BC Pulp and Paper Bioproducts Alliance: Upgrading black liquor lignin through fractionation and chemical modification

Lignin represents the largest reservoir of natural aromatic compounds available on earth. It is a potential substitute for a range of chemicals currently derived from petroleum, but product development and identification of market opportunities remain challenging. The objective of the research is to utilize industrial softwood kraft lignins from the black liquor of British Columbia […]

Read More
Colour Change Materials for Novel Display Technology

At Halion, we believe that in the next 5 years displays will be everywhere. They’ll be in devices you wear, and on your walls at home, blending information into your environment. But to do that effectively we need a new display technology that is low power and visible in any lighting condition. We base our […]

Read More
Smart Control Valve Development for Viscous Flow Metering

The operation of complex industrial plants is based on the measurement and control of critical process variables. In most process industry applications, the final control element is usually a control valve, which has been identified as often the limiting element in improving performance of the control loop. Wave Control System (WCS) is developing a new […]

Read More
Green Cement Appraisal for Precast Concrete

This project seeks to appraise the use of three different blended cements, with 25 – 50% lower carbon footprint than commercial Portland cement, in masonry concrete applications. Carbonation will also be implemented as one of the curing scenarios, for an added potential increase in CO2 offset. Work will be carried out at the laboratory-scale first, […]

Read More
Mechanisms underlying stability and accuracy of electrocardiogram textile electrodes and breathing strain sensors

Electrocardiogram (ECG) electrodes are used for cardiovascular health monitoring with applications in health and wellness. When integrated in textiles, these electrodes can detect ECG over longer periods of time and provide more comfort for applications in sports and health monitoring. In collaboration with Vitali Wear, a leading company in the area of smart bras for […]

Read More
Production of 68Ga on High Current Cyclotron Solid Target

Gallium-68 (68Ga) is a radioactive isotope that undergoes a decay process that emits gamma rays suitable for an imaging technique called Positron Emission Tomography (PET). The 68Ga is attached to molecule which targets the isotope to specific types of cancer such as prostate and neuroendocrine. With a relatively short half-life, it means that half of […]

Read More
The development of monoclonal antibodies for early diagnosis and therapeutic application in Alzheimer’s disease

Alzheimer’s disease is the most common neurodegenerative disorder. The recent immunotherapy brings the hope of treating AD as suggested by several preclinical studies. This project first aims to develop a humanized monoclonal antibody to target the molecules involved in generating a toxic protein of AD, named amyloid ?, and test the application of this antibody […]

Read More
Using EPS Geofoam as a Seismic Buffer in Geotechnical Engineering Applications

Expanded polystyrene (EPS) geofoam has been widely used to reduce the effect of dynamic and earthquake loads on rigid structures (e.g. retaining walls). Limited effort has been made to date to examine the available design methods utilized for different EPS materials subjected to dynamic loading conditions. The proposed project aims at providing a comprehensive review […]

Read More
Human Heart Phantom for Catheter Navigation Assessment

Il est estimé qu’entre 4 et 5 millions de personnes souffrent de fibrillation auriculaire (battements irréguliers) aux EU et environ 350000 au Canada. Un traitement est l’élimination avec un cathéter des cellules responsables des battements irréguliers. Le cathéter transmet de l’énergie (radio-fréquence, cryogénique, ultrasonore) pour isoler les cellules erratiques. Cependant, la procédure a un taux […]

Read More
Development of a Raman probe for the on-line determination of pulp properties

Pulp and paper producers would profit enormously from an advanced knowledge of the physical and mechanical properties of a fibre product based upon a measure of the pulp while it is still in process. This project aims to develop such a tool. Using a laser backscattering technique called Raman spectroscopy, will calibrate the molecular bar […]

Read More