The use of ionic liquids (ILs) in enhanced oil recovery is considered a new and promising technology as it has never been tested in any pilot plant or reservoir field. ILs are very similar to surfactants as they help reduce the interfacial tension, change the wettability of the reservoir, and some have strong viscous effect, […]

L’industrie minie?re est une importante source d’emplois et ge?ne?re de conside?rables retombe?es e?conomiques, contribuant de manie?re significative a? l’e?conomie du Que?bec a? l’e?chelle mondiale. Son de?veloppement peut modifier radicalement les e?cosyste?mes et les paysages. La durabilite? du secteur minier que?be?cois doit entre autres viser la restauration des biens et services e?cosyste?miques apre?s l’exploitation minie?re. En […]

Pipelines have significantly contributed to the Canadian energy industry and overall economy. Specifically, nearly 60% of energy consumed in Canada comprises of oil and gas delivered through pipelines. However, in pipeline steel, many failures were caused by cracks during pipeline operation. The proposed research project aims at developing a reliable and effective tool to predict […]

Among various types of graphitic nanomaterials, graphene quantum dots (GQDs) have ignited tremendous interest in the past few years owing to their small lateral size, quantum confinement, and large perimeter per mass. GQDs are categorized based on their emitting colors (e.g. blue, green, yellow, red and white). Among various emitting colors, GQDs with blue and […]

Lithium-ion (Li-ion) batteries are the dominant technology used to power today’s electric vehicles (EVs). However, current Li-ion batteries is reaching the bottleneck in the energy density, partially due to the limited capacity in the graphite anode (372 mAh g-1). In partnership with MGX Minerals Inc., Dr. Liu’s team at the University of British Columbia aims […]

Polyurethane is a class of polymers with the potential of foaming and with excellent mechanical and thermal properties. However, in order to use PU in advanced applications, its physical properties must be improved. Accordingly, in this research proposal, we plan to incorporate graphene oxide (GO), a derivative of graphene, into polyurethane foam to improve its […]

The Suncor/McMaster partnership is generating a pipeline of novel, green, agricultural chemicals to be applied as crop sprays. One of the challenges with treating plants by spraying leaves (foliar treatment) is targeting the transport of the active ingredients (AI) to specific parts of the plant. An example is preventing bacterial growth in the xylem, channels […]

Oil/water separation is one of the most challenging processes in oil production processes. Materials with superoleophilicity can selectively filter or absorb oil from oil/water mixtures. These materials can be highly efficient with a minimum footprint in the selective separation of oil and water. They can also be designed to be integrated with many conventional oil/water […]

The steam assisted gravity drainage (SAGD) is the most commonly employed process for extraction of oil or bitumen from oil sands reservoirs. This process involves injection of large quantity of steam into the oil reservoir. The injected steam is further recovered as produced water which constitutes high concentrations of hydrocarbons and mineral salts. Due to […]

Mine closure is the final stage of a mine’s lifecycle and can have complex social, economic, and cultural impacts on nearby communities. These impacts include population decline, reduced services, household stress, ecological change, and reduced access to land-based activities. These impacts become more likely when communities are not engaged with during the closure planning process. […]

This proposed rural community sustainability research program at the Rural Development Institute (RDI) aims to collectively address and support rural issues through research. The main themes surround sustainable economic development and diversification, climate resiliency, environmental protection, and sustainable community indicators for development and prosperity. Economic development and diversification will entail collaboration between different scales of […]

Models quantifying the grade and tonnage of mineral deposits form the basis of important and costly decisions for planning, optimization and extraction of a natural resource. Models are initially generated from sparse exploration sampling; however, information is continuously collected until resource extraction. Predicted values that reconcile well with true values following extraction instill confidence in […]