The joint research's primary goal is to pursue the most optimized design and materials of new interlocking barriers to prevent coastal erosion and reduce flooding, which are growing concerns of coastal communities like Newfoundland and Labrador. The research results will support investors and industry to have access to a cost-effective and efficient barrier to protect their natural resources and cultural heritage in a sustainable way.

The waste generated from construction, renovation and demolition (CRD) activities accounts for around 27% of all waste generated in Canada. The large amount of CRD waste which could be prevented or recycled is sent to landfill without utilization, resulting in environmental problems and waste of resources. The aim of project is to provide the best management practices and policy recommendations for CRD waste management in Montreal West.

Pipelines are extremely important for the transportation of oil and gas. Buried pipelines can move in a relatively large distance under special scenarios, e.g. slope failure. Meanwhile, the surrounding soils are subjected to a large deformation. This project aims to develop a computer modeling technique to analyze the large-deformation behavior of soil and its impact on the pipeline. The result will be compared with a previous physical test so that the reliability of this new technique can be evaluated.

An Indigenous community living near Alberta’s oil-sand mines is concerned that mining operations may be harming the rivers and lakes where they fish, hunt and trap. The research looks at finding the locations along the edges of rivers and lakes where there is evidence that mining operations may be affecting these waterbodies. The unique part of the research is that Indigenous knowledge, which is the wisdom owned by the community, and Western science are being combined in complementary and respectful ways to find the affected locations along the edges of rivers and lakes.

An early-stage design analysis methodology will be investigated for evaluating preliminary building envelope design alternatives using advanced computation and analysis tools. Design alternatives will be generated based on different envelope materials, structure, insulation types and window-to-wall ratios and evaluated based on selected metrics including energy use, daylighting, life cycle analysis and life cycle costing. A master-planning project in Mississauga, Ontario, will be used as a test-bed for the methodologies explored in this research.

This project aims to develop an itinerary demand forecasting model that can handle long-term and short-term forecasting and adjust its parameters under changing situations. General long-term prediction models are relatively precise because the context often remains stationary over time, but can not quickly adapt to unforeseen events, like the global pandemics. It is necessary to develop an adaptive model with multi-horizon perspectives. The model will integrate external data sources to output a plausible range of future booking status.

The project seeks to discover the optimum design and commercialization strategy for newly developed sandwich structures derived from recycled plastic for the civil engineering sector. The sandwich structures are highly sustainable and could potentially consume large amounts of the rapidly produced plastic waste. The final sandwich product would have the potential to be used in various applications such as roof panels and exterior/interior walls of buildings.

Ultraviolet-C (UV) light is able to damage cells and organic matter to make water, air, and high touch surfaces safe for the public. UV-C lamps render microorganisms harmless by damaging their cell structure and DNA. UV-C based water treatment has safely been used for decades by water utilities around the world. Recent developments in technology and research have allowed for an even wide application to clean surfaces, air, and water using UV light.

This project aims at developing an innovative technology through the utilization of fish waste as substrates for biosurfactant production. Through the proposed approach, fish waste will be recovered into fishery peptone and being used as a nutrient substrate for the synthesis of biosurfactant products with promising market values. The outcomes of this project will directly provide the fishery industry a new model of fish waste reuse and management by "turning waste into valuable products". It will also help reduce waste discharge and protect the environment.

The COVID-19 pandemic led to an increased demand for disinfection solutions, including ultraviolet C (UVC) light technologies. UVC works by inactivating microorganisms and show a strong potential to break the chain of infection in hospitals and public settings. CleanSlate and the University of Toronto are exploring this potential by characterizing how the virus that causes COVID-19 responds to UVC, and by evaluating the efficacy of new UVC devices for decontamination of high touch and other common surfaces.