By Tyler Kula, from www.theobserver.ca The Observer
The federal government announced $170,000 for Sarnia company Entropex Friday, to be used for a machine that removes odour from plastic before its recycled.
A government donation is helping a Sarnia company get the stink out of some of its recycled plastic.
Sarnia-Lambton MP Pat Davidson presented Entropex Friday with $170,000 to go towards a $500,000 odour removal reactor at its Lougar Avenue site where blue box plastics are turned into useable products.
The money is going towards design, start-up operation, data collection and data analysis costs. It’s expected to be up and running by October, 2013.
Smell is caused from residual detergent and other products, said Kevin Bechard, vice president of development.
About 15% of the 105 million pounds of plastic that Entropex recycles annually will go through the reactor, he said.
“We’re moving our plastic into more of an upscale market,” he said “It will typically be used in consumer product applications.”
Car parts are one example, he said. The remaining plastic produced will continue to be used for construction or marketing purposes.
Expanding into different markets may mean growth at the plant, Bechard said.
The company’s created 70 new jobs since 2009 with the help of millions of dollars in federal funding.
Entropex’s work has helped expand blue box collection programs to include all seven plastic resin forms, Bechard said.
Davidson made Friday’s presentation on behalf of Gary Goodyear, Minister of State (Science and Technology).
“Entropex actually is the perfect example of what our government is trying to achieve through it’s innovation agenda,” she said.
The investment was made through the National Research Council Canada’s Industrial Research Assistance Program (NRC-IRAP).
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