Aduro NGP pilot plant advances to Phase 2 commissioning

Aduro Clean Technologies Inc., based in London, Ontario, has provided updates on the progress of its Next Generation Process (NGP) pilot plant. Progress has been advancing on schedule, with the plant advancing from Phase 1 to Phase 2 commissioning as planned.

According to Aduro, the London plant is a step in the company’s scale-up pathway, designed to validate its Hydrochemolytic technology in continuous operation, establish operating parameters across target feedstocks and produce product samples and data for customer evaluation.

Partners of Aduro, including Zeton Inc. of Burlington, Ontario, and Siemens Canada of Oakville, Ontario, have played a role in supporting the commissioning phase. All major modules, including the extruder, Zeton-fabricated process skids and Siemens automation network, are now installed at the facility and are progressing through staged commissioning. The extruder completed Site Acceptance Testing; Zeton skids passed Factory Acceptance Testing; and Siemens is continuing work on automation system commissioning alongside physical equipment.

“The NGP pilot plant represents the first-in-kind implementation of our Hydrochemolytic technology, and seeing it move from construction into commissioning is deeply rewarding for everyone involved,” Aduro CEO Ofer Vicus says. “This milestone reflects the dedication and collaboration across our operations, research and senior leadership teams, people who have worked with relentless focus to bring us to this point.

“The data and experience gained during this process will provide critical insight into system performance, feedstock segregation, environmental footprint and continuous improvement, all of which will inform the design, fabrication and commissioning of our demonstration plant and bring us closer to commercialization. We are also grateful to our partners, Zeton and Siemens, whose expertise and collaboration have been instrumental in achieving this progress.”

In August, Aduro provided updates on the plant, noting at that time that progress was advancing on schedule. Phase 1, which began in September, focused on assembly and installation of major systems, mechanical completion and verification of utilities and communications.

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Now that the plant has moved from construction to commissioning, current activities include sequential testing, subsystem verification, wet runs and process tuning through November and into mid-December, preparing the plant for integrated operation.

Commissioning activities also include planned operator training and development of standardized operating procedures.

“The pilot plant represents a complex integration of equipment and process systems, and I am very pleased with the coordinated effort across engineering, operations and safety teams,” Aduro Chief Operating Officer David Weizenbach says. “As we progress through phase 2 commissioning, our focus remains on verifying performance, ensuring reliability and completing operator training so that we enter the next stage of operation with confidence.”