Source: Saskatchewan Agriculture and FoodWith a $2.5 million expansion nearing completion, Milligan Bio-Tech is taking another giant step in its remarkable growth.
The Foam Lake company is currently the only processor in North America making biodiesel from 100 per cent canola oil.
"Biodiesel can be made from any animal fat or vegetable oil, including rendered grease, yellow grease and waste restaurant grease, or traditional oilseed crops like canola, flax and sunflower," said Milligan Bio-Tech Executive Manager Zenneth Faye. "We use canola as our feedstock, and have developed exclusive processing technology to produce a very high quality biodiesel."
Faye says processors traditionally use a solvent extraction process that is very expensive for small-scale operations to implement. Working with Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (AAFC), Milligan Bio-Tech developed technology for extracting oil out of oilseeds based on a "cold crushing" method.
"What this does is enable the efficient extraction of oil from oilseeds, particularly canola, which our company uses to produce biodiesel and other related co-products like diesel fuel conditioner, penetrating oil and road dust suppressant," he stated.
Milligan Bio-Tech currently uses canola that is not suitable for food use, such as crop that may have been contaminated, distressed, heat-damaged, frozen or improperly stored. "It gives Saskatchewan producers another opportunity for a product that can't fit into the food market," Faye noted.
On top of the environmental advantage typically found with biofuels, the company's biodiesel has also demonstrated proven performance benefits. It has a higher oxygen content than regular diesel fuel, resulting in it burning cleaner and reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Studies, such as the Saskatoon BioBus Project, have also shown it to increase lubricity, reduce engine wear and improve fuel economy in diesel motors.
Buyers seem to agree on the product's high quality. Faye says the company's sales have nearly doubled every year since production began in 2001. Milligan Bio-Tech's expansion is aimed at increasing production to meet this growing demand, as well as enhancing the scope of the current operation.
While the Foam Lake facility houses its cold crushing technology, the oil extracted through the process is presently transported to the Bio Processing Centre at the University of Saskatchewan, where it is refined into biodiesel, and where the technology the company developed with AAFC is studied and fine-tuned.
The company now believes this technology has been perfected to the point that it is ready to bring it home.
"With this expansion, we're bringing that technology back to our location," Faye said. "We've just put up a stand-alone building to produce biodiesel here in Foam Lake rather than transporting the extracted oil to Saskatoon and bringing back the fuel."
The expansion will also include a quality control lab and new research and development facilities.
Once the construction is complete, Milligan Bio-Tech will have an overall production capacity of 15 million litres per year. The company's workforce will also grow by an estimated nine jobs, bringing the total employed at the plant to around 25.
As a company committed to Saskatchewan, Faye says working to revitalize the rural economy is important to Milligan Bio-Tech. "For a community like Foam Lake that has about 1,350 people, an extra 25 jobs is a substantial boost to the economy," he noted. "There are also a lot of businesses in the area that benefit from serving our needs on an ongoing basis, from meals and trucking to welding, plumbing and so forth."
Faye says Milligan Bio-Tech owes much of its success to Saskatchewan producers, who have always stood faithfully by the company. "We're very grateful for the support we've received from producers in this province. They've given us nothing but encouragement throughout these many years of developing a technology and trying to get our feet on the ground as a small company venturing into business markets and commercialization," he stated.
"It's their support that has really enabled us to get to this stage."
For more information, contact:
Zenneth Faye, Executive Manager
Milligan Bio-Tech
Phone: (306) 272-6284
With a $2.5 million expansion nearing completion, Milligan Bio-Tech is taking another giant step in its remarkable growth.
The Foam Lake company is currently the only processor in North America making biodiesel from 100 per cent canola oil.
"Biodiesel can be made from any animal fat or vegetable oil, including rendered grease, yellow grease and waste restaurant grease, or traditional oilseed crops like canola, flax and sunflower," said Milligan Bio-Tech Executive Manager Zenneth Faye. "We use canola as our feedstock, and have developed exclusive processing technology to produce a very high quality biodiesel."
Faye says processors traditionally use a solvent extraction process that is very expensive for small-scale operations to implement. Working with Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (AAFC), Milligan Bio-Tech developed technology for extracting oil out of oilseeds based on a "cold crushing" method.
"What this does is enable the efficient extraction of oil from oilseeds, particularly canola, which our company uses to produce biodiesel and other related co-products like diesel fuel conditioner, penetrating oil and road dust suppressant," he stated.
Milligan Bio-Tech currently uses canola that is not suitable for food use, such as crop that may have been contaminated, distressed, heat-damaged, frozen or improperly stored. "It gives Saskatchewan producers another opportunity for a product that can't fit into the food market," Faye noted.
On top of the environmental advantage typically found with biofuels, the company's biodiesel has also demonstrated proven performance benefits. It has a higher oxygen content than regular diesel fuel, resulting in it burning cleaner and reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Studies, such as the Saskatoon BioBus Project, have also shown it to increase lubricity, reduce engine wear and improve fuel economy in diesel motors.
Buyers seem to agree on the product's high quality. Faye says the company's sales have nearly doubled every year since production began in 2001. Milligan Bio-Tech's expansion is aimed at increasing production to meet this growing demand, as well as enhancing the scope of the current operation.
While the Foam Lake facility houses its cold crushing technology, the oil extracted through the process is presently transported to the Bio Processing Centre at the University of Saskatchewan, where it is refined into biodiesel, and where the technology the company developed with AAFC is studied and fine-tuned.
The company now believes this technology has been perfected to the point that it is ready to bring it home.
"With this expansion, we're bringing that technology back to our location," Faye said. "We've just put up a stand-alone building to produce biodiesel here in Foam Lake rather than transporting the extracted oil to Saskatoon and bringing back the fuel."
The expansion will also include a quality control lab and new research and development facilities.
Once the construction is complete, Milligan Bio-Tech will have an overall production capacity of 15 million litres per year. The company's workforce will also grow by an estimated nine jobs, bringing the total employed at the plant to around 25.
As a company committed to Saskatchewan, Faye says working to revitalize the rural economy is important to Milligan Bio-Tech. "For a community like Foam Lake that has about 1,350 people, an extra 25 jobs is a substantial boost to the economy," he noted. "There are also a lot of businesses in the area that benefit from serving our needs on an ongoing basis, from meals and trucking to welding, plumbing and so forth."
Faye says Milligan Bio-Tech owes much of its success to Saskatchewan producers, who have always stood faithfully by the company. "We're very grateful for the support we've received from producers in this province. They've given us nothing but encouragement throughout these many years of developing a technology and trying to get our feet on the ground as a small company venturing into business markets and commercialization," he stated.
"It's their support that has really enabled us to get to this stage."
For more information, contact:
Zenneth Faye, Executive Manager
Milligan Bio-Tech
Phone: (306) 272-6284
With a $2.5 million expansion nearing completion, Milligan Bio-Tech is taking another giant step in its remarkable growth.
The Foam Lake company is currently the only processor in North America making biodiesel from 100 per cent canola oil.
"Biodiesel can be made from any animal fat or vegetable oil, including rendered grease, yellow grease and waste restaurant grease, or traditional oilseed crops like canola, flax and sunflower," said Milligan Bio-Tech Executive Manager Zenneth Faye. "We use canola as our feedstock, and have developed exclusive processing technology to produce a very high quality biodiesel."
Faye says processors traditionally use a solvent extraction process that is very expensive for small-scale operations to implement. Working with Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (AAFC), Milligan Bio-Tech developed technology for extracting oil out of oilseeds based on a "cold crushing" method.
"What this does is enable the efficient extraction of oil from oilseeds, particularly canola, which our company uses to produce biodiesel and other related co-products like diesel fuel conditioner, penetrating oil and road dust suppressant," he stated.
Milligan Bio-Tech currently uses canola that is not suitable for food use, such as crop that may have been contaminated, distressed, heat-damaged, frozen or improperly stored. "It gives Saskatchewan producers another opportunity for a product that can't fit into the food market," Faye noted.
On top of the environmental advantage typically found with biofuels, the company's biodiesel has also demonstrated proven performance benefits. It has a higher oxygen content than regular diesel fuel, resulting in it burning cleaner and reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Studies, such as the Saskatoon BioBus Project, have also shown it to increase lubricity, reduce engine wear and improve fuel economy in diesel motors.
Buyers seem to agree on the product's high quality. Faye says the company's sales have nearly doubled every year since production began in 2001. Milligan Bio-Tech's expansion is aimed at increasing production to meet this growing demand, as well as enhancing the scope of the current operation.
While the Foam Lake facility houses its cold crushing technology, the oil extracted through the process is presently transported to the Bio Processing Centre at the University of Saskatchewan, where it is refined into biodiesel, and where the technology the company developed with AAFC is studied and fine-tuned.
The company now believes this technology has been perfected to the point that it is ready to bring it home.
"With this expansion, we're bringing that technology back to our location," Faye said. "We've just put up a stand-alone building to produce biodiesel here in Foam Lake rather than transporting the extracted oil to Saskatoon and bringing back the fuel."
The expansion will also include a quality control lab and new research and development facilities.
Once the construction is complete, Milligan Bio-Tech will have an overall production capacity of 15 million litres per year. The company's workforce will also grow by an estimated nine jobs, bringing the total employed at the plant to around 25.
As a company committed to Saskatchewan, Faye says working to revitalize the rural economy is important to Milligan Bio-Tech. "For a community like Foam Lake that has about 1,350 people, an extra 25 jobs is a substantial boost to the economy," he noted. "There are also a lot of businesses in the area that benefit from serving our needs on an ongoing basis, from meals and trucking to welding, plumbing and so forth."
Faye says Milligan Bio-Tech owes much of its success to Saskatchewan producers, who have always stood faithfully by the company. "We're very grateful for the support we've received from producers in this province. They've given us nothing but encouragement throughout these many years of developing a technology and trying to get our feet on the ground as a small company venturing into business markets and commercialization," he stated.
"It's their support that has really enabled us to get to this stage."
For more information, contact:
Zenneth Faye, Executive Manager
Milligan Bio-Tech
Phone: (306) 272-6284
With a $2.5 million expansion nearing completion, Milligan Bio-Tech is taking another giant step in its remarkable growth.
The Foam Lake company is currently the only processor in North America making biodiesel from 100 per cent canola oil.
"Biodiesel can be made from any animal fat or vegetable oil, including rendered grease, yellow grease and waste restaurant grease, or traditional oilseed crops like canola, flax and sunflower," said Milligan Bio-Tech Executive Manager Zenneth Faye. "We use canola as our feedstock, and have developed exclusive processing technology to produce a very high quality biodiesel."
Faye says processors traditionally use a solvent extraction process that is very expensive for small-scale operations to implement. Working with Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (AAFC), Milligan Bio-Tech developed technology for extracting oil out of oilseeds based on a "cold crushing" method.
"What this does is enable the efficient extraction of oil from oilseeds, particularly canola, which our company uses to produce biodiesel and other related co-products like diesel fuel conditioner, penetrating oil and road dust suppressant," he stated.
Milligan Bio-Tech currently uses canola that is not suitable for food use, such as crop that may have been contaminated, distressed, heat-damaged, frozen or improperly stored. "It gives Saskatchewan producers another opportunity for a product that can't fit into the food market," Faye noted.
On top of the environmental advantage typically found with biofuels, the company's biodiesel has also demonstrated proven performance benefits. It has a higher oxygen content than regular diesel fuel, resulting in it burning cleaner and reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Studies, such as the Saskatoon BioBus Project, have also shown it to increase lubricity, reduce engine wear and improve fuel economy in diesel motors.
Buyers seem to agree on the product's high quality. Faye says the company's sales have nearly doubled every year since production began in 2001. Milligan Bio-Tech's expansion is aimed at increasing production to meet this growing demand, as well as enhancing the scope of the current operation.
While the Foam Lake facility houses its cold crushing technology, the oil extracted through the process is presently transported to the Bio Processing Centre at the University of Saskatchewan, where it is refined into biodiesel, and where the technology the company developed with AAFC is studied and fine-tuned.
The company now believes this technology has been perfected to the point that it is ready to bring it home.
"With this expansion, we're bringing that technology back to our location," Faye said. "We've just put up a stand-alone building to produce biodiesel here in Foam Lake rather than transporting the extracted oil to Saskatoon and bringing back the fuel."
The expansion will also include a quality control lab and new research and development facilities.
Once the construction is complete, Milligan Bio-Tech will have an overall production capacity of 15 million litres per year. The company's workforce will also grow by an estimated nine jobs, bringing the total employed at the plant to around 25.
As a company committed to Saskatchewan, Faye says working to revitalize the rural economy is important to Milligan Bio-Tech. "For a community like Foam Lake that has about 1,350 people, an extra 25 jobs is a substantial boost to the economy," he noted. "There are also a lot of businesses in the area that benefit from serving our needs on an ongoing basis, from meals and trucking to welding, plumbing and so forth."
Faye says Milligan Bio-Tech owes much of its success to Saskatchewan producers, who have always stood faithfully by the company. "We're very grateful for the support we've received from producers in this province. They've given us nothing but encouragement throughout these many years of developing a technology and trying to get our feet on the ground as a small company venturing into business markets and commercialization," he stated.
"It's their support that has really enabled us to get to this stage."
For more information, contact:
Zenneth Faye, Executive Manager
Milligan Bio-Tech
Phone: (306) 272-6284
