Athabasca tailings wastewater spans over 1.2 trillion litres, growing daily and damaging ecosystems. Current evaporation methods are slow and costly. This research introduces a simple, low-cost device using cotton towels and solar-heated thin-layer evaporation, increasing evaporation by 400%. The approach could help reclaim contaminated land and restore natural habitats.

This research reinvents wastewater treatment by adapting circulating fluidized bed reactors—normally used in petrochemicals—to grow bacteria on small surfaces and efficiently remove waste. Mobile, trailer-mounted reactors provide high-performance treatment without large facilities, making them ideal for dense cities, remote communities, and overburdened systems.

This research tackles the environmental impact of plastic waste by improving the recyclability of coated paper products such as paper cups. By comparing global recycling methods and equipment, the study identifies factors affecting fibre recovery and develops a reliable lab-based protocol to evaluate coated paper recyclability, supporting greener packaging solutions.

This research develops a low-cost water-monitoring system using nanofabricated diffraction surfaces and image analysis. As water flows over a “rainbow film,” distinct optical patterns reveal chemical or biological contaminants. The system has already detected dyes, algae, and particulates, offering a rapid, affordable tool for identifying pollution in water pipelines.

My research develops green membrane technologies to extract and recycle lithium sustainably. By selectively filtering lithium ions from complex mixtures without heavy chemical or energy inputs, these membranes offer an alternative to current waste-intensive methods. The goal is to make the lithium supply chain as clean and sustainable as the renewable future it supports.