Red Leaf has established a Materials Demonstration Plant in Alberta which can produce quantities of fibre necessary for customers converting into consumer-facing products and to accomplish product trials in advance of full-scale production in Q1 2026
Paper and tissue products are a mixture of different types of pulp fibre, each giving different characteristics. Red Leaf’s alternative ag-fibre has physical characteristics that are comparable to conventional hardwood and superior to recycled fibre. Characteristics include:
Longer fibre length
Superior strength and tensile/stretch qualities
Red Leaf produces Canada’s first climate-positive alternative fibre.
Our proprietary production processes have a number of environmental advantages – significantly lower water, reagent and energy use, enhanced utilization of existing as-residual resources, novel alternative fuels, and creating a carbon positive pathway.
Durable, water-resistant ag-pellets are secondary products of the pulping process. These bioenergy pellets are a direct replacement for coal or natural gas, reducing the use of fossil fuels. Red Leaf's pellets will also include flax straw, avoiding the need for disposal or burning of this problem ag residual for farmers.
Currently, wood pellets are the most common type of pellet fuel used, globally, for the conversion of biomass sources to electricity, district heating (both) commercial/residential and cooking.
Red Leaf has assembled a first-of-a-kind, commercially proven, process that will convert straw fines and other byproducts of Red Leaf's proprietary process, into pellets. Suitable for conversion to electricity and/or district heating systems.
Replacing Saskatchewan Coal will save >400,000 metric tonnes of carbon emissions per year – Equivalent to:
38,853 Homes
78,205 Vehicles
$54,987,660 Carbon Tax Savings in 2030 at $130/mt (Federal Tax Rate)
| Fuel Type | Annual Volume Mt's | Heat Value Gj/mt | Annual Total Energy Gj's | Emmisions Rate CO2e kg/mt | Total Emissions Mt's CO2/year | CO2e Delta vs Pellets |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Red Leaf Pellets | 222,000 | 17.68 | 3,889,600 | 60 | 13,200 | |
| Boundary Dam Coal | 279,425 | 13.92 | 3,889,600 | 1561* | 436,182 | >422,982 |
Red Leaf pellets are superior to existing wood pellets and proven to be suitable for displacement of coal or natural gas in new or existing power stations.
| Tests | Unit | Method | Red Leaf | Enplus A1 | Enplus A2 | Enplus B |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Diameter | mm | ISO 17829 | 6 | 6 ± 1 or 8 ± 1 | ||
| Length | mm | ISO 17829 | ≤ 40 | < L ≤ 40 | ||
| Moisture | w-% | ISO 18134 | < 6.00 | ≤ 10 | ||
| Ash | w-% | ISO 18122 | < 5.80 | ≤ 0,7 | ≤ 1,2 | ≤ 2,0 |
| Mechanical Durability | w-% | ISO 17831-1 | ≥ 98,0 | ≥ 98,0 | ≥ 97,5 | ≥ 97,5 |
| Fines <3.15mm | w-% | ISO 18846 | < 0.5 | ≤ 1,0 | ||
| Temperature of Pellets | °C | - | - | ≤ 40 | ||
| Net Calorific Value | kWh/kg | ISO 18125 | > 4.75 | ≥ 4,6 | ||
| Bulk Density | kg/m3 | ISO 17828 | > 700 | 600 ≤ BD ≤ 750 | ||
| Additives | w-% | - | - | ≤ 2 | ||
| Nitrogen | w-% | ISO 16948 | < 0.75 | ≤ 0,3 | ≤ 0,5 | ≤ 1,0 |
| Sulfur | w-% | ISO 16994 | < 0.06 | ≤ 0,04 | ≤ 0,05 | |
| Chlorine | w-% | ISO 16994 | < 0.0367 | ≤ 0,02 | ≤ 0,03 | |
| Ash Hemisphere Temp | °C | CEN/TC 15370-1 | > 1250 | ≥ 1200 | ≥ 1100 |
Another co-product of the Red Leaf process is lignin. It is a compressed organic material, recovered by Red Leaf's patented process which is contained in all plant life and trees, commonly referred to as Nature's Glue. Red Leaf's customers are emerging with potential uses for lignin including:
Plastics Biomaterial: An alternative to plastics with many applications – lignin powder is incorporated into emulsions. A common use for these plastics include materials for the interiors of vehicles and dinnerware
Electronics and Batteries: Lignin is used in electronics and batteries. When used in the coatings of cathodes and capacitors, it facilitates higher capacitance for a quicker charge (by 20-30%), making it an important addition to electric vehicle batteries.
