News & Updates Archive (2022)

Using renewable biopolymers (lignin) for dewatering biosludge

By Jennifer Hsu | July 5, 2022 | Comments Off on Using renewable biopolymers (lignin) for dewatering biosludge

Hamed Ghazisaidi (ChemE PhD student) and Vincent Wang (ChemE 2T1 + PEY Co-op, incoming MASc), supervised by Professors Grant Allen and Honghi Tran, as well as Senior Research Associate Dr. Torsten Meyer, are looking for alternative chemicals or additives that can replace petroleum-derived products in wastewater treatment systems with more sustainable and environmentally friendly chemicals.​ […]

Traffic-related pollution in Toronto: Prof. Jeff Brook featured in The Narwhal

By Jennifer Hsu | June 27, 2022 | Comments Off on Traffic-related pollution in Toronto: Prof. Jeff Brook featured in The Narwhal

Professor Jeff Brook has studied traffic-related air pollution for over 20 years and is now the principal investigator on a team developing interactive tools that allow users to combine air pollution modelled on a map with socioeconomic data from the census. This story is part of Toronto’s Climate Right Now, a collaboration with The Local about vulnerability and […]

Curbside dining: SOCAAR featured in The Toronto Star

By Jennifer Hsu | June 27, 2022 | Comments Off on Curbside dining: SOCAAR featured in The Toronto Star

With curbside patios out in full force along Toronto city streets, Professor Greg Evans says that the air quality pros outweigh the cons when it comes to outdoor dining. Read the full story by The Toronto Star titled ‘How unhealthy is it to eat in a curbside patio next to traffic? Most CaféTO diners can […]

Recovering nickel from mining waste

By Jennifer Hsu | June 21, 2022 | Comments Off on Recovering nickel from mining waste

The mining industry in northern Ontario, particularly in Sudbury, has been the economic backbone of this region. As the mining operations generate profits, they also produce large amounts of waste in the form of pyrrhotite tailings, which has become an environmental burden. Under the supervision of Professor Vlad Papangelakis, Heping (Leonardo) Shen (ChemE PhD student) […]

Grads to Watch 2022

By Jennifer Hsu | June 14, 2022 | Comments Off on Grads to Watch 2022

With the University’s Convocation ceremony on June 16, 2022 U of T Engineering students mark the end of one journey and the beginning of another. Having enriched the U of T Engineering community as undergraduate and graduate students, they will join our vibrant, global network of Skule™ alumni, where they will continue to address pressing […]

Teaching legacy of the two Bills

By Jennifer Hsu | June 14, 2022 | Comments Off on Teaching legacy of the two Bills

The very first issue of Interfaces* back in Spring 2003, ran a story about the “two Bills,” Bill Graydon (ChemE 4T2, MASc 4T5) and Bill Burgess (ChemE 3T9). The story highlighted their love for teaching. Snippets are presented here: The two Bills first met in 1954 in the basement of Wallberg. They felt an instant […]

Wood-derived prototype could lead to self-powered biosensors

By Jennifer Hsu | June 3, 2022 | Comments Off on Wood-derived prototype could lead to self-powered biosensors

Wood-derived materials can be used to harvest electrical energy from everyday movements such as walking, according to a new study from researchers at U of T Engineering and the University of Waterloo. In a paper recently published in Nano Energy, the team demonstrated the use of lignocellulosic nanofibrils, derived from tree bark, in a prototype self-powered device […]

Water capture and recycling using Forward Osmosis and Freeze Crystallization

By Jennifer Hsu | June 2, 2022 | Comments Off on Water capture and recycling using Forward Osmosis and Freeze Crystallization

Water scarcity has been a growing issue, including in developed countries. The lack of treatment methods for concentrated effluent in the mining and metals manufacturing industry is one of the contributors to the problem. Under the supervision of Professor Vlad Papangelakis, ChemE PhD students Noel Devaere and Runlin Yuan are focusing on water separation and […]

Alumna creating new & innovative 3D prints using glass flakes

By Jennifer Hsu | May 26, 2022 | Comments Off on Alumna creating new & innovative 3D prints using glass flakes

Umema Khan (ChemE MASc 2021), a Materials Print Engineer at Markforged, applies the knowledge she’s gained during her grad studies to continue to create new and innovative 3D printing material formulations with additional kinds of 3D printing technologies. Under the supervision of Dr. Mark Kortschot, Khan investigated new and innovative 3D printing materials. In her […]

Collaborative research will improve outcomes for retinal-detachment surgeries

By Jennifer Hsu | May 19, 2022 | Comments Off on Collaborative research will improve outcomes for retinal-detachment surgeries

Retinal detachment (RD) is a serious medical condition in which vision in an eye is partially or fully lost because of the separation of the retina from the retinal pigment epithelium (RPE). ChemE Professor Arun Ramchandran and Dr. Rajeev Muni, Vice Chair in the Department of Ophthalmology & Vision Sciences at U of T and […]