Innovative Projects Realized

Study on ZSM-5 zeolite-encapsulated Pt and its application in catalysis

Metal nanoparticles have drawn much attention during the last few years due to their unique properties, particularly their high catalytic activity in many reactions. Catalytic activity increases when the particle size decreases, thus the most active catalysts are below 5 nm in size. The objective of this project is to investigate the catalytic performance for the alkylation of benzene with methanol and hydrogenation of nitrobenzene and nitronaphthalene of a hierarchical porous Pt@ZSM-5 catalyst. In this catalyst, Pt nanoparticles are confined into the pores and cavities of the zeolite. This catalyst was synthesized by a dry-gel conversion in-situ synthesis method. The end goal is to obtain the most selective and stable catalytic reaction performance. This is done by testing the catalyst’s performance at different structural and textural properties. The varying properties of the catalysts are systematically characterized and implemented by wet impregnation techniques. TO BE CONT’D

Ammonia nitrogen removal from Congo Red wastewater by biological fluidized bed

The rapid development of human activities has caused a worldwide increase of nitrogen and phosphorus in rivers, lakes and coastal waters. Sewage and fertilizers are two examples of a variety of different sources responsible for this increase in nitrogen. Despite being an important nutrient for cell growth formation, nitrogen is often detrimental to the environment in high concentrations. The objective of the research project is the achievement of maximum removal efficiency of both COD and ammonia nitrogen from Congo Red wastewater, which is made possible by a high resistance to organic loading in the reactor. A study performed by Professor Pan and a collaboration of other researchers was effective in showing that biological treatment methods of wastewater contaminated by 2,4,6-trichlorophenol (TCP), an organic pollutant known for its environmental persistence and strong toxicity, were superior to physiochemical alternatives. TO BE CONT’D

Design of Cu-based catalysts with high-activity and tunable-selectivity in hydrogenation of dimethyl oxalate

Ethylene glycol (EG) is an important basic raw material and chemical intermediate, which is often used as solvent, antifreeze, lubricant, plasticizer, surfactant and mainly used to synthesize polyester resins and fibers, etc. Currently, the annual demand of EG is more than 20 million tons, while about half of the market demand is in China. There is a lot of attention on developing efficient methods of the synthesis of EG do to its unique properties and demand. The intermediate product, methyl glycolate (MG) is also a valuable product in this route as well. MG is extensively applied in the synthesis of pharmaceutical products, fine chemicals and perfumes. Currently, the syngas route have been also developed for the synthesis of MG. The Cu-based catalysts have been extensively applied in this reaction, owing to their selective activity in the hydrogenation of C=O/C?O bonds. TO BE CONT’D

Delayed drug release from electrostatic coated capsules with ultrafine powders: Preparation and evaluation

Since most capsules are made of gelatin, the aqueous coating process of capsules is very sensitive and requires a very long process time due to the aqueous solubility of gelatin substrate, resulting in high costs. Accordingly, it would be very advantageous to provide a method for dry powder coating capsules without using an organic solvent or water. The objective of the current study is to prepare and evaluate the use of electrostatic dry powder coated capsules to achieve delayed drug release. Experimentation will be carried out through the design and formulation of an electrostatic coating, the loading of a drug into the coated capsules, and the characterization of dry coated capsules and drug release in vitro. The goal of this project is to achieve delayed drug release using the dry powder coating of a pharmaceutical capsule.

Optimal manure management strategies to favor productive and low-GHG emitting dairy farms in Québec

Dairy production in Québec, Canada, contributes for 38% of the province agriculture-related greenhouse gas emissions. These numbers could however increase in the near future due to the evolution in manure management of dairy farms. A model (N-CyCLES), providing a whole-farm perspective considering on-farm interactions to determine the cost-effectiveness of overall strategies, will be used to assess the impact of a change in manure handling methods on greenhouse gas emissions, nitrogen and phosphorus balances, and farm net income for a typical dairy farm in two regions with contrasted climate (Southwestern and Eastern Québec). By proving better information on possibilities of on-farm GHG reduction, the project will allow better decision making from dairy producers in terms of implementation of profitable and sustainable practices.

Determining the Social and Legal Context that Contributes to the Successful Deployment of CCS Projects

The Paris Agreement spelled out an ambitious goal to limit global warming to well below 2 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels. The IEA recognizes that the gap between the goals of the Paris Agreement and efforts on the ground looms large. Carbon Capture and Sequestration is recognized by climate modelers as necessary to meet the Paris commitments in a cost effective manner. However, progress in deploying CCS technology has been slow. Barriers to CCS technology have been well documented by academic literature, however, there is less known about emerging successful CCS deployment (for example at the Boundary Dam Plant in Saskatchewan, the Petra Nova CCS plant in Texas and the Shell Quest project in Alberta). This research seeks to understand the legal and social context that has contributed to this successful CCS deployment. TO BE CONT’D

Modeling foreign exchange

The proposed project addresses the main challenge in modeling long-dated

(maturities of 30 years or more) foreign exchange (FX) interest rate (IR) hybrid

derivatives, namely the strong sensitivity of the products to the skew of the FX

volatility smiles via the use of a stochastic process, such as the Heston model.

Numerical methods based on a partial differential equation (PDE) approach will be

developed for the pricing of these derivatives.

The expected benefits of the project to the industrial partner are

(i) flexible modeling frameworks for long-dated FX-IR, which can be easily modified for

use for other long-dated hybrids, such as equities and commodities, and

(ii) highly-efficient PDE-based pricing methods for multi-dimensional financial

derivatives.

Buffer Width and the Persistence of Black Duck Populations in Forested Wetlands of New Brunswick, Canada

The American Black Duck is the most abundant breeding waterfowl species in New Brunswick (NB), and, although previously common throughout New Brunswick (NB), notable declines in breeding black duck abundance have been reported in the commercially forested area of NB in the last 20 years. In NB, forestry operations must maintain >=30m buffers around waterbodies. These areas are important to waterfowl as nesting habitat and as a barrier to sources of disturbance in areas adjacent to wetlands. It is unknown if NB’s 30m requirement is adequate to maintain quality black duck habitat. Therefore, I will test this by monitoring the success of black duck nests and measuring black duck reactions to disturbance in areas with different buffer zone widths. This project will benefit Ducks Unlimited Canada by identifying key conservation areas for NB waterfowl.

Impact and Vulnerability of Caribbean fisheries

Marine fisheries are complex, multifaceted endeavors that are deeply interconnected with both the ecological and social systems within which they operate. To manage a given fishery resource effectively, practitioners have account in the past years for ecological interactions with other marine species and socio-economic interactions with commercial and subsistence harvesters. However, even fisheries management systems designed for effective sustainable management of individual resources now lack guidance, tools, or strategies for Integrating the broader lnfuences of environmental change, Including climate change and variability.
This research project alms to assess the ecological Impact of the effect of climate change on the Caribbean Sea. The Caribbean Sea has been designated as an area susceptible to be highly affected by change In the environment In the coming ned decades and Impact on fisheries Is still unkown. TO BE CONT’D

CRISPRing Phosphatases in Leukaemic Cells.

Greenhouse gas dynamics from wetlands in northern Germany

Iron Coordination Compounds with Interesting Magnetic Properties