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NRCan funds FPInnovations’ wood-derived asphalt innovation project

Natural Resources Canada (NRCan) has announced funding of over $1.5 million to FPInnovations for an innovative project that aims to develop asphalt that contains wood-derived products from Canada’s forest sector.

FPInnovations, in collaboration with the construction firm Eurovia and the Ministère des Transports et de la Mobilité durable du Québec, will conduct an on-road pilot in Ange-Gardien, Quebec. Pilots have also been conducted in other provinces to test the asphalt’s performance in the wide range of climate conditions we see in Canada.

The new asphalt being tested contains a renewable bioproduct, lignin, which is intended to replace a portion of the petroleum-based bitumen currently found in the asphalt used in roads. This new product would increase pavement preservation and possibly extend service life for pavements and roads in the face of climate change.

“This testbed represents an important step toward the adoption of lignin by the road construction industry. This key partnership with the Ministère is helping to accelerate the integration of innovative products into the value chain and to demonstrate the benefits of innovations from the forest sector. The contribution of the forest sector to the advancement of low-carbon products remains a major motivator for FPInnovations’ innovative projects,” said Stéphane Renou, president and CEO of FPInnovations.

The $1.5-million contribution is being delivered through the Forest Innovation Program (FIP), which supports the development of new technologies and practices that improve the environmental sustainability and economic productivity of Canada’s forest sector.