Roxul makes green improvements

The Roxul plant in Grand Forks will be making upgrades. — Erin Perkins/The Boundary Sentinal

Roxul might be an unfamiliar product to anyone who’s not in the building industry, but it’s a brand of very effective insulation produced from rock and recycled slag. Among the green properties of Roxul is the fact that the insulation can help reduce the energy costs of any home.

Despite its many green contributions, a Roxul plant in Grand Forks has had a negative effect on air quality. However, an upcoming upgrade will help reduce odour and smoke emissions. With a cost of $6 million, the regenerative thermal oxidizer will be a high-efficiency afterburner that has been custom made for the facility.

“We have selected this technology because we believe it will best address the challenges we face due to the valley location of our facility,” said Elmar Herrmann, factory manager, in a press release. “The technology is well known in other industries, such as wood processing facilities.” -The Boundary Sentinel

Roxul has also agreed to participate in land improvement in the area. Throughout the upgrades it's expected that production will continue unabated. The installation and construction will all be completed at the facility, meaning minimal inconvenience for Grand Forks. These initiatives seem in line with Roxul’s website.

We constantly strive to reduce our consumption of raw materials and conserve energy in manufacturing our products. In fact, our manufacturing facilities have comprehensive environmental management systems including advanced recycling technologies at both plants. We are also active members of several green organizations working towards sustainable development and a greener, healthier planet. -Roxul’s Environmental Policy