Since the advent of Subway operations, the task of inspecting and repairing track, signals, and related wayside infrastructure has been essential to safely move millions of people every day.  It has also been one of the most hazardous jobs in the railway industry.  Accordingly, Bombardier is considering Roadway Worker Protection to be a priority.  The […]

The main objective of this research is to develop an on-line fluidization analysis probe to be applied on a commercial fluidized bed. This project will focus on a combination of pressure differential and fiber optic reflection probes. Key objectives will be to establish a lab probe with dual fiberoptic and high frequency pressure readings.  Emphasis […]

Membrane processes are increasingly used for the production of drinking water, representing a clean and efficient technology.  The application of membrane processes is limited by the accumulation of fouling components at/near the membrane surface and constitutes membrane fouling.  Therefore, fouling monitoring and control strategies are necessary to ensure sustainable operation of membrane processes.  In collaboration […]

Pyrolysis uses high temperatures, in the absence of oxygen, to crack long and complex molecures into smaller molecules.  It has been successfully and separately applied to both (a) heavy oils, to produce lighter liquid fractions and solid coke byproduct in conventional oil refineries, and to (b) biomass, to convert solid residues into liquid bio-oils.  Pyrolytic […]

This research project is directed towards the assessment and development of technologies that will complement the UV technologies provided by Trojan Technologies for water/wastewater treatment.  A novel liquid-solid circulating fluidized bed bioreactor (CFBBR) developed at the University of Western Ontario in collaboration with Trojan Technologies has generated a wide interest for commercial application for biological […]

Solid pharmaceutical dosage forms such as tablets and beads used in capsules are currently coated by liquid coating technology, which incurs high environmental risk and high capital and operation costs. Prof. Zhu's research group has developed an ultratine powder coating technology for the auto industry. Our previous studies have shown that the same technology can […]

The project concentrates on developing a holistic approach to integrate bio-refinery with multiple feedstocks. The proposal is directed towards the use of all types of renewable raw materials except food. The project examines the possibility of retrofitting an existing petroleum refinery and petro-chemical complex into integrated bio-refinery to emphasize the utilization of existing infrastructure for […]

The main challenges in bioconversion of lignocellulose arise from our limited understanding of the heterogeneous chemistry of the substrate and poor accessibility of enzymes within dense wood cell walls. It is clear that our limited appreciation of enzyme penetration into cell walls and catalysis dynamics is partly due to the constraints of the techniques employed […]

The RigidReclaim™ technology under development by Entropex is an innovative process which converts a comingled, contaminated Mixed Rigid waste stream into highly pure, commercially valuable resins. The non-uniform natures of the plastic waste pose a significant challenge to satisfy the quality requirements for high-value applications. This project is a critical component of the RigidReclaim™ technology […]

Due to depleting oil supplies and the global climate change we are compelled to seek alternative sources to supply our growing energy demand. Among green energy technologies, utilizing solar energy is the only way to address that problem, and tapping into this vast quantity of energy represents a grand challenge of scientific research and engineering. […]

The project’s aims are to conduct research on geological carbon storage from the perspective of dynamic analysis and process systems engineering, looking in particular at the dynamics between the wellhead and the CO2 storage reservoir. The main objective is to achieve closed loop operation and management of the reservoir with respect to CO2 sequestration and […]

The project’s aims are to conduct research on geological carbon storage from the perspective of dynamic analysis and process systems engineering, looking in particular at the dynamics between the wellhead and the CO2 storage reservoir. The main objective is to achieve closed loop operation and management of the reservoir with respect to CO2 sequestration and […]