Parker: Calgary's Cvictus sourcing coal for sustainable livestock feed
Calgary-based Cvictus, a clean energy and biotech startup, is poised to transform the way the world's livestock is fed by providing a low-cost, low-carbon, sustainable alternative to fish or soybean meal — and it's doing it by tapping into an abundant resource: coal.
Article content
No, it's not digging it up. Cvictus is revitalizing a pioneering method of extracting beneficial gases to produce feedstocks such as methanol, from coal found deep within the earth's surface without mining.
Article content
Article content
'We have giant dreams and expectations for where this technology will go, but as a startup we can't feasibly employ the resources required to scale,' says Katrina Stewart, Cvictus director, biotechnology and carbon reduction. 'Academic researchers provide the innovation, expertise and drive we need to help move the needle forward on this exciting technology.'
Article content
Brought up in Calgary, Stewart earned her chemical engineering degree at Queen's University in Kingston, Ont., before expanding her sciences understanding by spending a year in Edinburgh, Scotland, where she enjoyed studying for her Masters in Brewing and Distilling.
Article content
Article content
Back home in Calgary she is converting that same drive in working with Mitacs-supported researchers to help Cvictus advance two separate, yet integrated projects.
Article content
On the clean energy side, they're contributing to commercialization of the company's large-scale hydrogen recovery platform at a cutting-edge facility near Red Deer. Hydrogen is produced from deep within a coal seam using patented technology that successfully sequesters carbon at the same time.
Article content
On the biotech side, Cvictus is tapping into cutting edge expertise at University of Alberta's Biorefining Conversions and Fermentation Laboratory under the supervision of professor David Bressler, and in consultation with experts who worked on the original technology.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Winnipeg Free Press
36 minutes ago
- Winnipeg Free Press
Allianz Life confirms data breach affecting majority of 1.4M US customers
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Hackers gained access to personal data on the majority of the 1.4 million customers of Allianz Life Insurance Company of North America, the company confirmed Saturday. Minneapolis-based Allianz Life, a subsidiary of Munich, Germany-based Allianz SE, said the data breach happened on July 16 when a 'malicious threat actor' gained access to a third-party, cloud-based system used by the company. 'The threat actor was able to obtain personally identifiable data related to the majority of Allianz Life's customers, financial professionals, and select Allianz Life employees, using a social engineering technique,' Allianz Life said in a statement. 'We took immediate action to contain and mitigate the issue and notified the FBI.' The company said its own systems were not accessed, just the third-party's platform. Allianz Life said its investigation is ongoing and that the company has begun reaching out to the impacted individuals. It said the incident involves only Allianz Life in the U.S., not other Allianz corporate entities. In the case of data breaches, a 'social engineering technique' usually involves using trickery to gain access. Spokesman Brett Weinberg said he couldn't provide details because they are still investigating. Allianz Life also reported the breach to multiple other authorities, including the Maine Attorney General's Office. A filing on the agency's website said the company discovered the breach the day after it happened, and that it will be offering those affected 24 months of identity theft protection and credit monitoring. Allianz Life was known as North American Life and Casualty until it was acquired by German conglomerate Allianz SE in 1979 and changed its name to Allianz Life Insurance Company of North America. It has nearly 2,000 employees in U.S., with the majority working in Minnesota, according to its website. It is one of five North American subsidiaries of the Munich-based global financial services group Allianz SE, which says it serves more than 125 million customers worldwide.
Vancouver Sun
2 hours ago
- Vancouver Sun
Tea app promising safe dating for women hacked, putting users' privacy at risk
Tea, a provocative dating app designed to let women anonymously ask or warn each other about men they'd encountered, rocketed to the top spot on the U.S. Apple App Store this week. On Friday, the company behind the app confirmed it had been hacked: Thousands of images, including selfies, were leaked online. 'We have engaged third-party cybersecurity experts and are working around the clock to secure our systems,' San Francisco-based Tea Dating Advice Inc. said in a statement. The app and the breach highlight the fraught nature of seeking romance in the age of social media. Start your day with a roundup of B.C.-focused news and opinion. By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. A welcome email is on its way. If you don't see it, please check your junk folder. The next issue of Sunrise will soon be in your inbox. Please try again Interested in more newsletters? Browse here. Here's what to know: Tea was meant to help women date safely Tea founder Sean Cook, a software engineer who previously worked at Salesforce and Shutterfly, says on the app's website that he founded the company in 2022 after witnessing his own mother's 'terrifying' experiences. Cook said they included unknowingly dating men with criminal records and being 'catfished' — deceived by men using false identities. Tea markets itself as a safe way for women to anonymously vet men they might meet on dating apps such as Tinder or Bumble — ensuring that the men are who they say they are, not criminals and not already married or in a relationship. It's been compared to the Yelp of dating. In an Apple Store review, one woman wrote that she used a Tea search to investigate a man she'd begun talking to and discovered 'over 20 red flags, including serious allegations like assault and recording women without their consent.' She said she cut off communication. 'I can't imagine how things could've gone had I not known,' she wrote. A surge in social media attention over the past week pushed Tea to the No. 1 spot at the U.S. Apple Store as of July 24, according to Sensor Tower, a research firm. In the seven days from July 17-23, Tea downloads shot up 525 per cent compared to the week before. Tea said in an Instagram post that it had reached four million users. Tea has been criticized for invading men's privacy A female columnist for The Times of London newspaper, who signed into the app, on Thursday called Tea a 'man-shaming site' and complained that 'this is simply vigilante justice, entirely reliant on the scruples of anonymous women. With Tea on the scene, what man would ever dare date a woman again?' 'Over the last couple of weeks, we've gotten hundreds of calls on it. It's blown up,' attorney Minc said. 'People are upset. They're getting named. They're getting shamed.' In 1996, Congress passed legislation protecting websites and apps from liability for things posted by their users. But the users can be sued for spreading 'false and defamatory' information, Minc said. In May, however, a federal judge in Illinois threw out an invasion-of-privacy lawsuit by a man who'd been criticized by women in the Facebook chat group 'Are We Dating the Same Guy,″ Bloomberg Law reported. State privacy laws could offer another avenue for bringing legal action against someone who posted your photograph or other personal information in a harmful way, Minc said. The breach exposed thousands of selfies and photo IDs In its statement, Tea reported that about 72,000 images were leaked online, including 13,000 images of selfies or photo identification that users submitted during account verification. Another 59,000 images that were publicly viewable in the app from posts, comments and direct messages were also accessed, according to the company's statement. No email addresses or phone numbers were exposed, the company said, and the breach only affects users who signed up before February 2024. 'At this time, there is no evidence to suggest that additional user data was affected. Protecting tea users' privacy and data is our highest priority,' Tea said. It said users did not need to change their passwords or delete their accounts. 'All data has been secured.' Our website is the place for the latest breaking news, exclusive scoops, longreads and provocative commentary. Please bookmark and sign up for our daily newsletter, Posted, here .
Edmonton Journal
2 hours ago
- Edmonton Journal
Tea app promising safe dating for women hacked, putting users' privacy at risk
Tea, a provocative dating app designed to let women anonymously ask or warn each other about men they'd encountered, rocketed to the top spot on the U.S. Apple App Store this week. On Friday, the company behind the app confirmed it had been hacked: Thousands of images, including selfies, were leaked online. Article content 'We have engaged third-party cybersecurity experts and are working around the clock to secure our systems,' San Francisco-based Tea Dating Advice Inc. said in a statement. Article content Article content Article content Article content Tea founder Sean Cook, a software engineer who previously worked at Salesforce and Shutterfly, says on the app's website that he founded the company in 2022 after witnessing his own mother's 'terrifying' experiences. Cook said they included unknowingly dating men with criminal records and being 'catfished' — deceived by men using false identities. Article content Tea markets itself as a safe way for women to anonymously vet men they might meet on dating apps such as Tinder or Bumble — ensuring that the men are who they say they are, not criminals and not already married or in a relationship. It's been compared to the Yelp of dating. Article content In an Apple Store review, one woman wrote that she used a Tea search to investigate a man she'd begun talking to and discovered 'over 20 red flags, including serious allegations like assault and recording women without their consent.' She said she cut off communication. 'I can't imagine how things could've gone had I not known,' she wrote. Article content Article content Article content A surge in social media attention over the past week pushed Tea to the No. 1 spot at the U.S. Apple Store as of July 24, according to Sensor Tower, a research firm. In the seven days from July 17-23, Tea downloads shot up 525 per cent compared to the week before. Tea said in an Instagram post that it had reached four million users. Article content A female columnist for The Times of London newspaper, who signed into the app, on Thursday called Tea a 'man-shaming site' and complained that 'this is simply vigilante justice, entirely reliant on the scruples of anonymous women. With Tea on the scene, what man would ever dare date a woman again?' Article content 'Over the last couple of weeks, we've gotten hundreds of calls on it. It's blown up,' attorney Minc said. 'People are upset. They're getting named. They're getting shamed.'
