Grant: Alliance Grants
University of Western Ontario
$60,000.00
Comprehensive investigation of mine-impacted water treatment using cryo-purification: Bench-scale and pilot-scale stages with the aid of artificial intelligence application
EF 2021-22
Résumé
The proposal deals with comprehensive investigation and testing of an environmental-friendly, energy-efficient, economically feasible freezing technology (cryo-purification) for mine-impacted water remediation in close collaboration with industry partner, Core Geoscience Services Inc. (Whitehorse, Yukon). The application of cryo-purification, especially in the locations where northern climates' cold temperature conditions can be utilized could be a viable water treatment solution. Northern Canada is of special interest considering that three of the five largest federal contaminated sites - Faro Mine, Giant Mine and Colomac Mine - are located within Yukon and Northwest Territories, where water treatment is required. The application of this technology (which can be effective for the removal of both inorganic and organic contaminants from aqueous solutions) could be particularly beneficial for Yukon First Nations (YFN) communities to address the lack of access to safe, clean household water in a cost-effective and easy-to-use manner. The Faro Mine is a legacy abandoned mine in Yukon, Canada, that is now the responsibility of the Government of Canada to manage and mitigate environmental impacts. Our team's initial study and recent results on laboratory testing and mathematical modeling for the removal of zinc from the mine-impacted water (Faro Mine, Yukon, Canada) using a range of cryo-purification techniques (within the previous 2020-2021 NSERC Alliance and Mitacs Accelerate-supported projects) provide a solid foundation for further successive stages, including bench and pilot-scale testing. The approach to be used combines laboratory testing, data analysis, mathematical modeling within bench- and pilot-scale stages with the aid of artificial intelligence application. This approach, together with close collaboration between the industry partner CoreGeo and Western University maximize the chances of project success and ultimately lead to the commercialization and application of cryo-purification at mine sites, or industrial sites, in the coming years.
Programme
Alliance Grants
Bénéficiaire
Emplacement
Ontario, Canada
Type de bénéficiaire
Academia
Type
Grant
Source
NSERC's Awards Data
Tel que publié
Application id
567160-2021
Name nom
Ray, Ajay Kumar
Department département
Chemical and Biochemical Engineering
Organization id
36
Institution établissement
University of Western Ontario
Province en
Ontario
Province fr
Ontario
Country en
CANADA
Country fr
CANADA
Fiscal year exercice financier
2021
Competition year année de concours
2021
Award amount
60000
Program id
ALLRP
Program name en
Alliance Grants
Program name fr
Subventions Alliance
Group en
Research partnerships programs
Group fr
Programmes de partenariat
Committee code
96
Committee name en
RPP Internal Decision Cttee
Committee name fr
Cté de décision interne - PPR
Area of application code
702
Area of application group en
Transportation systems and services
Area of application group fr
Services et systèmes de transport
Area of application en
Water
Area of application fr
Maritime
Research subject code
1800
Research subject group en
Chemical engineering
Research subject group fr
Génie chimique
Research subject en
Chemical engineering
Research subject fr
Génie chimique
Installment
inst:1
Partie
1
Nb partie
4
Application title
Comprehensive investigation of mine-impacted water treatment using cryo-purification: Bench-scale and pilot-scale stages with the aid of artificial intelligence application
Keyword
NSERC
Application summary
The proposal deals with comprehensive investigation and testing of an environmental-friendly, energy-efficient, economically feasible freezing technology (cryo-purification) for mine-impacted water remediation in close collaboration with industry partner, Core Geoscience Services Inc. (Whitehorse, Yukon). The application of cryo-purification, especially in the locations where northern climates' cold temperature conditions can be utilized could be a viable water treatment solution. Northern Canada is of special interest considering that three of the five largest federal contaminated sites - Faro Mine, Giant Mine and Colomac Mine - are located within Yukon and Northwest Territories, where water treatment is required. The application of this technology (which can be effective for the removal of both inorganic and organic contaminants from aqueous solutions) could be particularly beneficial for Yukon First Nations (YFN) communities to address the lack of access to safe, clean household water in a cost-effective and easy-to-use manner. The Faro Mine is a legacy abandoned mine in Yukon, Canada, that is now the responsibility of the Government of Canada to manage and mitigate environmental impacts. Our team's initial study and recent results on laboratory testing and mathematical modeling for the removal of zinc from the mine-impacted water (Faro Mine, Yukon, Canada) using a range of cryo-purification techniques (within the previous 2020-2021 NSERC Alliance and Mitacs Accelerate-supported projects) provide a solid foundation for further successive stages, including bench and pilot-scale testing. The approach to be used combines laboratory testing, data analysis, mathematical modeling within bench- and pilot-scale stages with the aid of artificial intelligence application. This approach, together with close collaboration between the industry partner CoreGeo and Western University maximize the chances of project success and ultimately lead to the commercialization and application of cryo-purification at mine sites, or industrial sites, in the coming years.
