Grants and Contributions:

Grant or Award spanning more than one fiscal year. (2017-2018 to 2022-2023)

Other thinkers have written before that “waste is material at the wrong place” and that “waste is a resource”. According to recent global statistics, more than 50% of the energy we extract from primary sources is wasted in the various transformation and storage steps, leaving less than 50% in use. The situation is even worst for materials, with more that 70% of the primary materials being wasted after a first use. We now fully realize that the planet's primary resources are finite and that the anthropogenic waste that accumulates in the soil, oceans and atmosphere has negative, widepsread and lasting impacts. These observations make us realize that we do not use primary resources efficiently and do not value waste. From the elemental standpoint, “waste” is made up of the same chemical elements as the materials we value (i.e. materials we use daily and want in our backyard) but that happens to be in the wrong molecular arrangement or place. The transition to a sustainable use of resources requires a system’s thinking that features the use of renewable energy and materials, as well as efficient and closed-loop processing at all scales.
The plasma state gives access to energy levels, temperatures, and reaction rates not encountered in any other forms of matter. When powered with renewable electricity, the plasma acts as a versatile and efficient vector for electrical-to-chemical energy and waste material-to-useful material conversion. Supported by these capabilities and personally driven to contribute knowledge and tools to achieve a truly sustainable economy in the future, the long term goal of my research program is to develop plasma-based technologies in energy and environmental engineering. Specifically, I am interested in the synthesis of advanced nanomaterials and nanostructures for catalysis, energy harvesting, transport and storage, and plasma processing for resource recovery and upcycling. In the next five years, my research group will: 1) develop and study a novel high-pressure pulsed nanosecond plasma source for CH4 conversion and NH3 synthesis; 2) extend our nanocatalyst synthesis capabilities and understanding to bimetallic nanoparticles (alloys and core-shell structures); and 3) develop and study a large-volume atmospheric pressure non-thermal plasma source for in-flight functionalization of nanoparticles. I will make a judicious use of the research freedom permitted by the Discovery grant to explore new ideas and contribute to knowledge, while training several new research engineers. I also expect to contribute patent applications and technology transfers to industry. Six to eight PhD candidates, a similar number of MEng candidates, and several interns from Canada and abroad will be trained in a state-of-the-art plasma processing laboratory, with a common vision to contribute technologies and knowledge for a sustainable future.