phases II and III. CRIN co-funded Phase II, and Emissions Reduction Alberta co-funds Phase III.
Explore Phase III details on the Carbon Fibre Grand Challenge website.