Experimental and Numerical Investigations of a Rice Husk Pyrolysis Reactor

A rice husk pyrolysis reactor producing syngas and char was developed by GreenGenTech Energy Inc. (Ottawa, ON) and is currently being built and commercialized in China by a partner company called Ruizhantai. The reactor is fully functional and some sites have been running continuously for two years, although requiring skillful operation during start-up or when agglomeration of husk occurs. Aiming at optimized and more automatically controlled operations, GreenGenTech Energy Inc.

Incorporation of biosolids from municipal wastewater processing facilities into Lipid-to-Hydrocarbon (L TH) methodologies for production of biofuels

Biosolids, the materials produced during treatment of sewage sludge, are produced in extremely large amounts each day in every town and city across the globe. This material contains significant amounts of bacteria, viruses, and parasites that can be detrimental to human heath and must be carefully disposed. Added to this, there are currently few uses for biosolids even after sterilization. Municipalities around the world, including our partners with The City of Edmonton, are eagerly looking for novel and innovative technologies that will consume biosolids.

Monitoring System for Predictive Energy Management and Maintenance of PV Systems

Existing techniques rely on conventional techniques, which are insufficient and do not ensure increased and optimal utilization of freely available PV energy. We propose predictive energy management and preventive maintenance through monitoring system for PV systems, taking futuristic PV potential and weather forecasts into account in association with the operational parameters of the PV system. This system will optimize operations of off, on, and mix grid operations with higher proportions of PV energy.

Enzyme-aided Hydrogen Peroxide Bleaching of Mechanical Pulp

Irving Paper Ltd. is one of the leading manufacturers in the world in making value-added specialty paper (SC) from mechanical pulp which is conventionally used for newsprint. SC paper requires not only more refining (energy) in fibre preparation but also higher brightness of the produced pulp, which adds more to the pulp production costs. Dr. U's group at the University of New Brunswick has been collaborating with Irving on improving refining energy efficiency through applying biotechnologies (enzymes) in the mechanical refining process.

Development of Efficient Electrodes for an Electrosynthesis Process

The proposed project focuses on the research & development of efficient electrode materials for use in an electrochemical process that produces high-value chemicals for use in a variety of industrial applications. As an electrochemical process, significant portions of the production costs are attributable to electrical power consumption; therefore, improvements in energetic efficiency would result in appreciable reductions in production costs.

Development of a Novel Twin-screw Extruder for Resource Recovery and Renewable Energy Production from Lignocellulose Biomass and Industrial Organic Wastes

This project focuses on the conversion of renewable resources to fuels, and thereby trains and educates highly qualified and globally aware personnel. The research involves demo-scale testing and optimization at GreenField Ethanol, laboratory experimentation, simulation and modeling, and overall economic process evaluation. The experimental work will be complemented by numerical and analytical modeling.

A systems level optimization of the solar battery in a solar energy system

SunVault Energy Incorporated, a Kelowna, British Columbia based energy technology company, aims to become a significant player within the emerging Canadian solar industry. They have devised a technology, the solar battery, which integrates the energy storage and energy generation capabilities of a stand-alone solar energy system. They view this as potentially a means of lowering costs, increasing efficiencies, and reducing losses.

Statistical advancements in the analysis of migratory movements using a novel broad-scale automated radio-telemetry array.

Partnerships among researchers and corporations are continually pushing the advancement of animal tracking technology, allowing smaller animals to be tracked for longer periods, over greater spatial scales, and at finer scale spatial resolutions. Yet the statistical analyses of these data is lagging behind. Using a novel, state-of-the-art network of 57 automated telemetry arrays distributed across southern Ontario, we will develop statistical methodologies to quantify the migratory movements of birds.

Swiss-Roll Mixed Reactant Fuel Cell Chemistries

The project proposes to explore a series of alkaline chemistries in a novel Swiss-roll mixed reactant fuel cell (MRFC).The Swiss-roll MRFC is a recently developed fuel cell architecture which promises to significantly reduce the complexity and cost of scaling up fuel cell systems to commercially viable power supplies. The Swiss-roll MRFC concept has been proved with borohydride fuel, but as the borohydride system is limited in terms of commercial application, it is necessary to explore other fuels.

Uncovering Sources of Plastics Waste in the Maritimes to Support Innovative Recycling Technologies

The project aims to collect and synthesize information pertaining to low-grade plastics waste streams in Atlantic Canada. The project will focus on type, quantity, quality, location, and current management practices of the plastics waste streams identified. Information will be gathered primarily from farmers, waste management groups, and key government informants in Nova Scotia. The intern will provide research support in all aspects of plastics waste streams as needed by Nova ReNew.

Pages