$3.2M grant supports green waste research

Montreal, QC – The NSERC/Total Industrial Research Chair in Hydrodynamic Modelling of Multiphase Processes at Extreme Conditions was recently launched at Polytechnique Montréal. The chair, with a five-year operating budget of $3.2 million, will investigate the potential for transforming domestic and industrial waste through the development of green processes. The ultimate goal is to help in meeting the world population’s energy and goods-production needs using resources that are difficult to process, such as waste and refractory mineral ores.

The chair’s co-holders, Professors Jamal Chaouki and Louis Fradette, will work to find innovative solutions and technologies that draw on complex raw materials, from both renewable and non-renewable resources.

The chair was jointly created by the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC), oil and gas company Total, and the Polytechnique Montréal.

“The population’s energy needs are growing, resources are becoming scarcer, and environmental and social concerns absolutely must be central to responsible research,” said Professor Chaouki. “Our research team is powerfully inspired by the desire to transform today’s waste into tomorrow’s resources.”

“It is crucial that we take into account environmental questions that result from the rapid world population growth and the increased use of energy resources,” added Professor Fradette. “This is a hugely strategic issue, since new technologies will be at the forefront of any breakthroughs.”

To carry out its work, the chair will benefit from a five-year operating budget of $3.2 million, with $1.25 million from NSERC and $1.25 million from Total, along with $700,000 in support from Polytechnique. Other contributions earmarked for infrastructure and equipment required for the chair’s work will be added to this base amount. Among others, that includes contributions from the Canada Foundation for Innovation ($400,000), Total ($150,000) and the Gouvernement du Québec ($400,000). The research team will have a total budget approaching $4.2 million.