News

 The ScotiaBank Climate Action Research Fund is being awarded to Professor Christian Euler for a groundbreaking approach that aims to use bacteria to transform combined waste streams, including plastic-derived waste and CO2 into sustainable products such as bioplastics.

The ScotiaBank Climate Action Research Fund is granted to scientists and engineers whose research will advance climate-related initiatives.  Euler’s project offers a glimpse into a future where waste is not a problem to solve—it’s part of the solution.

“Innovation and research are important in the transition to a lower-carbon economy,” said Kim Brand, Vice President, Global Sustainable Business at Scotiabank. “At Scotiabank, we believe that research and collaboration can unlock practical solutions for businesses, communities, and individuals alike. The goal of the Climate Action Research Fund is to support initiatives, like the one underway at the University of Waterloo, to come to life in support of solutions for a more sustainable future.”

Euler’s research group could potentially create tailored biopolymers with specific properties by adjusting the bacteria’s feedstock. For instance, biopolymers could be created for use as biodegradable packaging. 

Chemical engineering alumni Jacqueline Hanton and Kayli Smith (both BASc ’20) founded a start-up called Friendlier in 2019. The company is dedicated to addressing Canada’s single-use plastic problem.

Hanton and Smith both did a study term in Sweden during their undergraduate degrees. This experience opened their eyes to the power of conscious consumerism and ignited a shared determination to preserve the planet and minimize the effects that humans are having on the environment—leading to the creation of Friendlier.

Since 2019, Hanton and Smith have raised a total of $10 million and prevented 3.7 million food and beverage containers from ending up in landfills. Friendlier has expanded its operations and now has 200 locations in Ontario, British Columbia, Nova Scotia, Manitoba, and Quebec, quickly building a national presence.

Professor Maxime Van der Heijden is a new faculty member in the Department of Chemical Engineering. Her research focuses on electrochemistry and electrochemical systems, using a combination of computational modelling, 3D printing and laboratory experimentation.

She was inspired to pursue this area of research by her PhD supervisor at Eindhoven University of Technology in the Netherlands.

“At the time, I had no background in electrochemistry or computational modeling. My supervisor, however, was very enthusiastic about both fields. I was not the obvious choice for his project, but I was eager to take on the challenge—and that’s where my passion for electrochemistry began,” said Van der Heijden.

Van der Heijden now has expertise in engineering porous electrodes for redox flow batteries through modeling, optimization and lab experimentation. Redox flow batteries are not well known in Ontario and Van der Heijden hopes to raise awareness about their potential.

Eric Croiset, a professor in the Department of Chemical Engineering, aims to turn CO2 into sustainable aviation fuel to achieve net-zero emissions. The study proposes to upend the perception of CO2 as a harmful greenhouse gas and instead view it as a valuable new feedstock for producing green fuels.

 Croiset’s research group, including PhD student Mohammadali Emadi, is exploring an innovative idea to capture CO2 gas directly from the air and turn it into sustainable aviation fuel. This idea has the potential to create a financial incentive to treat CO2 as a resource, bringing a circular carbon economy a step closer to becoming a reality.

The study combined two emerging technologies, Direct Air Capture (DAC), taking CO2 from the air and using Solid Oxide Electrolysis Cells (SOEC) to change CO2 and steam into syngas, a mixture of primarily CO and H2. Syngas can then be processed into synthetic chemicals or fuels, such as sustainable aviation fuel.

Mohamed Wanas is a technical leader for Nuclear Island Hydraulic Systems at GE Hitachi Nuclear Energy- a role that caps an interesting career path. His journey brought him to Canada, where a pivotal decision to pursue an MEng degree in the Department of Chemical Engineering helped lay the foundation for his current role in clean energy production.

Wanas completed his undergraduate degree in chemical engineering at the University of Alexandria in Egypt.  He worked on design, commissioning and normal operation phases in the oil and gas industry for eight years while he completed a Master of Applied Science (MASc) degree in Egypt.

Wanas had family in Canada and often travelled to Canada as a child and always hoped to return as an adult. In 2017 he returned with plans to pursue a PhD, however he had a strong desire to return to work in industry and began considering doing an MEng degree to return to work sooner.

Wanas initially considered applying to several Canadian universities; however, he was ultimately drawn to the University of Waterloo—not only because of its renowned engineering program, but also due to a connection he established with Chemical Engineering Graduate Studies Manager Judy Caron.

A research group led by Chemical Engineering Professor Milad Kamkar has developed a method to make it possible to have stable liquid droplets filled with different nanomaterials in another liquid.  

 This breakthrough research has created completely new categories of “programmable" droplet-based soft materials containing a range of nanomaterials. These droplets can be dried and turned into aerogel beads (highly porous materials) that can be deployed in many applications, such as carbon capture and wastewater treatment. 

 In complex environments, like wastewater streams with multiple contaminants, the aerogel beads can be layered or mixed to target specific pollutants.  

“Each bead can absorb a specific type of pollution,” says Kamkar. “Making the material not just multifunctional, but strategically programmable.” 

David Liñán Romero has won the Chemical Engineering Medal for Proficiency in Research Park and Veva Reilly Medal. The award recognizes skill in solving a research problem and efficiency in finding solutions. The award consists of a silver medal and a cash award.

"Winning this award makes me feel gratitude towards those who have encouraged and supported my research and academic development—not only my advisor and colleagues, but also my family and friends,”says Liñán Romero. "My PhD research was in numerical optimization, so I feel this award also recognizes the relevance of computational tools in aiding chemical engineering to shape a more efficient and sustainable future.”

Liñán Romero was a PhD student in the Department of Chemical Engineering supervised by Professor Luis Ricardez-Sandoval. He completed his doctoral studies in September 2024.

Liñán Romero’s main takeaways from studying with Ricardez-Sandoval were the importance of critical thinking and reasoning, as well as effective oral and written communication.

In May, the Canadian Academy of Engineering (CAE) announced that Professor Aiping Yu has been elected as a Fellow.

CAE fellows are nominated and elected by their peers in recognition of their outstanding achievements and lifelong contributions to the field of Engineering.

“I’m honoured to join the esteemed Fellowship,” Yu said. “I’m excited and grateful to have been elected as a Fellow by the Canadian Academy of Engineering.”

Yu is a University Research Chair and is widely recognized for her disruptive research. Yu’s current research focuses on developing nanomaterials for energy storage, such as Na-ion, Zn-ion and Li-ion batteries, as well as battery recycling.

As the director of the Applied Carbon Nanotechnology Laboratory, Yu is engineering graphene and other 2D materials to increase the power density and performance of batteries.

Yu has expertise in using nanomaterials such as nanotubes for the design of high-energy storage supercapacitors.

Professor Milad Kamkar’s research group has developed the first all-graphene water-based ink for 3D printing via direct ink writing. The ink promises to unlock new possibilities for addressing environmental challenges, such as eliminating invisible electromagnetic pollution from our surroundings.

The eco-friendly graphene ink enables groundbreaking applications in advanced fields, including electromagnetic interference (EMI) shielding, electronics, and environmental protection while providing a scalable solution for next-generation 3D-printed technologies.

Graphene is a material renowned for its remarkable strength, electrical conductivity, and thermal properties. One of the challenges to the widespread utilization of graphene is that it is typically produced in powder form, which is difficult to handle and limits its full application potential.

Researchers overcame this barrier by precisely engineering the nano-scale surface chemistry of graphene nanosheets to make them dispersible in water, creating a room-temperature printable, eco-friendly ink.

Climate change is devastating the world’s coral reefs, and pollution from microplastics in the oceans further damages these delicate ecosystems. Researchers at the University of Waterloo have made a breakthrough in understanding how and why microplastics get trapped in coral reefs. The new study sheds light on the role of mucus naturally secreted by coral reefs in the accumulation of microplastic pollution.

Removal strategies must ensure that detaching microplastics does not worsen environmental impact by floating back into the ocean water. Designing artificial coral reefs to capture microplastics may be the most promising answer in the race to save the planet’s coral reefs.

Coral reefs are diverse and important ecosystems, providing habitat for 25 percent of all marine life. They provide food, shelter, breeding grounds, and nurseries for millions of species. Coral reefs play a role in filtering water and creating oxygen. They also protect shorelines from the impact of storms and floods.