One of the more common challenges for early-stage technology companies is accessing funding at the right time in the technology development cycle. Often, external investment is required to advance the innovation to the next level.

When it comes to responsible development, Pathways Alliance members are always looking to up their game. They regularly search for new technologies to tackle important oil sands industry challenges and find new ways to reduce emissions, restore the land and preserve biodiversity.  

A Pathways Alliance techno-assessment process is helping an Ottawa start-up confirm some cool new research that shows Canada has an optimal climate to deploy a key technology in the fight against climate change.

For more than 50 years, industry has been developing expertise in tailings management, and now those learnings have been reviewed and curated in the Deep Deposit Design Guide for Oil Sands Tailings, a best practice guide from COSIA.

The COSIA Tailings Clay Challenge is wickedly complex as it involves finding ways to remove suspended clay particles from tailings. This step is a key requirement to dewatering these leftover mining materials, permanently storing the clays, and closing a mine at the end of its life.

Many people might be surprised to learn that Alberta is Canada’s largest commercial producer of hydrogen, a gas that’s in the spotlight today as a source of clean, reliable and affordable energy. Experts say it has enormous potential to help Canada reduce carbon emissions and achieve the country’s climate goals of net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050.

This high pressure, high temperature testing unit is one of the few membrane testing units in the world capable of working at temperatures as high as 120 degrees Celsius and pressure up to 6900 kPa.

Molten carbonate fuel cells (MCFCs) are one potential breakthrough technology. It’s anticipated they can reduce emissions by more than 70 per cent in oil sands operations.