Innovative Projects Realized

Predicting moisture and bark content of woody biomass using visible light spectroscopy

Two of the most important characteristics of woody biomass to consider when evaluating their suitability for use in bio-energy applications are moisture content and ash content. The industry has long been seeking a technology capable of rapidly and economically characterizing feedstock, however such asolution is currently not available. This project will lay the groundwork for a potential solution that predicts these important characteristics based on the color of the feedstock. Using spectrophotometry, the study of how an object absorbs the visible region of the electromagnetic spectrum, this project will attempt to uncover any relationships between the color of woody feedstock and its moisture and bark content. Industry sponsor Cogent Industrial Technologies is a consulting service provider who has recently decided to expand its reach to the emerging bio-energy market. Through its involvement in the project, Cogent will gain valuable insight to the ways various feedstock characteristics affect each step of the energy pathway and to the development of this new technology.

Designing Social Value Architecture for Social Ventures

Tyze Personal Networks Ltd. (www.tyze.com) is a for-profit, social venture business interested in designing infrastructure that supports its dual goal of achieving social and economic value. In partnership with Vancity Savings Credit Union, Tyze would like to continue to explore a variety of potential avenues identified in the initial phase of research to support its mandate, including the legal implementation of changes to its constating documents, as well as the development of a consensus-driven statement of objectives and annual benefit report. Vancity is also interested in exploring cooperative ownerships and providing their constituents with the pros and cons of for-profit, non-profit, and cooperative ownership structures as they relate to social ventures, including the ability to raise capital within the for-profit (equity, common shares, etc.), non-profit (specialized loans and grants), and cooperative structures (co-op shares, various types). 

The development of short fragment SCODA (sfSCODA) for diagnostic applications.

Emerging research indicates that a variety of short (<200 bp) nucleic acids contain a wealth of biological and medically-important information.  Two attractive sources of short nucleic acid fragments include formalin fixed embedded tissues (FFPEs) and circulating nucleic acids (CNAs) in blood. The medical value of these tissues is often limited by researchers’ ability to extract useful and pure nucleic acids. It is difficult to purify such short nucleic acids using leading nucleic acid purification technologies, due to the low affinity of the purification columns, resulting in low yields of short nucleic acids.  This project has the potential of purifying short fragments using a modified version of a novel electrophoretic technology (SCODA). Engineering SCODA for this purpose will allow the high yield purification of short nucleic acid fragments from complex samples, unlocking valuable diagnostic information.

Thermoplastic Olefin Blends containing a novel polyampholyte elastomer

This research will investigate blends of polypropylene with a novel polyampholyte elastomer, which can serve as alternatives to traditional thermoplastic vulcanizates. This approach will enable the dispersion of physically crosslinked elastomeric particles inside a PP matrix, with potential benefits in terms of mechanical properties, weatherability, fatigue and abrasion resistance, and good impact properties at low temperature, while maintaining excellent processability. Because of the presence of surface charge on the polyampholyte phase, the material is also expected to have improved compatabilty with siliceous fillers, as well as adhesive properties and paintability that are equivalent of superior to the parent maleated EPR material, thus alleviating the need for expensive surface treatments. The proposed blends can deliver substantial improvements in adhesive properties, thus resulting in a more easily paintable material, for example utilizing electrostatic painting techniques. This is a crucial need in applications where exceptional surface properties are needed, such as in automotive panels and bumper fascia.This research will investigate blends of polypropylene with a novel polyampholyte elastomer, which can serve as alternatives to traditional thermoplastic vulcanizates. This approach will enable the dispersion of physically crosslinked elastomeric particles inside a PP matrix, with potential benefits in terms of mechanical properties, weatherability, fatigue and abrasion resistance, and good impact properties at low temperature, while maintaining excellent processability. Because of the presence of surface charge on the polyampholyte phase, the material is also expected to have improved compatabilty with siliceous fillers, as well as adhesive properties and paintability that are equivalent of superior to the parent maleated EPR material, thus alleviating the need for expensive surface treatments. The proposed blends can deliver substantial improvements in adhesive properties, thus resulting in a more easily paintable material, for example utilizing electrostatic painting techniques. This is a crucial need in applications where exceptional surface properties are needed, such as in automotive panels and bumper fascia.

Pacific salmon population dynamics in relation to salmon aquaculture

Pathogens from farmed salmon may impact adjacent wild salmon populations, but a lack of understanding of the dynamics of wild salmon populations in areas of intensive salmon aquaculture has precluded informed management decisions and fueled widespread public and scientific debate about the impact of pathogens from farmed fish. This ongoing, highly polarized debate highlights the need for a rigorous synthesis of salmon population dynamics in areas of intensive salmon aquaculture. This project links an intern from Simon Fraser University with ESSA technologies, and Watershed Watch Salmon Society to quantitatively examine the relationship between sea louse exposure from farmed salmon and the productivity of wild chum salmon populations in the Broughton archipelago of British Columbia. Insights from this collaboration should inform management of intensive salmon aquaculture in regions where wild pacific salmon co-occur. 

Assessing Performance Contract Models for BC Hydro Industrial Energy Efficiency Programs

In 2010, British Columbia passed the 2010 Clean Energy Act setting forth the expectation that BC Hydro meet at least 66% of new electricity demand with energy efficiency and conservation (demand-side management or DSM) by 2020. Given the significant increase in DSM initiatives expected of BC Hydro and the proportionate level of risk associated with achieving high levels of DSM, an analysis of DSM risk management strategies used by other jurisdictions may be beneficial to BC Hydro as it considers future program design options. Accordingly, this study will assess and compare the energy savings, costs, cost-effectiveness and participation rates of BC Hydro Power Smart Industrial energy efficiency incentive programs and Industrial energy efficiency performance contract programs used to manage deliverability risk by electric utilities in other North American jurisdictions.

Demonstration Fusarium Removal Machine Engineering

Fusarium Head Blight is a very common fungus disease prominent in small grain cereal throughout the world. This fungus infected wheat crop across Canada from Ontario to Alberta. The economic losses in Canada are estimated at $80 million annually over the last decade due to yield loss and quality loss. Fusarium has been detected for the first time in northern British Columbia. In the foreseeable future, Fusarium is expected to increase in both incidence and geographic distribution in Canada.  The overall goal of this project is to design and build a pilot scale demonstration machine for the separation of Fusarium damaged kernels.  The demonstration machine shall be based on the specification document appended plus the improvements and enhancements developed under this plan.  The intended throughput for the demonstration unit is 6 tonnes of wheat per hour.  The major deliverables are the machine itself, the dies and jigs required to produce components and the engineering documents required to commence manufacturing.  The demonstration machine will be used to field test the technology, attract capital to support manufacturing, and market the technology to wheat producers.

Synthesis of ligand-lipid conjugates to enhance intracellular delivery of siRNA-lipid nanoparticles to non-liver tissues in vivo

One of the most important biological advances made in the last 10 years has been the discovery of RNA interference (RNAi) and the ability of short pieces of RNA (siRNA) to inhibit protein synthesis with remarkable specificity and potency.  This technology holds great promise as a new generation of highly active drugs with low side effects that can attack proteins that cause disease.  However, siRNA molecules need to be inside cells to work, but are much too big to cross cell membranes in the way normal drugs can cross.  AlCana has developed lipid nanoparticles (LNP) which carry siRNA molecules into cells using the same pathway used by some viruses to enter cells.  The first generation of LNP get into liver cells very efficiently but to broaden their use as drugs we must develop LNP that can enter other cell types.  This project aims to do this by making LNPs that can stick to the surface of non-liver cells and trigger the delivery of siRNA into those cells.

Community Decision Making Related to Accepting Kite Based Electricity Generation

Airborne Wind Energy (AWE) technology is a method of harnessing wind power using tethered kites.  The partner organization in this project is a developer of this kind of technology and has made significant innovations in producing utility grade power with a predictable power drop-off. As such, this technology is a great candidate for deployment in remote communities where electricity is typically diesel-generated and expensive. However, prior to the deployment of this technology in remote communities, it is important to develop an understanding of policy and regulatory framework governing the use of renewable technologies across Canada. It is also important to understand the social and cultural factors that affect the use of these technologies in remote communities. This study aims at investigating the factors that influence the decision making process around renewable technologies, at the community level. 

The Burn

In this research, the current mobile augmented reality (AR) technologies will be surveyed and investigated to develop a prototype of a hybrid mobile augmented reality system for the locationignited storytelling. Seamful design strategy will be utilized to compensate the limitations of different AR technologies (in particular, different sensors). The developed prototype system will track the user’s position, pose, and orientation and overlay 3D virtual elements onto the point of interest (POI) of the real-world environment. It will also trigger to download a video clip that matches the POI from the database on the server and play it, which enables the user to experience a rich storytelling. A nonplayer character (Familiar) will be also developed to guide the user to POIs.

Is the calculation of “Sustainable Value” an appropriate metric to measure the sustainability performance of a pulp and paper producer?

Bioenergy Demonstration at UBC Loon Lake Research and Education Centre

The Malcolm Knapp Research Forest’s Loon Lake Research and Education Centre hosts 20,000 visitor-days per year and a bioenergy facility at Loon Lake would create opportunities for research, demonstration and training as well as provide new opportunities for the Centre to host educational retreats and conferences based on bioenergy conversion, installation, operation and maintenance. The project interns will complete a comprehensive study on the feasibility of altering the energy generation from propane and BC Hydro grid electricity to the energy generated from local biomass residue at the Malcolm Knapp Research Forest in Maple Ridge, British Columbia. The feasibility analysis will be conducted using a three-pronged approach: a technology review, an economic and commercial viability assessment, and an integrated analysis which will employ a multi-criteria decision analysis to ensure that a sustainable energy solution is achieved. Ultimately, the feasibility analysis will provide decision-makers at the research forest with a clear outline of suitable technologies as well as the costs and benefits associated with those technologies, all of which will have been comprehensively assessed for sustainability.