Algae business to ‘change the way the world treats wastewater’

Medical student gets Trent U support in building $20 million production facility

By Jason Bain, The Peterborough Examiner

Adam Noble admits his company has come a long way in the time since the then-Grade 11 student first met mayor Daryl Bennett and told him about his idea to use algae to remove pollutants from the city’s drinking water.

The men stood with Trent University president and vice-chancellor Leo Groarke Monday morning as Noble announced plans for a $20 million, 50,000-square-foot production facility at the new Trent Research and Innovation Park.

The announcement was made in the City Hall lobby.

Noble Tech Inc. researches, cultivates and markets unique microalgae strains and their derivatives for various market applications, from wastewater treatment to nutritional products and eventually, pharmaceuticals.

“The team at Noble Tech has an aggressive growth strategy. We’ve validated the technology. We’ve proven there is a need for our unique solutions,” Noble said. “Now we are ready to expand our capacity with a goal to become a world-leading clean tech company.”

The company intends to start construction in the spring of 2017 and become the first and “premier” tenant of the park, Noble said. It currently employs six staff with plans to add 12 positions this year with a workforce of 25 projected for the plant.

Plans for the company’s evolution has three phases, said the aspiring surgeon, who preceded Monday’s announcement by informing everyone he is taking a year off from the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland to focus on his business interests.

The first was opening the company’s 80-tonne capacity pilot production facility last summer.

The second is the expansion of its current site and continued refinement of the process to produce a capacity of 1,000 tones of algae per year, he said.

The third will be the new facility, which will have a capacity of more than 10,000 tones of algae and serve as company headquarters.

Noble, joined by business partner Dr. Andressa Lacerda, praised the many community supporters who have helped make his company a reality.

“It’s now our turn to give back by creating jobs, hiring local talent and driving our knowledge-based green economy, to create a stronger, more sustainable region,” he said.

“While we are guided by a solid business plan, we are motivated by the bigger picture. We see algae differently and we want to create a more sustainable future for generations to come. I want to change the way the world treats water, and do it from right here, in Peterborough, with Trent and the city as our partners, moving this vision forward together.”

Noble founded parent company Noble Tech Inc. while he was at Lakefield District Secondary School in September

of 2013. His research garnered international recognition, including the gold medal at the Intel Science and Engineering Fair in Pittsburgh in May 2012 and a Top 20 Under 20 award from Youth in Motion in June 2014.

MP Maryam Monsef told those gathered that “every time we need a reminder” of the importance of investing in our youth, Noble’s “story very readily comes to mind.” She said she looks forward to sharing his story in Ottawa and championing “this very important cause.”

Noble established his company and divisions, including Noble Purification and Noble Biotechnologies, at the Greater Peterborough Innovation Cluster on Trent’s Symons Campus, where he continued his algae research, supported by the university.

Noble Biotechnologies is responsible for the growth and sale of its algae for biomaterials, while Noble Purification uses the algae in its patented wastewater treatment process, the FiltraCELL System.

Last November, the university and city signed a memorandum of understanding to move forward with the creation of the 85-acre research park on Trent’s East Bank.

Groarke said the ultimate success of the research park will depend on having the right tenants and “setting the right tone.”

“I think Noble Tech is the right tenant to do that,” he told those gathered, adding how the company “builds bridges” to faculty and students.

There is much work to do but the university is keen to work out a deal, Groarke said, adding how he is glad “for the push today.”

The exact timing of construction of the plant depends on construction of servicing to the park by the city and Trent and the city finalizing the management structure for the park.

Bennett joked that Noble, who he later called “a living inspiration for all of us,” only has a year off from medical school.

“We need to embrace this enthusiasm. This announcement is very key to the development of the research park,” he said.

After the announcement, Noble told reporters he hopes to have an agreement in place between the three partners by the summer. “It’s all hands on deck.”