50,000 tonnes a year of homegrown Alberta crops will help drive Canada’s clean energy future.

AFD Petroleum is proud to announce a groundbreaking partnership with New York’s Grimes CarbonTech to launch a first-of-its-kind clean hydrogen pilot project in Edmonton using Alberta crops as feedstock.

Turning Alberta Crops into Clean Energy

Grimes CarbonTech’s proprietary hydrogen production technology uses ethanol as means to produce hydrogen on-site, and on-demand, for a variety of applications, including electricity production, industrial uses, and fuel cell electric and hydrogen vehicles.

Unlike most hydrogen produced today—which relies on fossil fuels and electricity—this innovative technology uses a low-temperature electrochemical reaction that requires very little energy input to create hydrogen.

How the Technology Works

The process, developed by Grimes CarbonTech, involves a unique chemical reaction called Caustic Aqueous-Phase Electrochemical Reforming (CAPER). Ethanol and water mixed with a special electrolyte are broken down electrochemically at low temperatures, producing pure hydrogen fuel and a recyclable food-grade carbon dioxide stream. The system is self-sustaining, uses minimal electricity, and produces no harmful nitrogen or sulfur oxides.

“We are excited to partner with AFD Petroleum to bring our green hydrogen technology to the Canadian market. Together, we’re solving the key challenges that have slowed hydrogen adoption, making it safer, more affordable, and ready to meet the growing demand for clean energy.”

Joseph Maceda, President, Grimes CarbonTech

The pilot project at AFD’s Edmonton head office will feature a fuelling station producing 250kg of hydrogen daily. AFD will handle bulk ethanol delivery and storage for hydrogen production while investing in commercial fuel cell batteries, and hydrogen-powered trucks to test power generation, hydrogen offtake, performance, efficiency, and emissions.

If successful, this project will enable the deployment of multiple hydrogen and EV charging stations across the province, expand AFD’s current product offering at its 24 unmanned gas and diesel stations in Western Canada, and position the company as a leader in the transportation industry’s transition to clean energy. In addition, it will create opportunities to provide reliable off-grid power generation solutions for remote camps, data centres, and other industrial uses-cases, further diversifying AFD’s clean energy offering.

“Our partnership with Grimes CarbonTech demonstrates how industry can lead the clean energy transition, by developing practical, scalable solutions that meet real-world needs. At AFD, we believe the best path to a sustainable future is one driven by innovation within the energy sector itself—creating technologies that not only reduce emissions but also make economic and environmental sense for everyone.

Dale Reimer, President, AFD Petroleum

At scale, the standard hydrogen fuelling station will produce 1,250 kg of hydrogen daily and consume up to 50,000 tons of Alberta-grown crops annually, creating a new market for farmers. The integration of agriculture and clean energy will help diversify Alberta’s economy and lay the foundation for a new Agri-H2 industry in the province.

“This initiative is a win-win for both clean energy and agriculture. By using locally grown crops and biomass to produce ethanol, it is creating a sustainable supply chain that supports farmers while delivering scalable, low-cost, green hydrogen.”

RJ Sigurdson, Minister of Agriculture and Irrigation

Key Benefits of the Pilot Project

• Hydrogen can be produced for about $4-7 per kilogram, on par with the price of diesel, versus $35 per kilogram at typical stations.
• Meets growing provincial demand for clean, off-grid energy.
• Provides farmers with a new, stable market for crops and biomass.
• Creates new opportunities in agriculture, engineering, manufacturing, and fuel distribution.

Quick Facts:

• Globally, the demand for hydrogen has reached 70 million metric tons (MMT), but 95% of this is currently produced using outdated, carbon-intensive methods that emit 830 million tons of CO2 annually.
• Grimes CarbonTech’s technology offers a cleaner, greener alternative by using ethanol, a low-cost and widely available fuel, to produce hydrogen with minimal environmental impact.
• With zero NOx and zero SOx, the only emissions are CO2 borne from the ethanol itself. The process can recycle and purify the CO2, resulting in zero net emissions.
• Each hydrogen station requires up to 50,000 tons of Alberta-grown crops and biomass annually, creating stable demand for local farmers.

Video Resources:

AFD H2: A New Hydrogen Economy

About AFD Petroleum

Established in 1989, AFD Petroleum is a leading independent supplier of fuel, lubricants and storage tanks across Western Canada, and Alaska.

About Grimes Carbon Tech

Founded in 2022, Grimes CarbonTech builds on decades of research by Dr. Patrick Grimes and Joseph Maceda to turn carbon and low-grade heat into clean energy. With proprietary technology based on Dr. Grimes’ pioneering work in fuel synthesis, Grimes CarbonTech is pioneering scalable, and affordable green hydrogen solutions that works without reliance on centralized grids, helping meet growing demand for clean, accessible energy worldwide.

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