ADRIQ and NSERC celebrated seven fruitful partnerships that have had major benefits for Québec in recent years. The honorees include the NSERC-Polytechnique-UQAT Industrial Chair in Environment and Mine-Waste Management, which has been working for over a decade to reduce the impacts of mining operations in close collaboration with mining companies, engineering consulting firms and government ministries. The award was accepted by Michel Aubertin, chairholder and professor in Polytechnique Montréal's Department of Civil, Geological and Mining Engineering. He was accompanied by the chair co-holder, Professor Bruno Bussière of UQAT.

 Left to right: Denis Isabel, Vice-President, Mining Environments, Sustainable Mining Development, SNC-Lavalin; Bruno Bussière, Professor, UQAT, and chair co-holder; Michel Aubertin, Professor, Polytechnique Montréal, chairholder; Jean-Louis Legault, CEO of ADRIQ.

The winners also include the NSERC research network on solar buildings, which Professor Michel Bernier has been working with for several years.

ADRIQ also honoured André Bazergui, former professor and Chief Executive Officer of Polytechnique, for his visionary qualities and his involvement in the Consortium de recherche et d'innovation en aérospatiale au Québec (Consortium for Research and Innovation in Aerospace in Québec — CRIAQ), a model of partnership that has quickly become a reference in the field.

The work of the NSERC-Polytechnique-UQAT Industrial Chair in Environment and Mine-Waste Management

The Canadian mining industry's current period of great prosperity comes with major environmental challenges. In Québec alone, the industry produces nearly 100 million tonnes of solid waste every year.

Since 2001, the work of the NSERC-Polytechnique-UQAT Industrial Chair in Environment and Mine-Waste Management, carried out in partnership with several companies, has led to significant advances. The development of various techniques to re-use, recycle and upvalue the waste produced on mining sites has made it possible to minimize the quantity of waste and substantially reduce the impact of mining operations.

The research projects led by the Chair touch on geotechnical, hydrogeological, geochemical, operational and environmental aspects, in relation to management methods for mining waste and the restoration of both active and abandoned sites. Significant advances have been made in terms of the hydro-geochemical characterisation of mining waste, the digital modelling of exchange processes, and the development of better solutions for managing solid and liquid wastes, both from an environmental perspective and a technological and financial one.

The training of highly qualified staff is also a major benefit to the industry. Over the last decade, the Chair has trained over 100 engineers and mining engineering experts, which makes it one of the largest national and international training programs in the field. Among others, the co-chairholder, Professor Bussière, is himself a former student of Professor Aubertin, the chairholder.

The Chair enjoys financial support totalling nearly $4.3 million. It brings together several partners: Polytechnique Montréal and Université du Québec en Abitibi-Témiscamingue (UQAT), NSERC, Agnico-Eagle, Barrick Gold, BHP Billiton, Rio Tinto (Iron & Titanium), Xstrata, Golder Associates, SNC-Lavalin and the Ministère des Ressources naturelles et de la Faune (Québec ministry of natural resources and wildlife).

The Célébrons le partenariat event is organized by ADRIQ in collaboration with NSERC. It aims to honour the commercial successes of technological collaborations in Québec among researchers, entrepreneurs and their partners.

Our heartiest congratulations to the winners!

Online:
To read about Professor Aubertin's expertise, click here.
NSERC-Polytechnique-UQÀT Industrial Chair in Environment and Mine-Waste Management
NSERC and ADRIQ
Célébrons le partenariat gala – list of winners (in French only)