This article is part of a series presented in partnership with BC Tech, profiling the finalists for the 2026 Technology Impact Awards‘ Company of the Year – Startup category.
Canada produces more than 200,000 tonnes of mustard seed annually but extracting oil from those seeds leaves behind a substantial volume of solid residue with relatively few valuable uses.
Known as mustard press cake, the byproduct is commonly sold as low-grade animal feed or discarded. POINTVALUES founder and Director Elham Zabihi believes its distinctive chemistry makes it far more valuable than the market currently recognizes.
“This is an agricultural waste stream with no efficient disposal pathway, and it creates real environmental liability for processors,” Elham says.
Vancouver’s POINTVALUES is developing a process that uses pyrolysis to convert mustard press cake into two potentially marketable products: biochar and bio-oil.
Biochar can support applications such as carbon sequestration, soil remediation and water treatment, while bio-oil could provide a renewable alternative to fossil-based fuels and chemical feedstocks. By producing both from an underused agricultural byproduct, POINTVALUES aims to reduce waste while creating new revenue opportunities for processors.
Most biochar companies rely on woody biomass. POINTVALUES is instead working with press cakes containing especial other compounds that give the resulting materials distict characteristics.
Elham says the feedstock’s unique chemical composition may enable more efficient conversion under optimized processing conditions, potentially reducing the energy needed for conversion.
The company has completed a lab-scale proof of concept and tested multiple samples and operating conditions using analytical methods including FTIR, thermogravimetric analysis and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry.
Those systematic tests demonstrated consistent biochar production across different particle sizes. POINTVALUES’ scientific research team also identified several physicochemical characteristics that could make its biochar suitable for specialized applications. Its bio-oil displayed a distinct chemical profile that differentiates it from conventional bio-oils.
“These functional characteristics may allow POINTVALUES to target high-end, application-specific markets rather than compete on commodity pricing,” Elham explains.
The technology is being developed through an active Mitacs-supported research project. Beyond proving the conversion process, the company is building datasets connecting the feedstock’s composition and processing conditions with the performance of the resulting materials.
That data-driven approach could help POINTVALUES refine its process, reduce the risks associated with scaling production and identify the most promising applications for each output.
The research project represents one part of a broader company. POINTVALUES also operates a revenue-generating lab and testing equipment business supplying sensors, analytical instruments and process equipment. It provides technical consulting and contract research and development services to customers in the chemical, environmental and energy sectors.
Building trust in that equipment business has been one of Elham’s biggest challenges. Laboratory buyers often rely on established American and European suppliers with long track records, making it difficult for a new Canadian brand to establish credibility.
POINTVALUES has responded by placing its equipment in institutional settings where it can be tested through regular use. The company says its instruments are being used within materials engineering at the University of British Columbia and mechanical engineering at the University of Victoria.
“Every placement at a respected institution like UBC or UVic becomes proof, by use, that a Canadian-built instrument belongs in the same conversation as the established global names,” Elham says.
Financing the research side of the company presents a different challenge. Programs such as Mitacs require industry contributions, leaving POINTVALUES to secure matching funds while supporting the scientific work over an extended research period.
The company has continued moving its technology forward while seeking the capital and partnerships required to prevent validated research from stalling before commercialization.
Being based in British Columbia has connected POINTVALUES with researchers, institutions and programs supporting clean technology development. The province’s emphasis on carbon reduction and circular-economy solutions also provides a receptive environment for technology that converts industrial byproducts into useful materials.
POINTVALUES ultimately envisions a decentralized and scalable model through which agricultural and food-processing businesses could transform locally available waste into higher-value products.
Being named a BC Tech Startup of the Year finalist gives the young company another important signal of credibility as it pursues that goal.
Elham says the recognition demonstrates that a science-intensive venture can stand alongside more conventional technology startups. It may also strengthen discussions with prospective investors, research collaborators and commercial partners.
“This is not just a research story,” she says, “but a company positioned to translate scientific innovation into commercial impact.”
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BC Tech Finalist POINTVALUES Is Turning Mustard Waste Into Higher-Value Materials was first posted on August 10, 2026 at 5:01 am.
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