Turning Sawdust into Gold: The Science Behind Bliss Bioproducts

During her PhD, Dalhousie University student and Bliss Bioproducts CEO Roksana Saleh optimized a growing medium that more than tripled plant yields compared with regular planting soil.

Originally from Iran, Saleh earned a PhD in physiology before completing her second PhD in Agricultural Sciences at Dalhousie University in Halifax, Nova Scotia.

During her time working towards her second PhD, Saleh began developing different mixed growing medium.

“I considered the effect on physicochemical characteristics of the soil, and also to see how it affects plant performance, specifically how it increases yields and also helps promote compounds in plants,” says Saleh.

This research led to a paper on the topic of how pre-harvest factors, like growing media, and LED lights affect the accumulation of certain phytochemical compounds.

INTRODUCTION TO THERMALLY TREATED SAWDUST

After completing this research paper, Saleh became more focused on specific mixed growing medium, leading her towards thermally treated sawdust.

“I combined that in different proportions and formulations and found that it improved the yield of plants over 240 percent compared to regular planting soil and increased the quality by 52 percent in terms of protein, antioxidants, phenolics, and carotenoids.”

Saleh’s academic advisor and Associate Professor at Dalhousie University, Dr. Lord Abbey, had previously worked with sawdust, yielding negative results, due to the presence of large molecules like lignin which are harmful to plants.

Research at Dalhousie University discovered that thermally treated sawdust is much more suitable for growing media than untreated sawdust. The research showed that thermal treatment sterilizes the material and reduces phytotoxic compounds.

“The idea was how can we turn something that’s considered waste into something like gold?”

THE FEASIBILITY OF COMMERCIALIZATION

Saleh always knew she wanted to do more than write and publish research papers. Her passion lay in bringing her innovative ideas into the commercial market.

To do this she needed a collaborative partner to supply the thermally treated sawdust. This is when she introduced herself to ThermalWood Canada CEO, Bob Lennon.

“I said Bob, I need thermally treated sawdust for my business, because right now I have a postdoctoral fellowship with the objective of considering the feasibility of commercialization of this product.”

This meant not only bringing the product to market but also collecting customer feedback and, if the response was positive, following up with a multinational scale-up plan.

Bags of Bliss BioRoot Growing Medium are now being sold at Sobeys Panavista Garden Centre in Dartmouth, Nova Scotia where Saleh personally offers her time to serve customers and gain feedback from each purchase.

Bliss BioRoot Growing Medium is designed for virtually all types of plants and can be used both as a potting mix and for garden beds. With the addition of a small amount of natural soil enhancer, it can remain effective for up to three years, reducing maintenance and input costs.

For three years Saleh ran garden centres with positive results, so when it came time to introduce a new product, she had already built relationships and trust, resulting in a smooth transition from research to commercialization.

“Once the product came in it was easier to convince them since they already had such a strong trust bond with me.”

The final pilot market test sold 633 bags in 29 days before the garden center season ended on July 4th.

“Even after it ended I continue to receive inquiries and orders from customers. The customer response has been great,” says Saleh.

Many customers reported excellent results within three weeks, returned to purchase additional bags, and recommended the product to friends and family. Saleh says that a growing number of customers came to the store because of word-of-mouth recommendations.

TAKING BLISS BIOPRODUCTS GLOBAL

In March of 2026, Saleh was awarded the Global Research Award, which is an international mobility program that provides funding for undergraduate students, graduate students and postdoctoral fellows to conduct collaborative research projects in Canada and abroad.

The University of Teramo and the University of Naples Federico II will host Saleh from August through October as she begins adapting the growing medium for crops cultivated in Italy.

This required more thermally treated sawdust from ThermalWood Canada.

“I said to Bob, I’d love to do something globally as well. So if you support me in such a big way, we’re going to go global and start a collaboration. It’s a win-win situation.”

A MEETING WITH THE NATIONAL RESEARCH COUNCIL

If all of these accolades weren’t impressive enough, Saleh recently had a meeting with the National Research Council, which is the largest federal research and development organization in Canada.

They told her that according to many different business advisors, bringing a product to market with a strong dedicated team with a strong background takes a minimum of 5 years.

In addition to support from the NRC IRAP, Saleh was recently approved through Natural Products Canada and the Nova Scotia Loyal Program.

“These programs are helping support the next stage of commercialization and expand opportunities with distributors, retailers and other industry partners.”

Saleh brought her product to market single-handedly in less than three years.

“I had no team, I had no backup plan. I did this by myself.”