Pyrowave receives $7M grant from Quebec government

Pyrowave, a plastics recycler based in Montreal, has received $7 million in financial support through Quebec’s ESSOR Program, administered by Investissement Québec. The support will help Pyrowave expand its pilot plant and its Centre of Excellence in Microwave Technologies in Salaberry-de-Valleyfield, Quebec, hiring staff and developing its patented technologies.

“We are proud that the government recognizes and supports the new generation of companies at the source of green growth in Quebec, specifically in the circular economy of plastics, a global issue that provides international growth opportunities,” says Jocelyn Doucet, CEO of Pyrowave. “Through talents, technological know-how and geographic positioning, Quebec is a strategic location to support our growth and development.”

According to a news release from Pyrowave, the purpose of the ESSOR program is to accelerate the growth of Quebec companies in a circular economy. The company attributes the program’s investment to a series of projects it recently announced, such as a joint development agreement with Michelin, Clermont Ferrand, France. 

The company says the loan will support a team of researchers in addition to attracting and retaining employees. As part of this financing, Pyrowave also will repatriate its head office to Quebec to consolidate its operations.

“In the context of economic recovery and the fight against climate change, businesses must innovate and focus on the circular economy to be competitive,” says Pierre Fitzgibbon, minister of the economy and innovation for the National Assembly of Quebec. “The recycling technology of certain plastics developed by Pyrowave has a tremendous potential to reduce Quebec’s environmental footprint and promote our know-how internationally.”

Pyrowave says its technology platform uses microwaves to manufacture chemicals efficiently and with a lower carbon release than traditional processes because it uses electricity. This reduces the environmental impact of products and reduces the waste generated by traditional processes.

By continuing its development within its Microwave Technology Centre of Excellence, Pyrowave says its technology can become a platform for the next generation of sustainable processes through a portfolio of patents, contributing to a lower carbon manufacturing industry.