Tag Archives: emissions

Airborne interactions between viruses and PM2.5 as an unexplored modifier of viral viability

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Photo credit: www.lung.ca

Millions of people die each year from long-term exposure to fine particulate matter, classified as PM2.5. Studies have also shown a correlation between influenza-like illness and increased PM2.5. Although it’s well known that microorganisms exist in particulate matter (bioaerosols), the infectivity of viruses when they interact with particulate matter is relatively unknown. At the SOCAAR Seminar on March 7, Dr. Nicolas Groulx, a Postdoctoral Intern in the Department of Microbiology & Division of Infectious Diseases at Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre and Research Institute and the University of Toronto, spoke about the effects of environmental pollutants on the infectivity of viruses in the air. Continue reading →

Investing in Canada’s Clean Future: Financial Innovation to Drive the Low Carbon Transition

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solar panels

Image source: National Observer

Global carbon dioxide emissions have significant contributions from the electricity and heat generation sector. In 2011, this sector accounted for over 40 per cent of global emissions. Shifting power generation from fossil fuels to renewable energy can have a powerful role in reducing emissions. The IEA forecast for the share of renewable energy in global power generation has grown over the last decade. But limitations to profitable clean energy projects exist due to high upfront costs and a lack of accessible financing.

CoPower is a clean energy finance and crowd investment company that matches clean energy firms with investors by selling retail green bonds. Jonathan Frank, director of clean energy projects at CoPower, spoke about creative financing solutions to support the growth of Canada’s clean energy industries at the SOCAAR Seminar on July 5th. Continue reading →

MURB Research at Building Energy and Indoor Environment Lab

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Source: Financial Post

Toronto has a high concentration of multi-unit residential buildings (MURBs) with the bulk that were built during the 1960s and 1970s. Today, these buildings are mostly owned by social housing and around 29 per cent of all rental units in Toronto are social housing MURBs. Current issues with MURBs are linked to energy usage not being considered when these buildings were built and also not being well maintained. Toronto is now In the midst of a second boom for MURBs but there is limited data on how the newer MURBs are performing.

At the SOCAAR Seminar on March 1st, Dr. Marianne Touchie, Assistant Professor at the University of Toronto’s Departments of Civil Engineering and Mechanical Engineering spoke about why energy retrofits of MURBs should take a comprehensive and not piecemeal approach.
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Linking Tailpipe to Ambient: Atmospheric Evolution of Combustion Emissions

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Atmospheric fine particle mass mostly originates from emissions from motor vehicles, wildfires and other combustion processes. When emissions are exposed to oxidants and sunlight, they evolve chemically and physically to generate secondary particulate matter. Dr. Allen L. Robinson, Head of the Department of Mechanical Engineering at Carnegie Mellon University, shared results from their investigations of atmospheric evolution of emissions at the SOCAAR Seminar on February 1, 2017. Continue reading →

Organic chemistry associated with Oil Sands Production: From gas phase acidity to secondary organic aerosol formation

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Photo source: Wikipedia

The Athabasca deposit in Alberta is the largest oil sand in the world and is a powerful source of Canadian energy. Over the last decade a lot attention has been paid to the environmental impacts of oil sands production. Primary emissions associated with oil sands activities have been the focus of past research but less is known about the reaction products of these emissions to the atmosphere. In the SOCCAR Seminar held on September 14, Dr. Liggio, a research scientist at Environment and Climate Change Canada’s Air Quality Research Division, presented his research on the formation of organic acidity and secondary organic aerosol from oil sands activities. Continue reading →