Innovative Projects Realized

Catalytic effect of nano-NiO particles in Pyrolysing of Biomass materials

Biomass materials have been a source of energy for years to now and their effective conversion into usable energy form is always under research to get improved results. Various techniques and systems have been developed to exploit different biomass materials so far and this research aims to study the effect of nano NiO particles as catalyst in pyrolysing of agro residues such as rice husk, saw dust, and groundnut shell, etc. The catalyst will be prepared and employed in different size to observe the effect of particle size in pyrolysis and the operating conditions of the test will also be varied to know their effect. Different approaches such as TGA, FTIR, and XRD will be used to characterize the precursors and nano-NiO particles. The experimental results will be correlated with theoretical and kinetic modeling to find the activation energy and conclude the results.

Sustainable production of cellulosic ethanol from pretreated sugarcane bagasse using ruminal fluids extracted from ruminating animals

Increase in global temperatures, over dependence and depletion of fossil fuels to fulfill the human needs have forced the mankind to produce sustainable bioenergy. Plant biomass which contains lignocellulose polymers constitutes the most abundant components on the earth’s surface. Naturally, enormous amounts of cellulose are digested by the cattle and this process of digestion is solely supported by microorganisms residing in its rumen. In our current project, we have considered sugarcane bagasse to produce cellulosic ethanol using ruminal fluids. Sugarcane bagasse is the waste obtained after sugar production which is currently being burned for energy or dumped in landfills. Initially, we have pretreated sugarcane bagasse using specific pretreatment methods. Pretreated sugarcane bagasse is further subjected to enzyme hydrolysis under standard and optimized fermentation methods using the ruminal fluid samples obtained from Brazilian cows. This ecofriendly and economically beneficial method of cellulosic ethanol production would reduce our dependence on fossil fuels.

Thermal Analysis of Poly-V Belt Transmission System

Nowadays, automotive companies are seeking to use prospective robust, light-weight, anti-corrosive and cost-effective composites such as fibre reinforced polymer (FRP), instead of traditional materials like steel or aluminum alloy, to make their products more competitive in the market. The sponsor company in this project, Litens Automotive Group, is investigating the feasibility of adopting FRP to manufacture high torque capacity drive pulleys. However, comparing with a metal alloy, FRP exhibits a reduced material strength at the near engine high operating temperature, making the design of this pulley very challengeable. Moreover, time-consuming tests on expensive FRP drive pulley prototypes delay the design cycle and increase the research cost. Therefore, an analytical thermal analysis algorithm developed in this project for the design of FRP drive pulleys enables the product designers rapidly to determine thermal distributions of the FRP drive pulley and help them to optimize the pulley design.

Using hyperpolarized 13P MRI measure in vivo pH of the placenta

Placental dysfunction is the leading cause of stillbirth, and assessment of fetoplacental health in utero is limited. Our goal is to use MRI to gain functional information of the placenta, specifically to measure pH as a critical indicator of placental health. Current methods of this use 13P MRS but are challenged by low signal-to-noise ratio (SNR). We propose using hyperpolarized 31P phosphates to significantly boost signal (10 000 fold) and are biologically safe and therefore clinically relevant. This study will demonstrate the first instance of hyperpolarized 31P pH imaging in vivo. pH data obtained using this method would compliment metabolic information we are able to observe using hyperpolarized C13 compounds like pyruvate. pH is an indicator of fetal health and this technique could provide information relevant for clinical decisions on interventions in the event of problematic pregnancies. TO BE CONT’D

Beneficial microbes and fishes of the Amazon: a story of co-adaptation to the extreme conditions of the most biodiverse freshwater ecosystem on Earth, the black waters of the Amazon basin

The Earth’s richest freshwater fish fauna is found in the Brazilian Amazon basin. This resource represents the primary protein source for the “ribeirinhos”: the populations of native Brazilian fisherman living in the upper Amazon. The black waters of the Amazon River are poor in nutrient, ion, oxygen and are acidified by humic acids from surrounding submerged forest vegetation (acidic pH of 3.8 – 5.0). We aim to understand how Amazonian fishes manage to survive in such an extreme environment. We will explore the microbial communities associated with Amazonian black water fishes and we will test whether beneficial microbes living on the fish may play essential roles in the adaptation to these environments. We expect to achieve the following objectives:
1. Characterize the species of bacteria associated to Amazonian black water fishes. TO BE CONT’D

The political implications of the role of the Salafi ideology. The cases of Tunisia and China.

This project aims at investigating the causes of Salafism appeal, especially on youth, in the historical context of the post-Arab spring, in Tunisia and in the Chinese province of Xinjiang. As Henri Lauzière extensively explained in his latest work, (2016) the Salafi ideology is complex and it doesn’t make consensus. Many scholars have already pointed out the main characteristics and trends within Salafism (Wiktorowicz, 2006; Meijer, 2009; Bonnefoy, 2011; Wagemakers, 2012; Cavatorta and Merone, 2012; Wolf, 2013; Marks, 2013; et al.) but by and large, their perspective mainly focused on Salafism in Arab countries. Thus, the phenomenon of the spread of Salafism in non-Arab countries was neglected. The main goal of my research is to explain how Salafism, and especially Salafi-jihadism ideology, appeals to Arab and non-Arab youth. How can Salafi ideology adapt to different context as the Chinese region of Xinjiang? TO BE CONT’D

Optimisation des séquences de chargement ETL

Chez la Banque Nationale du Canada, des délais du chargement ETL (Extraction, Transformation, Chargement) des entrepôts de données sont très importants, ce qui influence l’efficacité et aussi le fonctionnement des autres projets. Des chargements ETL non exécutés qui ont plusieurs interdépendances, et le problème comme des erreurs systèmes, des données manquantes, des données non conformes et des fichiers non transmit à temps dans une étape manuelle, produisent des goulots d’étranglement, ce qui cause des délais. Ce projet est l’optimisation des séquences de chargement ETL des entrepôts de données par la modélisation mathématique. L’objectif consiste à minimiser les délais de chargement dans une optique de gestion de risque. A la fin, une séquence qui minimise le risque d’avoir des délais importants et une prévision du temps pour permettre de l’anticiper seront proposées.

Développement d’outils automatisés permettant la cartographie de l’hydrographie surfacique et linéaire et des sites avec contrainte de drainage aux opérations forestières

Le projet vise à développer des outils permettant de réaliser une cartographie de l’hydrographie ainsi que des sites avec contrainte de drainage aux opérations forestières à partir du LiDAR aéroporté et de l’imagerie aérienne. Cette nouvelle cartographie permettra de bonifier les cartes écoforestières en géolocalisant les cours d’eau linéaire et surfacique ainsi que les zones de propension à l’orniérage à une échelle plus fine. Ce projet permettra au CERFO de renforcir sa position en matière de leader dans le domaine de la télédétection forestière et de former d’éventuelles ressources humaines.

Bidirectional seismic site response analysis of granular soil deposits

Seismic response analysis are evaluations that aim to capture how the geological and geotechnical properties of soil deposits at a particular site affect earthquake motions at ground level. Commonly, this type of analysis is performed by assuming the soil layers are horizontal and that the earthquake motion travels in only one direction. However, in reality soil layers are heterogeneous and earthquake motions travel in three directions: two horizontals and one vertical. This combined effect is known as multidirectional loading. Recent research has shown that these characteristics may be of importance for the design of major structures, in particular for coarse-grained materials such as sands. The objective of this research is to evaluate how this multidirectional loading affects the response of coarse-grained soil deposits and sloping ground. TO BE CONT’D

A fundamental study to better understand how blinding agents interact with particle surfaces in preg-robbing carbonaceous gold systems using electrochemical techniques

One of the most challenging issues in the gold mining industry comes from the carbonaceous ore components adsorbing gold ion complexes, resulting in up to 90% gold loss during cyanide leaching process. The addition of chemical reagents as blinding agents is one of the most promising methods to blind the organic carbon content of ore materials to increase the gold recovery from carbonaceous preg-robbing ores. This study aims to investigate the effect of various blinding agents on the main gold-containing ore components such as carbon, gold and pyrite using fundamental electrochemical techniques. This novel approach employs cyclic voltammetry and galvanostatic charge-discharge tests to better understand the adsorption of various blinding agents on the individual ore components. The project helps Goldcorp Inc. find a way to mitigate the preg-robbing issue the company is dealing with in some of their operating sites and increase gold recovery.

Digitalizing Extractive Industries

The broad objectives of this research include: (1) to develop an accurate picture of the extent to which digital technologies have been adopted by extractive industries, (2) to understand factors that have impacted on the pace of digitalization, (3) to develop an understanding of how further digitalization could transform extractive industries and the communities and regions in which they operate, and (4) to provide guidance and advice to key stakeholders (industry, governments, institutions, communities) with respect to addressing the opportunities and challenges arising from digitalizatio

Comprehensive Evaluation of Animal Manure Composts and Fumigation to Improve PotatoYield in Manitoba

This project addresses two major needs of the agriculture sector in Manitoba. The shift from nitrogen

based- to phosphorus-based manure management regulations has resulted in implementing liquid hog

manure separation techniques as a phosphorus (P) balance strategy but it is uncertain as to how best to

utilize the solid material with its very high P content. A second major need is to reduce Verticillium

wilt and common scab of potato to improve potato yields. To address these identified needs, the

proposed project is organized into eight objectives: 1) Determine if hog manure compost material can

improve yield and tuber size of potato?, 2) Determine what rates of manure compost increase yields?,

3) Determine by what mechanisms manure composts improve marketable yields?, 4) Determine if

reducing Verticillium levels in soil using Vapam fumigation increases marketable yield?, 5) Determine

if there is an optimal rate of Va pam fumigation?, 6) Determine if there are relations between…