Vancouver-based Micron Waste Technologies Inc., has completed an agreement to accelerate development of new technology developed by Micron in partnership with Canada’s Aurora Cannabis Inc., to process waste from cannabis cultivation and product production.
In a press release, Micron said it “has developed a new technology, based on aerobic digestion and subsequent treatment, that converts organic waste into clean water that meets municipal effluent discharge standards.
“The effluent from currently available digester-based treatment systems of organic waste does not meet municipal discharge standards and requires costly further treatment. Many organizations that generate organic waste currently use municipal landfill sites for their organic waste, which is costly and has a negative impact on the environment. The merits of Micron’s technology have been successfully demonstrated with a grocery supermarket chain located in British Columbia, [and] Canada,” the release said.
Micron also announced it had engaged engineering consulting firm BC Research Inc., to help bring its Micron Cannabis Waste Digester to the industrial cannabis market. BC Research is “a global provider of engineering and equipment packages to the chemical, pulp, paper, minerals processing, and electrochemical sectors,” and will provide Micron with engineering design and fabrication support.
Tackling some of the cannabis cultivation industry’s needs is an example of where the technology may fit well, and it provides another opportunity to demonstrate the technology in a very different industrial application,” stated BC Research vice president and chief operating officer Sergio Berretta. “We look forward to bringing our expertise in commercializing new technologies to the Aurora-Micron project, and are excited about the broader potential of the Micron Waste Digester.”
Aerobic digestion has long been used to process sewage back into water that meets local effluent regulations so that it can be reused. Typically, sewage treated this way is sent to processing plants for the multi-tank procedure. Micron’s technology enables processing units to be installed onsite for waste disposal and should result in significant savings for cannabis producers who would avoid transport and additional processing costs. Micron systems have also been used to treat food waste and other organic contaminants.
Prototype processing units are scheduled to be installed at Aurora’s grow facilities by the second quarter of 2018. Once in use, the system’s goal will be to produce water that can then be reused at the grow facility.
“We are extremely pleased to be working with BC Research and Aurora Cannabis to develop a market-ready Micron Cannabis Waste Digester,” said Micron chief executive officer Rav Mlait. “The enhanced features requested by our clients are anticipated to accelerate commercial adoption and make Micron’s technology more attractive to cannabis producers seeking a less costly, more convenient, and ‘greener’ means of handling organic waste. We anticipate that the results from our efforts with Aurora Cannabis will not only accelerate our entry into this sector, but allow us to leverage the results to develop access to large new markets.”
