The Mitacs Entrepreneur Awards and the Mitacs Awards celebrate inspiring entrepreneurs and innovators who are galvanizing cutting-edge research across Canada.
Discover the people, the ideas, the projects, and the partnerships that are making news, and creating meaningful impact across the Canadian innovation ecosystem.
Science and Technology Research News: New Technique for Studying Rusting of Steel Benefits Mining Industry
June 11, 2019
|
Reading Time
At the Canadian Light Source (CLS) synchrotron, a national research facility of USask, Situm has been studying how the protective coatings of rebars—the steel reinforcing bars used to strengthen concrete —withstand rusting (corrosion). He did his research with the potash mining industry especially in mind.
Salt from potash mining seeps through the porous concrete and may cause rebar to rust faster, which could require more frequent replacements. The world’s largest reserves of potash, mainly used for crop fertilizer, are in Saskatchewan and the industry is integral to the provincial economy, making up nearly 30 per cent of the mineral’s worldwide production in 2017.
“Concrete usually holds up pretty well even when the rebar is somewhat rusted, but the method I developed helps you determine at which point the protective coatings of the rebars fail, so that researchers can develop better coatings,” said Situm.
Unlike other methods used to study corrosion, Situm’s new synchrotron technique, which stems from a combination of X-rays, a microscope and the CLS particle accelerator, shows how effective the coatings are without removing them from the rebars. Normally, coating removal damages samples by making them unusable for future testing and may interfere with the corrosion of the coating itself.
The project is funded by: the federal agency NSERC; the International Minerals Innovation Institute (IMII); potash companies Nutrien, BHP and Mosaic; and Mitacs, a national not-for-profit organization that fosters growth and innovation for business and academia in Canada.
Award Ceremony to Take Place November 22 Ottawa, ON — A breakthrough treatment for prostate cancer, an AI system that better detects heart disease, a revolutionary technology to clean up dangerous toxins, and a first-of-its-kind app to improve the lives of people with disabilities, are just some of the groundbreaking Canadian innovations that are being […]
By Angie Seth Sara Child is a professor in Indigenous Education at North Island College and is leading the research effort to recover Kwak’wala with her organization Sanyakola Foundation. Establish in 2017, the not-for-profit is currently focusing on Indigenous language revitalization in consultation with Kwakwaka’wakw elders. The project is one of dozens of Canadian research projects highlighted in a […]
NURA Medical’s breakthrough smart arm bracelet technology is changing the way in which emergency room clinicians work with children. As a part of Their World, Our Future, an Innovation Trends video series by Mitacs, NURA Medical’s invention aids the administration of life-saving medicine to kids, all while increasing efficiency and efficacy. Read more…