This text is part of the special Research section
Quebec is a good student in environmental policy in North America. Various green projects are emerging within the Belle Province. Among these, the mining residue treatment plant, run by INRS and the ECO2 Magnesia company, is a pioneer. Professor Louis-César Pasquier is the instigator of the project with his students from the National Institute of Scientific Research (INRS).
“In partnership with ECO2 Magnesia, we have developed at INRS a process which makes it possible to use carbon dioxide (CO2) to produce high purity magnesium carbonates with mine tailings from the operation, explains the professor proudly. More concretely, we recover mining waste which is carbonates, CO sensors2 natural, we burn them to produce magnesium oxide. However, the CO2 produced by this combustion is not released into the air and does not contribute to the greenhouse effect. It is reused to produce new carbonates and thus create an almost non-polluting production line. This plant, scheduled for 2023, will produce magnesium oxide with the lowest carbon footprint in the world. “
A unique project in the world
Magnesium oxide is used in several different markets, such as water treatment, food or even pharmaceuticals. It can also be used to make refractory materials, such as insulating bricks, and thus fight against global warming. This partnership between public university and private company is an example for the Quebec economy and its desire to move from a carbon economy to a green economy.
“The ECO2 Magnesia company was created expressly for the application of this project,” explains Louis-César Pasquier. The research and development project is carried out through INRS, and the company is implementing it in this new factory. We are currently completing a technology validation project working on 400 liter reactors to validate our lab work. The research never stops, you always have to question yourself. But this project is unique in the world, because it constitutes a first in this field. The process is carried out in a safe and simple manner, without chemicals and without risk to the environment. The equipment is already there and the soil is decontaminated, which is littered with mine tailings. “
Double environmental valuation
The plant will take place in 2023 in the Chaudière-Appalaches region, on the site of a magnesium mine disused since the 1970s. Environmental recovery is therefore twofold: both soil decontamination with the treatment of its mining residues polluting groundwater as well as the production of magnesium oxide without greenhouse gas emissions. CO2 is considered here as a raw material, and not as waste. It is estimated that the plant will have enough mine waste to be able to operate for at least 30 years.
“We started working on this project in 2012, but the development component began in 2017. A team of six people is working fully on it at INRS. We come to 15 people including ECO2 Magnesia. This partnership therefore also has a significant effect on employment, and in particular on qualified employment, ”notes Mr. Pasquier.
Indeed, the creation of new advanced technologies also leads to the creation of new highly qualified jobs. Within INRS, we are examining new training for highly qualified personnel to operate the prototype. In addition, several doctoral or postdoctoral students are enrolled in the research project. This public-private partnership is therefore profitable in several ways.
Professor Pasquier concludes: “Our partnership with ECO2 Magnesia is very important. If this project works well across the province, we could eventually export it elsewhere in Canada, or even internationally. This technology, developed only in Quebec, is still supported by the government and can become a real spearhead in leading the province towards a low-carbon economy. “