Cellulose is the most common natural polymer available. The project aims to produce esters from cellulose fibers employing green solvents, such as ionic liquids. Ionic liquids’ properties are tunable by changing the anion and the cation to dissolve simultaneously the cellulose and the esterification agent. The esterification agent is a free fatty acid which can […]

Our main aim is to design and fabricate lightweight mechanical structures to show high energy absorption capacity with as low as initial reaction forces, electricity generation via embedding smart materials (piezo patches), and isolate external dynamic excitations. The designed mechanical structures could be applied in the automobile and motorcycle industries. In a car crash, the […]

Co-processing has been commercialised by Parkland Burnaby refinery which allows the refiner to produce lower carbon intensity fuels. Significant amount of process data has also been generated. The intern made use of the commercial data and evaluated the impact of these alternative feedstocks to existing refining operation, like yield, operating conditions. More importantly, the intern […]

Construction sites are accident-prone sites and despite numerous efforts to reduce incidents, they continue to occur. Among others, fall accidents, in particular, account for the majority of these incidents, necessitating the implementation of proper management strategies. Traditional techniques for providing safety and preventing accidents are adequate and appropriate for improving safety, however, they are not […]

Canada’s critical infrastructure (e.g., bridges, pipelines, and nuclear power plants) is deteriorating at a rate that far outpaces the ability to replace it. A recent analysis of Ontario’s transportation infrastructure alone indicates over $5.1B is needed to replace assets that have reached the end of their lifecycle. Justifying the finances required for replacement/repair is challenging […]

Biological-system-based production of chemicals and fuels (Eg: ethanol, bio-diesel, bio-nylon, etc.) has lesser or no impact on the environment than their conventional, chemical processes But, these biofactories are not evolved to produce industrially important chemicals yet. Hence, the productivity of the desired chemical is low in an isolated biological system. Metabolic engineering modifies the metabolic […]

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Seismic risk reduction planning for existing buildings must begin with a quantitative account of risk, and it must contain an objective basis grounding the various policy options considered within it. This work aims to develop a methodology to generate that objective policy basis, leveraging seismic risk modelling outputs to detail the benefits of various policy […]

Considering the challenge of feeding a growing population, with an increase in the demand for more animal-source foods, efficient use of resources will be essential. Livestock and aquaculture are major contributors to climate change, being responsible for 14.5% of the global greenhouse gas emissions in addition to nutrient losses, leading to water contamination. However, feed […]

In the fabrication of a battery-free water leak detector, packaging process requires to expose the sensor to water in a specific way, while protecting some electronics components on the inside from water. This research is to develop a high-speed and high precision laser microwelding process to fabricate an aluminum or stainless steel foil water-proof housing […]

Power is typically transmitted as electricity in copper wires. This works well in many cases, but there’s a major drawback: electromagnetic interference can disrupt the power supply, which is detrimental for sensitive electronic devices. Another approach is to transmit power as light, which is immune to this interference. A laser converts electricity to light, which […]

Traditional stick-built can take weeks to reach the lockup stage of a single house and leaves the house exposed for long time, while a single home can be built by using modular construction within a few days, which is much quicker. In addition, using advanced technology to achieve automated and standardized operations is the target […]