NEWS FROM THE FIELD : UNIVERSITIES

Sustainable solid waste strategy unveiled

Regina Leader-Post – A goal of Saskatchewan’s solid waste management strategy is to divert half of the annual 842 kilograms-per-person of trash from landfills.

The strategy is three years in the making and was talked about for more than a decade before that.
One of its main goals is to divert solid waste from landfills.

Solid waste covers anything solid – plastic packaging, paper, food scraps, electronics – and Saskatchewan people per capita send 842 kilograms of solid waste to landfills each year, according to data from 2014. That includes waste produced by businesses and institutions and does not include products diverted to recycling streams.

This is problematic because landfills are expensive to run and hazardous to the environment, with waste leaching into groundwater, and organics decomposing to release methane into the atmosphere. Methane is a more potent greenhouse gas than carbon dioxide.

SaskPower is working with landfills to harness methane to create electricity.

Government looking at energy investment

Saskatoon Star Phoenix – On the same day an appeal court removed a major obstacle facing the federal government-owned Trans Mountain Pipeline Expansion, the Saskatchewan government signalled that it too is open to investing in pipeline projects.

The announcement came in the form of a new four-member cabinet committee tasked with reviewing pipelines to the U.S. and the Port of Churchill, MB as well as considering “possible government involvement” in such projects.

Details about potential government investment in a proposed pipeline are scarce, but Export and Trade Development Minister Jeremy Harrison – who sits on the committee – said overwhelming political risk meant considering options “beyond advocacy”.

The committee reflects priorities in the government’s new growth plan, which was released late last year and specifically mentions encouraging the development of pipelines to the U.S. and the possibility of shipping oil through Churchill.

Harrison said the government frequently talks to pipeline companies but admitted it has not reached out to the Manitoba government about a pipeline to Churchill.

“There’s a lot of things that need to happen before we’re at the point of announcing a project,” he said.

Asked where the government – which aims to release a balanced budget next month after three years spent erasing a $1.2-billion deficit – would get the money to buy an equity stake in a pipeline, Harrison called funding it a “priority”.

Searching for green hydrogen

Interesting Engineering – In February, a company planned to harvest green hydrogen by lighting underground oil reservoirs on fire, according to a report by Science Mag.

In the frozen plains of Saskatchewan, workers inject steam and air into Superb field, a 700-metre-thick layer of sand, which acts like a massive bottle cap to green hydrogen, and 200 million barrels of thick, black oil.
The goal isn’t to pump out oil, but instead to burn it at a temperature hot enough to churn out hydrogen gas and carbon dioxide (CO2).

The company behind this $3-million feat – Proton Technologies – intends to plug the subsequently infernal well with membranes that will allow clean-burning hydrogen to pass through for harvesting, at the surface.

The CO2, which warms the climate, will remain buried deep underground.

The market for green hydrogen is growing because, as a fuel for power, heat and transportation, the by-product is nothing but clean water.

Most hydrogen is made from natural gas, via a chemical process that flings carbon into the air, or by electrolyzing water – both extremely expensive alternatives.

However, Proton Technologies believes it will cut costs by only mining oil reservoirs that drillers avoid such as those water-logged or with oil that’s too thick to extract.

Aquistore’s 4D seismic survey monitors CO2 plume

Pipeline News – The last week of January had quiet thumps heard in the vicinity of the Aquistore wells, located approximately three kilometres west of Boundary Dam Power Station.
Roughly 400 of those thumps were shots of dynamite going off as part of an ongoing 4D seismic survey of the carbon dioxide injection into the Aquistore project.

Aquistore injects carbon dioxide captured at the Boundary Dam Unit 3 Integrated Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) Project. CO2 that is not used in the Whitecap Resources Inc.-operated Weyburn Unit for enhanced oil recovery (EOR) is instead injected 3.4 kilometres below the surface into deep saline aquifers.

The initial ones were done before the two Aquistore wells – an injection and an observation well – were drilled. They were meant to provide a baseline, prior to the injection of any CO2.

The target is the Deadwood formation, which is about 200 metres thick, but it’s not one big tank of sand.

The CO2 injection has been pretty steady at 400 to 500 tonnes per day, but part of the plan is to ramp up the injection rate in an incremental manner from the usual to the maximum injection rate. That could possibly be up to the full production capacity of the plant, 2,800 to 3,000 tonnes per day to see that, if necessary, this injection well can handle that amount.

The PTRC and Deep Earth Energy Production Corp. (DEEP) have similar interest in the Deadwood formation. DEEP’s interest is to use that formation as a source of geothermal heat.

Rising helium prices renew interest

Global Regina – The rising price of helium has brought renewed interest in the Saskatchewan industry.

“We’re kind of at the equivalent of the oil and gas industry back in the ‘50s,” said Melinda Yurkowski, P.Geo., chief assistant geologist at the Saskatchewan Geological Survey.

“We’re just sort of learning the tricks and the tools that we need to explore… and develop helium”, she said.

The price of helium has spiked in recent years, driven by decreasing supply and increasing demand. The U.S. government decided in 2015 to sell off its strategic reserves, limiting the amount available.
Increased production of products like microchips and fibre optic cables, in which helium is used, has increased the need.

Saskatchewan has exported helium since the 1960s and in the space race, NASA used Saskatchewan helium to help fuel rockets.

Yurkowski said there are now nearly 300 permits and leases to look for helium in the province, roughly 100 of which were received in the past year.

The Prairies are especially suited to helium.

“It’s been a tectonically stable area for a very long time and the helium, that is a by-product of uranium and thorium, has been allowed to accumulate,” Yurkowski said.

Canadian mining takes a hit

Financial Post – Global commodity investors are taking note as Canada grapples with cancelled projects and entrenched opposition to the development of its resources.

This was evident in the annual survey of mining executives by the Fraser Institute that shows Canadian provinces are no longer considered among the top 10 places in the world to invest for mining. Last year’s survey had four provinces in the top 10.

Saskatchewan was the highest ranked province at 11th, down from third last year, followed by Ontario at 16th, Quebec at 18th and British Columbia at 19th, according to the survey. This is the first time in the past 10 years that no province has cracked the top 10 on the investment rankings.

The top three most attractive global mining jurisdictions for investment this year were Western Australia, Finland and Nevada. Alaska, Portugal, Idaho, South Australia, Republic of Ireland, Arizona and Sweden completed the top 10 list.

There were a few bright spots in the report for Canadian jurisdictions, however. Alberta, Newfoundland and Labrador and Saskatchewan all made the top 10 of the report’s policy perception index which is separate from another index that is based purely on mineral value and geologic potential. The two indices combine to form the overall investment ranking.

Sask sets gold production record

CBC Saskatchewan – Gold production in Saskatchewan hit a record high last year, according to the province’s Ministry of Energy and Resources.

In fact, the ministry said 2019 was the fourth straight year that a new record for gold production was set.

All of the gold produced in Saskatchewan comes from the Seabee Gold Operation, the province’s only active gold mine. It produced 112,137 ounces of gold last year, a 17-per-cent increase over the previous year, the ministry said.

The Seabee gold operation is owned by SSR Mining and is located about 125 kilometres northeast of La Ronge.

Production takes place at the Santoy underground mine before the ore is processed at the nearby Seabee mill facility.

Nuclear energy top of mind

CKRM – Saskatchewan’s Minister for the Environment was at the Canadian Nuclear Association annual conference and trade show in Ottawa in early March.

With speakers and experts from the industry attending, Minister Dustin Duncan said the interest in nuclear energy is top of mind with people wanting to see greenhouse gas reduced.

“This is clean energy, a clean energy source that would be a good partner with renewable energy. In Saskatchewan, we are looking at a 40 per cent reduction of greenhouse gas emissions by 2030, by pairing renewable energy with natural gas. In order to move beyond that 40 per cent we would really need to look at technology like nuclear going forward.”

Duncan said that in the past conventional large-scale projects have been looked at but often come with challenges like the public perception of not wanting to move forward with nuclear technology. With small modular reactors Duncan calls the technology next generation.

According to Duncan, this could be a $150-billion industry worldwide and he says any advancement for nuclear industry has a positive effect in the province, especially when it comes to mining employment.

Funding approved for inter-provincial power line

CTV News – The federal government announced funding for the Birtle Transmission Line.
The project will help Manitoba Hydro build a transmission line from Birtle South Station in the Municipality of Prairie View to the Manitoba-Saskatchewan border 46 kilometres northwest. Once completed, the new line will allow up to 215 megawatts of hydroelectricity to flow from the Manitoba Hydro power grid to the SaskPower power grid.

The government said the transmission line would create a more stable energy supply, keep energy rates affordable and help Saskatchewan’s efforts to reduce cumulative greenhouse-gas emissions in that province.

Transitioning away from coal

CBC Saskatchewan – The Saskatchewan government is doling out $10 million to help two coal-reliant communities transition to cleaner energy industries.

Estevan will receive $8 million. Coronach will receive the remaining $2 million.

The funding comes with a catch. The money is to be spread to neighbouring municipalities to help them build up cleaner energy infrastructure as well.

Moe used the announcement to scold Ottawa, saying the need to make this transition was imposed “much earlier than planned by new federal regulations.”

New federal regulations require all coal-fired power stations to be decommissioned after 50 years in operation, or by the year 2030, whichever comes first.

The province said this will impact three power stations, several mines and hundreds of jobs in southeast Saskatchewan.

Conference focuses on Indigenous STEM

CTV Saskatoon – About 200 Indigenous students, teachers and professionals recently took part in a science, technology, engineering and math conference at the University of Saskatchewan.
Co-organizer John Desjarlais, P.Eng., who grew up in Cumberland House and is an engineer, said Saskatchewan needs more Indigenous people in those areas.

“In a province like ours, representation is incredibly poor. About 16 per cent of the population of Saskatchewan is Indigenous, however there’s only one or two percent Indigenous people in my profession.”

Kindergarten through Grade 12 students as well as post-secondary students and some teachers learned about STEM fields and careers. Delegates are coming from across Canada and the United States.
Another organizer, Micheala Merasty, a third-year environmental biology student from Pelican Narrows, has always been interested in biology, she said. Having this opportunity to meet other people like her is invaluable.

“I loved biology as far back as I can remember. I would bring home frogs and one time my mom came home and there were 30 frogs in the tub.”

She wasn’t sure how she could further this love of biology until she found out about a program in environmental science. She wanted to be a part of this conference so that representation of Indigenous people in her field and other areas would increase.

This is the first time the conference has been held in Saskatchewan. The idea was modelled after a similar event in the U.S. Two other such conferences have been held in Canada and delegates from Saskatchewan have attended. They wanted to bring the opportunity here and showcase Saskatchewan’s strengths in the four disciplines.

Organizer Julia Doucette-Garr, a third-year physics student from English River First Nation, hopes this event will help others realize their strengths.

“I was interested in sciences, but I was never submerged into that environment and I feel that’s very important for Indigenous youth to hear, ‘hey you’re smart enough to do this. I believe in you.’”
It’s crucial for Indigenous people to see themselves represented in the fields like science and math so they have role models and know they can achieve success too, she said.



Greenhouses a possibility in north

University of Saskatchewan – Imagine having sustainable, cost-efficient greenhouses in the far north growing fruits and vegetables.

Researchers at the University of Saskatchewan are trying to make this a reality.

Nazanin Charchi, a PhD student in chemical engineering at the U of S, is using the Canadian Light Source synchrotron to develop a method to remove the chemical ethylene from the air, to help make a greenhouse viable in harsh environments like Canada’s north.

“Basically, when the plants grow they produce ethylene,” said U of S professor Jafar Soltan, P.Eng.
Soltan said ethylene works like a growth hormone. In warm climates, excessive ethylene can easily be removed by opening the windows. That’s not an option in colder, harsher areas.

If you could somehow remove the excess ethylene without opening a window during cold winters, self-contained greenhouses become more cost efficient and sustainable.

That’s where Charchi’s research comes in.

Charchi is using the Canadian Light Source synchrotron to develop a method, or catalyst, to remove ethylene from greenhouses without needing outside air.

“The biggest impact of this research is on reducing energy consumption in those self-contained greenhouses,” Soltan said.

“The technology that we have removes ethylene in the air inside the greenhouse so you do not need to bring in a lot of air from outside.”

That offers the tantalizing prospect of making these greenhouses self-contained and energy efficient.
On top of that, Charchi said being able to remove the excess ethylene means greater longevity for fruits and vegetables that goes bad faster because of ethylene.

“This technology could make greenhouses more environmentally sustainable and less expensive to run. As a result, we could have more food grown in greenhouses in cold regions like Canada and more food security for our families,” Soltan said.

Charchi said they have been successful in being able to use a catalyst to remove ethylene in the lab.
She said the next step is to partner with the air conditioning and Hvac industry to develop a commercial application for a new generation of greenhouses.

U of S partners with agriculture group

University of Saskatchewan – When your college is located in Canada’s agricultural heartland, that shapes its research priorities.

“It’s our responsibility to be the best at engineering for agriculture,” says Terry Fonstad, Ph.D., P.Eng., P.Ag., FEC, associate dean research and partnerships at the University of Saskatchewan College of Engineering.

The college recently launched a partnership with Saskatchewan-based company VeriGrain to cooperate on research as the company develops technology to accurately sample grain in real time and digitize the data.

VeriGrain featured its technology recently at the Western Canadian Crop Production Show in Saskatoon, where Fonstad presented about the college’s connection with the company.

The spin-off research opportunities created by these disruptive technologies are important to the college and the ag industry, he said.

Innovation group faces turning point

University of Saskatchewan – The student group SaskInvent is tackling bigger-scale projects, according to their president, Richard Gauvreau. He says that they have reached a point where their innovations are more than just “cool ideas”.

SaskInvent is a multidisciplinary, student-run organization with a mandate to “[build] innovative biomedical technologies that help people”.

With partnerships and a growing list of finished projects under their belt, the group has found success in designing innovative products by fusing together engineering principles and biological sciences.
The campus group was established in 2014 and has grown to 55 members. The members are divided into groups based on the project they are working on, which at the moment includes a hand rehabilitation device and a low-cost, repairable intravenous pump.

Another primary assignment the team has is a prosthetic arm project.

Perhaps the most popular project they have finished so far is a 3D model of a brain at the Royal University Hospital. The model was created to help diagnose a patient’s condition as it is easier to navigate than with 2D prints.

Gauvreau, an engineering student, says the group is looking forward to building on this growth.

SaskInvent uses concepts such as mechanics and robotics to develop solutions to medical problems and they hope to add more subject areas to their multidisciplinary approach.

SaskInvent’s growing popularity has brought the group to a turning point. With their size and variety of disciplines represented among members increasing, Gauvreau says the group has reached a new level.

Funding provided for livestock research

Global News – Researchers at the University of Saskatchewan received $7 million to study how to improve livestock’s health and make farming more environmentally friendly.

The money is for 20 projects, including $3.2 million for seven projects at the university’s Livestock and Forage Centre of Excellence.

The money comes from the province’s Agriculture Development Fund and from “industry partners,” according to the university.

The projects include breeding plants that cattle can more easily digest and growing better feed for cattle and sheep that would be able to be seeded and grow faster and potentially produce more food.
Terry Fonstad, Ph.D., P.Eng.,P.Ag.,FEC, associate professor at the university, is looking at how to better use manure in feedlots and how those lots can impact the environment.

He said when cows finish eating, the nutrients from their food need to go back into the field. He’s looking at what methods have less of an environmental impact and are more sustainable.

Fonstad said his research will also help with permitting new feedlots in the province in the future by providing data on where and how they should operate to have the least impact on the environment.

USask News – Five research projects at the University of Saskatchewan have been awarded a total of $100,000 through the Research Junction Development Grant program, a jointly funded university-municipal research partnership with the City of Saskatoon, announced in September of 2019.
The grants provide researchers with access to the City’s resources, data and expertise and provide City staff with access to analyses and data resulting from the projects to inform decision-making.
One project of note: Measuring pharmaceuticals in Saskatoon’s wastewater.

U of S toxicology researcher Markus Brinkmann, in collaboration with other researchers from U of S Toxicology Centre and the College of Engineering, will work with City’s wastewater treatment plant operations manager Mike Sadowski, P.Eng., to conduct comprehensive measurements of pharmaceuticals – antibiotics, pain killers, beta-blockers, hormone-like substances and others.

The treated wastewater is discharged after an extensive treatment process at Saskatoon’s wastewater treatment plant into the South Saskatchewan River.

Pharmaceuticals, while not officially regulated in wastewaters, have become an important class of wastewater elements that many treatment plants across Canada have worked to measure.
By sampling water in the wastewater treatment plant and downstream in the river, the researchers will work to better understand and stay current with technology and new solutions to treat wastewater.