Technologies

Researchers from Western have developed functionalized phosphonium polymers utilizing sugar or hydrophilic functionally with high antibacterial activity. The benefits of this polymer are not only in its ability to have a substantial increase in hydrophilicity, but also in its ability to exhibit high antibacterial activity and decreased hemolytic activity (red blood cell toxicity), and long-lasting efficacy.

The production of chemicals from biomass, a renewable feedstock, is highly desirable in replacing petrochemicals. Bio-based chemicals, such as 5-hydroxymethylfurfural (5-HMF), can help to replace a large fraction of industrial chemicals and materials derived from fossil resources.

Nanocomposite materials and its fabrication process present unique features that potentially enable water filtration by nano and/ or sub-nanopore-based membranes. Reverse osmosis (RO) is a purification process that utilizes this type of permeable membrane to remove ions, molecules and larger particles from water.

Sludge management is one of the most difficult and challenging tasks of wastewater treatment plants due to high water content and increasingly strict regulations for sludge reuse and disposal.

Lignin is produced in large quantities as a by-product from the chemical pulping processes in the pulp/paper industry, with annual generation of kraft lignin reaching to 50 million tons worldwide. With the fast depletion of fossil reserves, the renewable and abundant lignocellulosic biomass (wood, sawdust/bark and crop residues, etc.) can be a potential substitute for petroleum for the production of fuels and chemicals.

Improving efficiency while reducing cost is of paramount importance when it comes to solar cell research. Thin-film solar cells, at the cutting edge of solar cell technology, represent an exciting realm of photovoltaics which promises to do just this.

A portable temperature regulating device that could be integrated to either static cold storage (SCS) or perfusion devices for organs transportation.

Numerous industry, such as but not limited to municipal solid waste management, and wastewater treatment generate a large number of waste gas streams. Carbon dioxide and methane are examples of waste gas generated from process steps including the combustion of fossil fuels and ethanol fermentation.

Phenol formaldehyde (PF) resins are synthetic polymers which have a market value of $10 billion globally per year. They are used in a wide variety of products, including coatings, adhesives, laminates, and engineered plastics.

Current data collection and archiving methods are time-consuming and error-prone. Field scientists and technicians must carry a wide variety of sampling devices that inherently lack the ability to communicate with each other – often relying on a pen-and-paper system of recording and annotation.