Concordia engineering researchers receive $497K to help Canada meet its emission-reduction targets

Canada has a target to reduce emissions to 40 per cent below 2005 levels by 2030 and reach net-zero emissions by 2050. To meet these goals, industry will have to play a significant role.

To this end, the Government of Canada’s Climate Action and Awareness Fund has awarded $497,000 to a Concordia research team led by principal investigator Yaser Khojasteh. The funding will support the development of innovative technologies that will help Canadian businesses decrease the amount of greenhouse gas (GHS) they emit.

Khojasteh is an assistant professor of chemical and materials engineering. He and his team will focus on analyzing what are known as carbon capture, utilization and storage (CCUS) techniques to develop ecofriendly, cost-effective CO2 capture and utilization processes.

CCUS techniques make effective use of the high concentrations of CO2 emitted in the production of a variety of products, such as chemicals, fuels and polymers, and are seen as a pivotal development in Canada’s greenhouse gas reduction targets going forward.

“Before CCUS techniques can be marketed, a number of problems and financial/environmental risks must be resolved,” Khojasteh explains. “The capacity for industries to benefit from this technology depends on several factors, including technical and financial viability. To date, no research on the design and simulation of these technologies has been conducted.”