Turning Waste into Business – Char Technologies

Have you ever heard of the expression ‘sleeves off the vest? ‘This term is used to describe a company who uses waste from one product to create a totally new product. A more common phrase is: One man’s trash is another man’s treasure.

With over 7 billion people living on the planet companies have turned to alternative sources to fill the growing demand for energy. One form is renewable-natural gas which is developed by using the methane gas commonly found in landfill waste. Though there are a number of companies who provide renewable-natural gas, progress in the industry has been slow due to a dangerous chemical called hydrogen sulfide (H₂S) that is found in methane gas. Because this chemical is highly poisonous and corrosive – the removal of this chemical has been a problem for renewable gas companies.

That’s until Andrew White came up with a solution to the problem. While obtaining his Masters in Chemical Engineering at the University of Toronto he toured a renewable energy plant. “I was astonished to see how much waste was created from producing renewable natural gas,” he said. “After seeing that, I wanted to turn the waste it into something these companies could use.”

That’s when Char Technologies was born. Andrew’s solution was to create a re-useable filter that would remove the H₂S from methane gas. Similar to a Brita water filter, the product works by removing the chemical from the waste so it can easily be converted into clean energy. Perhaps the most intriguing part of the business is that it has no waste. Once a filter is full, Char Technologies will collect the used filters and re-purpose the materials for other uses.

For this innovation, Andrew won $25,000 in the Ivey Business Plan Competition earlier this year. He is now seeking a second round of funding to develop a prototype of the product. For more information please contact Andrew White directly at Andrew.white@chartechnologies.com

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To get our economy growing we need to give back. If you’ve had some success building your own small business this is how you can help:

1. Start by mentoring a few start-ups
2. Teach a small business course at your local college, school or business support centre
3. Use social media(Blog, Facebook, Twitter & LinkedIn) to share your knowledge and experience
4. Write a book or ebook on what it takes to build a successful small business
5. Encourage, motivate and inspire people to take their ideas and turn them into a viable business

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I have recently been looking for a list of Canadian blogs for small business. We need more Canadian bloggers. Here are some I found:

sbinfocanada.about.com

Written by Susan Ward it’s a great guide to running your own business

www.atlanticcanadabusinessblog.com

They say they’re helping Atlantic Canada’s businesses execute their BHAG. Well designed blog with some great resources

blog.smallbusinessblog.ca

A brand new blog written by Stuart Crawford a technology entrepreneur from Calgary

www.myretailer.ca

A great resource for retailers. Written by Andrew Buyting an entrepreneur

www.startupnorth.ca

A great source of information about tech startups in Canada

www.startupottawa.com

Blogs regularly about tech startups and events

blog.marsdd.com

According to their website MaRS connects the communities of science, business and capital and fosters collaboration among them

www.startupcfo.ca

Information, advice,events for startups. Main focus tech

canentrepreneur.blogspot.com

Written by Rick Spence a writer, speaker, consultant that focuses on entrepreneurs

www.trudyvanbuskirk.typepad.com

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