Sustainability news

Sustainability programs and research at U of T Engineering are at the forefront of alternative technologies that can mitigate the impact of climate change.

A new analysis by U of T Engineering researchers shows that concrete basements are the top driver of material intensity for new single-family homes. (Photo: twenty20photos, via Envato Elements)

Large carbon footprint of new house construction mostly due to concrete basements

September 29, 2021

Analysis of 40 homes in Toronto suggests zoning and construction strategies that could reduce the environmental impact of new builds

Professors Elodie Passeport (CivMin, ChemE) and Ya-Huei (Cathy) Chin (ChemE) have both received renewed Canada Research Chairs.

Renewed Canada Research Chairs will power research into green chemistry and environmental remediation

June 15, 2021

Professors Elodie Passeport (CivMin, ChemE) and Ya-Huei (Cathy) Chin (ChemE) have both received renewed Canada Research Chairs

Left to right: Professor Marianne Hatzopoulou (CivMin), MASc candidate Keni Mallinen (in vehicle) and research associate Dr. Arman Ganji with the UrbanScanner. The vehicle is a rolling laboratory capable of monitoring air quality, traffic, trees and the built environment. (Photo: Phill Snel)

The UrbanScanner Project: Mobile monitoring of air pollution in cities

February 25, 2021

Professor Marianne Hatzopoulou (CivMin) and her team have designed and built a vehicle to enable detailed tracking of urban air pollution over space and time

A bifacial perovskite/silicon tandem prototype being field-tested at King Abdullah University of Science & Technology in Saudi Arabia. The new technology is the result of a collaboration that includes U of T Engineering researchers. (Photo: Michele De Bastiani)

Two-sided solar cells can collect scattered light to gather more energy

January 11, 2021

New technology developed by international team from Saudia Arabia, Canada, Germany and Italy

Part of the new DC microgrid, these commercial-scale solar arrays on the roof of the Galbraith Building deliver electric power to ECE’s Energy Systems Lab. (Photo: Afshin Poraria)

Fully operational DC microgrid boosts sustainability research in ECE

December 18, 2020

Researchers and students will have access to commercial-scale solar arrays and energy storage facilities — with the ability to collect real-time data

PhD candidate Geonhui Lee works on an electrolyzer in the lab of Professor Ted Sargent (ECE). She is the lead author on a new paper in Nature Energy that outlines an electrochemical method for converting captured carbon into useful products, from fuels to plastics. (Photo: Marit Mitchell)

How clean electricity can upgrade the value of captured carbon

December 7, 2020

Researchers from U of T Engineering have developed a new pathway to convert CO2 captured with liquid amines into higher-value products, from fuel to plastics

This rendering shows the vision for the Sustainability Lab, a new facility to be constructed on the roof of the Wallberg Building. (Image courtesy Baird Sampson Neuert Architects)

Two new clean-energy hubs in the GTA to boost U of T Engineering sustainability research

November 19, 2020

Professor Timothy Bender is a key figure in both the Collaboration Centre for Green Energy Research Materials and the Sustainability Lab

A new set of research collaborations will look at innovative ways to improve the movement of goods across the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area. (Photo: Markus Spiske via Unsplash)

Smart Freight Centre launches new research collaborations on safer, cleaner and more efficient transport of goods in the GTHA

November 4, 2020

NSERC Alliance Grant will support 24 research projects over the next four years

Ning Yan and her collaborators in the Low-Carbon Renewable Materials Centre (LCRMC) are developing a new generation of products made from forestry biomass — including currently under-utilized materials such as tree bark. (Photo: Tyler Irving)

The forest biorefinery: Developing a new generation of sustainable plant-based materials and products

October 27, 2020

Professor Ning Yan and her colleagues are converting tree bark and other forestry byproducts into commodity chemicals and more

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