Innovative Projects Realized

Quantifying fish-turbine interactions using VEMCO’s new high residency acoustic electronic tagging technology

It remains unclear if fishes that occupy Canada’s leading tidal energy test site in Minas Passage, Bay of Fundy, Nova Scotia, will be negatively affected by turbine installations. The objective of this project is to determine fishes’ interactions with operating turbines. Of approximately 70 species of fishes that interact with Minas Passage only three have abundance estimates (Gaspereau River Alewife; Shubenacadie River Striped Bass; Saint John River Atlantic Sturgeon) that are necessary to predict effects at the population level. Atlantic salmon are listed endangered by SARA so the loss of even one individual is significant. We will use new, innovative High Residency fish tracking technology from industry partner VEMCO to determine spatial and temporal overlap, and interactions of Alewife, Atlantic Salmon, Striped Bass and Atlantic Sturgeon, with operating turbines. This will provide information central to predicting negative effects of operating turbines, on fishes, at the population level.

Modeling and Dynamic Performance Assessment of a Battery Energy Storage Systems

Bulk storage of energy is a relatively new concept in many power systems. Among various energy storage media, batteries have shown great promise as a suitable option for use in power systems. Integrating a battery energy storage system in a power grid is not a trivial task and requires extensive studies to ensure that the system is able to respond satisfactorily to its surrounding’s variable conditions and deliver what is expected of it. Additionally, batteries experience marked changes in their characteristics as they age, which may adversely impact their performance and even cause undesirable outcomes such as instability. This project aims to study battery energy storage system dynamics and the impact of aging using advanced computer simulation and modeling techniques.

DC Interconnection Hubs

Conventional power systems are based upon ac voltages and currents. Connecting these systems is a simple matter and is done using transformers. Modern power systems wherein renewable energy sources are increasingly deployed often include dc voltages and currents. Connecting these systems is more challenging as conventional transformers will not be applicable. The proposed research is aimed at investigating and evaluating options for linking and interconnecting dc power systems. Power electronics is the enabling technology for achieving dc system interconnections. Various dc interconnection schemes will be researched and their merits and drawbacks will be thoroughly assessed using detailed computer modeling and simulation techniques as well as experimental work on a scaled down laboratory setup.

Improving Combustion Properties of Energy Crops and Agricultural Residues through the Removal of Undesirable Nutrients

CENNATEK Bioanalytical Services Inc. is leading a R&D project with the goal of

producing an improved biomass fuel for combustion through a pre-treatment process

involving the extraction of undesired nutrients. The presence of these nutrients often

contributes to adverse impacts on reactors and other equipment, with fouling, slagging,

and corrosion the most problematic of these impacts. CENNATEK has developed a

liquid extraction process that will remove these nutrients from the biomass, while at the

same time recovering and concentrating the nutrients to produce a liquid fertilizer to be

returned back to the soil. The proposed project would optimize the process on a labscale,

followed by modelling and designing of a pilot-scale process. After construction,

the pilot-plant will be optimized and data gathered to develop a full-scale commercial

plant that will be both technically and economically feasible. CENNATEK has an

aggressive time-to-market plan for the commercialization of this technology, and will

benefit through the potential IP and know-how generated from the project’s success.

An archeology of self-representation: from the Renaissance to the Selfie

I am proposing to research the historical tradition of self portraiture as a way to reflect on the very contemporary preponderance of self portraits in digital media/networks. On order to identify links between art history and contemporary self-representations, I will examine and document different collections of self-portraits and artworks related to the depiction of the self at museums, churches and galleries in Venice, Florence and Rome, starting with the archives at Ca’ Foscari University.
Based on this documentation, I will then produce a new archive of images and related notes, grouping them according to body postures and facial expressions, which I will later compare to current digital self-depictions.
Expected outcomes will take form in a collaborative art piece with performance artist and PhD candidate Sergio Valenzuela. Theoretical aspects developed with Professors Dalla Gassa (Italy) and Hughes (Canada) will be integrated into my written thesis, which I will present at conferences and academic events in Canada and abroad.

Development of wine smoke-taint analysis strategies to provide more accurate risk-assessments and guide in-winery and in-vineyard amelioration methods

The proposed research project will focus on understanding the in-vineyard and in-winery mechanisms responsible for the phenomenon of smoke-taint in wines—that is, the tendency of grapes exposed to forest fire smoke to produce smoke-flavoured wines in the absence of any perceptible aroma in the grapes. Of interest here is discerning exactly how the flavoured compounds of smoke are biochemically stored within ripening grapes in addition to how they are released again by yeast enzymes during the fermentation process. A clearer (bio)chemical understanding of smoke-taint will necessarily involve the development of improved analytical methods and testing procedures which the partner organization (Supra Research and Development) will be able to offer to North American grape and wine producers. TO BE CONT’D

Toolkit: Alternative Models for Affordable Housing

Metro Vancouver is in the midst of an affordable housing crisis. While responses to the crisis have tended to focus on our most at-risk populations, the reality is that even with a stable income, the high cost of housing is one of the primary reasons people and families of all ages are leaving the region. This research project will explore non-profit development of affordable ‘workforce’ rental housing for household’s earning between $20,000-$100,000 per year. The focus will be the documentation of Catalyst Community Developments Society’s successful non-profit model, as well as the sourcing of alternative financing to enable these projects, ensuring equitable, secure and long-term affordable housing is available for British Columbians.

Development of a hybrid biocomposite sorbent based on Chitosan and Oxidized fibers for water treatment applications

The contamination of surface waters by toxic substances from industrial and agricultural activities is a major environmental problem worldwide. Heavy metals are particularly of concern due to their recalcitrance and persistence in the environment and thus should be strictly controlled to meet drinking water standards. Adsorption onto activated carbon is widely used for heavy metal removal from wastewater. However, activated carbon is too expensive to treat very large volumes of contaminated water. Therefore, there is a growing need to find cheap and effective alternative sorbents to activated carbon. My project is aiming at the development of a hybrid biocomposite sorbent made from natural polysaccharides such as chitosan and cellulose. These polysaccharides are potential substitutes for organic and inorganic adsorbents due to their structure, physicochemical properties, high reactivity and high affinity for toxic metals. To meet our research objectives, the biocomposite sorbent should have high strength properties, generate low pressure drop, high adsorption capacity and low fouling behavior.

Pulse Positive: An educational campaign to increase awareness and consumption by integrating pulses into Elementary Schools

Saskatchewan is among the largest producer and exporter of pulses to various countries across the globe. However, pulses are not widely consumed in Canada. In Canada, the variety of pulse-based products is limited compared to those made from other legumes such as soybeans or from cereal grains. Consumers, including young children, will consume newly developed pulse-based products and ingredients if these are introduced into their diets. The project seeks to increase the demand for pulse by focusing on increasing pulse awareness and consumption among elementary school children and their caregivers in selected elementary schools in Saskatchewan. This will be achieved through a school-wide campaign and trainings targeting students, their caregivers and school teachers. TO BE CONT’D

Sinking Rate of Skeletonema Mutants in Reponse to Gene Inactivation and Nutrient Status

Sinking is an important cellular response in diatoms that allows them to exit the upper mixed layer of the water column when conditions are unfavourable for growth. We know that diatoms have physiological control over sinking, but the underlying mechanism is not fully understood.

The goal of my project is to identify the genes and environmental conditions that contribute to sinking in diatoms. I will do this by:
1) Performing sinking assays on mutants of the diatom Skeletonema. I will be provided cells that have genes inactivated at random and will identify those with mutations in “sinking genes” by selecting those with an altered sinking rate.
2) Measuring the sinking rate in response to varying nutrient levels.

This project will help us understand how primary producers respond to environmental changes, with major implications for global processes.

Development of Coxsackievirus B3 as an Oncolytic Virus for KRAS-Mutant Lung Cancer Treatment

In Canada, lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer-related deaths for both sexes. Non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) constitutes ~85% of lung cancer cases. Mutations in the KRAS and EGFR genes are two most common oncogenic drivers for NSCLC and responsible for ~30% and ~15% of NSCLCs, respectively. Unlike the EGFR-mutant type, KRAS-mutant NSCLC is currently undruggable and associated with poor prognosis. Our lab has recently demonstrated that Coxsackievirus B3 (CVB3) is a potent oncolytic virus against KRAS-mutant NSCLC. Nevertheless, it was observed that efficient tumor suppression is accompanied with damage to multiple organs, particularly the heart. Here we propose to develop an innovative CVB3-based oncolytic virus with enhanced tumor-specificity. If a therapeutic effect is achieved, the clinical significance may grant Virogin Biotech Ltd. one possibility to provide the first-ever effective and safe treatment for this deadly disease for Canadians.

Optimization of a hybrid membrane/enzyme CO2 capture process

The firm CO2 Solutions Inc (CSI) from Québec has developed an enzyme-accelerated CO2 capture technology which may be appended to a variety of gas scrubbing equipments. Simultaneously, our Université Laval research group has been working on membrane gas phase separations using polymeric hollow fibers and mixed matrix membranes. The objective of the present Engage proposal together with the Mitacs Accelerate program is to explore the possibility that a hybrid process allowing to concentrate CO2 to some intermediate concentration (for example 40-50% CO2) using a membrane module, before the gas is fed to the enzyme process would lead to some lower cost per ton of CO2.