Innovative Projects Realized

Point Cloud processing for Smart Iceberg Management System

Newfoundland oil and gas industry needs unique engineering solutions for offshore structures and operations because of harsh environment. Drifting icebergs, if collide with an offshore structure, may cause serious damage leading to economic losses, ecological problems and loss of human lives. To protect the structure, icebergs can be towed away; however, it is a complicated process, especially when the underwater part of iceberg is hidden. This project contributes to a new technology that can be used onboard of towing vessels to assist captains when taking their decisions regarding towing. The Smart Iceberg Management System is able to obtain full iceberg shape in only 20 minutes, helping to decide where and how to tow. This should significantly improve success rates, safety and cost-effectiveness of the complicated towing operations.

Mobile Transaction Initialization, Authentication and Cooperation

The intern and organizational partner are looking for unique and interesting ways of using mobile devices

to help authenticate users and methods of cooperation between a mobile device and another device, a

PC for example. The intern will research and implement different authentication techniques on mobile

devices. Additionally, it is prudent to study and develop a way of simplifying user interactions while

maintaining a high level of security at all times.

Scale-up Synthesis of New-Generation Chiral Cyclobutane-based Bisphosphane Ligands

This research project deals with the development of the next generation of a set of chemicals on an industrial scale that form a catalyst in conjunction with a metal. The new catalysts are intended to be employed by Digital Specialty Chemicals’ customer in the manufacture of plasticizers, paints, and detergents. The intern will focus on the optimized chemical synthesis of critical components toward the final products, as well as the identification of commercially more viable options in terms of solvents used for the process. The new design of the target compounds of this project is expected to lead to more chemically-efficient and cost-effective processes, which will help solidifying Digital’s position as the main supplier of this product series for their customer.

Multiscale In-Silico Screening of OLEDs: Simulating the Formation of Organic Glasses and Computation of Optoelectronic Properties

Organic light emitting diodes (OLEDs) are thin layers of organic chemicals with that emit light. As a novel form of technology, OLEDs can be used to manufacture flexible and ultrathin visual screens for mobile phones and televisions. They are extremely efficient; they produce very bright lights while producing very little heat. Designing better and cheaper OLED technologies requires that we understand the structure, behaviour and properties of OLEDs at the molecular level. As of now, this is a work in progress. This project seeks to develop an integrated collection of computer programs that can simulate the way in which OLEDs form and predict how efficiently they convert electricity into light. Our grand objective is to have a sophisticated piece of software that can analyse thousands of molecules to see predict the ones that can produce the “best” OLED.

Pulse Radiolysis studies of nanoparticles for future radiation therapy applications

Although radiation therapy has come a long way in the successful treatment of some cancers, there are still problems that arise. The radiation used to treat tumors not only targets malignant cells but healthy cells as well, wreaking havoc by creating reactive free electrons in the aqueous cell environment. We propose the study of gold nanoparticles functionalized with ionic liquids using the radiation chemistry technique, pulse radiolysis, in order to test their viability as a mitigating “shield” against the collateral damage during radiation therapy. Gold nanoparticles have already been shown to have favorable radiation chemistry, quenching free electrons and preventing radical reactions however the radiation effects on the proposed ionic liquids are unknown. Furthermore our ionic liquids have shown increased stabilization of the gold nanoparticles in solution (lasting months) as well as antimicrobial properties. TO BE CONT’D

Étude de faisabilité technique des solutions de stockage thermique dans les bâtiments démonstrateurs de la livre Tree

Pour réduire efficacement la consommation énergétique dans le bâtiment, la nouvelle réglementation thermique 2012 impose de construire des bâtiments ayant une consommation inférieure à 50kWh/m².an. Dans cet optique, le projet de recherche constitue à évaluer si l’utilisation de matériaux à changements de phase dans la structure ou l’enveloppe d’un bâtiment serait pertinent comme solution de stockage thermique dans les bâtiments, autant d’un d’un point de vue d’économie d’énergie que d’un point de vue économique. Le projet a également pour objectif de développer des solutions permettant d’augmenter l’inertie de l’enveloppe du bâtiment ainsi que d’intégrer des systèmes de génération et de stockage d’énergie aux réseaux de distribution d’énergie.

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