News & Updates Archive (2022)

Research on liquid film stability reveals mechanism behind destabilization on solid surfaces

By Michael Martino | May 11, 2022 | Comments Off on Research on liquid film stability reveals mechanism behind destabilization on solid surfaces

For his research project titled “A New Perspective on the Stability of Liquid Films on Solid Surfaces”, Suraj Borkar (ChemE PhD student), under the guidance of Professor Arun Ramchandran, set out to better understand the cause of destabilization of films of hydrophobic liquids (for example oil) sandwiched between a liquid medium (like water) and a […]

Good news from the Multidisciplinary Laboratory for Innovative Catalytic Science

By Jennifer Hsu | May 6, 2022 | Comments Off on Good news from the Multidisciplinary Laboratory for Innovative Catalytic Science

Professor Cathy Chin and her team from the Multidisciplinary Laboratory for Innovative Catalytic Science have several reasons to celebrate! On May 23, 2022, William Broomhead (ChemE PhD student) will deliver a lecture at the 27th North American Catalysis Society Meeting in New York City. Broomhead’s talk will discuss the green-catalytic processes and systems for the […]

Innovative research on understanding stress relaxation behaviour

By Jennifer Hsu | May 4, 2022 | Comments Off on Innovative research on understanding stress relaxation behaviour

Short glass and carbon fibres are added to polymers, such as epoxy, to provide stiffness and strength. As the fibres are elastic, they behave like metal springs, but the polymers are viscoelastic, meaning that they undergo creep and stress relaxation. When elastic fibres are added to viscoelastic polymers, the fibres seem to strangely alter the […]

UTCV competing in AIChE Chem-E-Car Competition on April 30!

By Jennifer Hsu | April 27, 2022 | Comments Off on UTCV competing in AIChE Chem-E-Car Competition on April 30!

On Saturday, April 30, the University of Toronto Chemical Vehicles (UTCV) student group will be competing in the American Institute of Chemical Engineers (AIChE) Chem-E-Car Competition. This competition draws in multidisciplinary design teams from across North America and allows them to exhibit their cars powered by chemical energy sources. The competition will run from 9AM […]

Recovering a crucial and non-renewable resource from wastewater

By Jennifer Hsu | April 26, 2022 | Comments Off on Recovering a crucial and non-renewable resource from wastewater

Phosphorous (P) is a critical component of biological processes. Yet, its over-enrichment in water bodies, known as eutrophication, can have detrimental effects on aquatic ecosystems. As a non-renewable resource with no known alternatives, it is important to recover P from wastewater. Sara Abu-Obaid (PhD candidate), supervised by Professor Ramin Farnood and Adjunct Professor Shahram Tabe, […]

U of T Engineering researchers use machine learning to enhance environmental monitoring of microplastics

By Jennifer Hsu | April 21, 2022 | Comments Off on U of T Engineering researchers use machine learning to enhance environmental monitoring of microplastics

Microplastics exist all around us — in the water we drink, the food we eat and the air we breathe. But before researchers can understand the real impact of these particles, they need faster and more effective ways to quantify what is there.   Professors Elodie Passeport (CivMin, ChemE) and Joshua Taylor (ECE) are leveraging machine […]

Research by teaching-stream faculty transforming engineering education

By Jennifer Hsu | April 20, 2022 | Comments Off on Research by teaching-stream faculty transforming engineering education

Over the last 10 years, many universities across Canada have started to hire teaching-stream professors. There is often a misconception that this ‘new breed’ of professors focuses solely on teaching at the expense of research. The three teaching-stream faculty members within the Department of Chemical Engineering & Applied Chemistry (ChemE) dispel this stereotype. Professor Jennifer […]

From biogas to vaccines, U of T students collaborate across time zones through ‘Global Classrooms’ initiative

By Jennifer Hsu | April 14, 2022 | Comments Off on From biogas to vaccines, U of T students collaborate across time zones through ‘Global Classrooms’ initiative

Under the supervision of Ariel Chan and Graeme Norval, U of T Engineering students have been collaborating virtually with students at Nigeria’s Covenant University to share updates on their joint mission: building a low-cost biogas generator for remote communities in Africa’s most populous country. This project immerses the students in a real-world engineering challenge within a Global Classrooms setting, where […]

Improving the energy efficiency of pulp and paper mills

By Jennifer Hsu | April 12, 2022 | Comments Off on Improving the energy efficiency of pulp and paper mills

Pulp and paper mills are often plagued with sodium salt scaling in their high solid evaporators. Research in the Department of Chemical Engineering & Applied Chemistry is looking to improve the energy efficiency of mills, and in the best case, reduce the potential downtime associated with the removal of scales through more intensive means. A […]

Now hiring! Faculty opportunity in the field of Artificial Intelligence for Materials and Molecular Discovery

By Jennifer Hsu | April 11, 2022 | Comments Off on Now hiring! Faculty opportunity in the field of Artificial Intelligence for Materials and Molecular Discovery

Date Posted: 04/11/2022 Closing Date: 05/16/2022, 11:59PM ET Req ID: 23579 Job Category: Faculty – Tenure Stream (continuing) Faculty/Division: Faculty of Applied Science & Engineering Department: Department of Chemical Engineering & Applied Chemistry Campus: St. George (Downtown Toronto) Description: The Department of Chemical Engineering & Applied Chemistry in the Faculty of Applied Science & Engineering at the University of Toronto invites […]