Ulrich Legrand, a 30-year-old Montreal entrepreneur, wins the Mitacs Environmental Entrepreneurship Award for his technology that transforms CO2, responsible for greenhouse gases (GHG), into a commercial chemical product.
From CO2, the former Mitacs postdoctoral researcher in the chemical engineering department of McGill University and co-founder and CTO of Electro Carbon is able to obtain commercial-grade formic acid, a high-value chemical used as a preservative in animal feed, as well as in the leather and rubber industries.
“Currently, Canadian companies that use formic acid import it from countries that use traditional production methods, emitting approximately 2.2 tonnes of harmful carbon into the air each year,” said Ms. Legrand, by press release.
“If we take this indirect impact into account, each system we build has the potential to reduce global emissions by 12,800 tonnes, the equivalent of removing 3,000 cars from the road each year.”
Legrand will receive the award in a virtual ceremony Thursday evening in recognition of his efforts to advance technology through his company.
The Environmental Entrepreneurship category highlights the importance of investing in clean technology innovation to build a greener, more sustainable future.
“Governments and businesses agree that reducing emissions is the way to protect the environment, but at the same time they want to see a financial benefit. Our technology makes it possible to achieve these two objectives,” underlined the entrepreneur.
In collaboration with the National Center for Electrochemistry and Environmental Technologies (CNETE) of Canada and a solid ecosystem of partners, Ulrich Legrand and Martin Larocque, co-founder of Electro Carbon, have developed a functional prototype of their CO2 electrolyser. He should soon receive the results of the latest series of tests at the CNETE laboratory, which should validate the ability of the technology to develop.
Mr. Legrand and Mr. Laroque hope that their company will become a world leader in this growing field, which would allow Montreal and Quebec to become a hub where green and innovative companies could develop and prosper.
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