GREEN TECHNOLOGY LABORATORY
Directed
by Professor Charles Q. Jia, Ph.D. (McMaster), P.Eng.
Tel:(416)946-3097 Fax: (416)498-8605
cqjia@chem-eng.toronto.edu
Research Interests
Environmental
and industrial applications of inorganic sulphur chemistry
Multi-pollutant abatement
technology for resource industry
Environmental applications
of sulphate-reducing bacteria
Fate and transport of
pollutants in multi-media environments
Research Description
This research is
concerned with applying sciences (e.g., physical chemistry and mathematics) and
engineering principles (e.g., transport phenomena) to environmental
problems. With projects addressing global issues such as clean air and
water, our efforts are devoted to understanding the behaviour of industrial
pollutants in multi-phase systems, and to translating the new knowledge into
innovations that are both effective and economically viable. Approaches involve
laboratory experiments, model simulations, and scale-up tests. The current focus is on the development
of technologies for multi-pollutant abatement in natural resource industries.
We collaborate with
industrial partners to develop new processes for recovering valuable metals from non-ferrous smelter
slags using aqueous sulphur dioxide. The contemplated advance could represent a
restorative technology for sulphur dioxide abatement; recovering metals could
lower the environmental impact of by-products while maximizing the value of
natural resources. We create novel
adsorbents from petroleum by-products for air and water purification,
especially for mercury removal. We
study high-temperature kinetics of carbothermal reactions in multi-phase
systems and develop new generation of sulphur-producing flue gas desulphurization
(SP-FGD) technologies. Our
fundamental study on sulphate-reducing bacteria (SRB) is based on the
technological significance of SRB in simultaneous metal recovery and
sulphur-oxides removal from aqueous streams under extreme conditions. We learn from nature and investigate
natural processes at various scales, from the sorption of acidic gases onto the
surface of ice crystals to the global sulphur cycle.
Environmental engineering is a multi-disciplinary
field that is full of excitements, challenges and opportunities. We believe creative engineering and
solid science can lead to the products and processes that cost less and pose
fewer threats to the environment. Our
success relies on innovation, co-operation and hard work, which will contribute
to a more prosperous society on a healthier planet.
Selected Publications
Philip K. Gbor, Isaac B.
Ahmed and Charles Q. Jia, “Evaluation of Contribution of Acid and Ligand to Ni,
Co and Fe Dissolution from No-Ferrous Smelter Slags in Aqueous Sulphur Dioxide”
Industrial and Engineering Chemistry Research,
41(7), 1861-1867, 2002.
Cesar Bejarano, Charles
Q. Jia and Keng H. Chung, “ A Study of Carbothermal Reduction of Sulphur
Dioxide by Oil-sands Fluid Coke” Environmental Science and Technology,
35(4), 800-804, 2001.
Isaac Ahmed, Philip Gbor
and Charles Q. Jia, “ Aqueous Sulphur Dioxide Dissolution of Cu, Ni, Co Zn and
Fe from Smelter Slag in Absence of Oxygen” Canadian Journal of Chemical Engineering,
78 (4), 694-703, 2000.
Tung Siu and Charles Q.
Jia "Kinetic and Mechanistic Study of Reaction between Sulphide and
Sulphite in Aqueous Solution" Industrial and Engineering Chemistry
Research, 38 (10), 3812-3816, 1999.
Frank Wania, John T. Hoff, Charles Q. Jia
and Donald Mackay "The Effects of Snow and Ice on the Environmental
Behaviour of Hydrophobic Organic Chemicals", Environmental Pollution,
102, p.25-41, 1998.
Charles.Q. Jia and W-K.
Lu, "Simultaneous Sulphur Dioxide Absorption and Hydrogen Sulphide
Generation in an Aqueous Solution of Sodium Sulphide", Environmental
Science and Technology, 30 (2), 377-385, 1996.
Charles Q. Jia, A. Di Guardo and Donald Mackay, "Toxics Release Inventories: Opportunities for Improved Presentation and Interpretation", Environmental Science and Technology, 30 (2), 86A-91A, 1996.
The Green Technology Group at University of Toronto Department f Chemical Engineering and Applied Chemistry