Consult information sheets about our professors and details about their research work by consulting the directory of expertise at Polytechnique Montréal.
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The world is in flux with growing and constant pressure on all its resources. Researchers at Polytechnique Montréal are dedicated to exploring renewable energy and energy efficiency as well as developing innovative solutions for managing water resources.
Research projects are focused on using heat emissions generated by some energy sources to create energy in others, the exploration of promising geothermic solutions, and innovation in the area of solar energy and in the transformation of biomass, among others.
Water is vital for the survival of human beings and it plays an essential and geopolitical role in the production of most energy sources. Polytechnique is designing ways to capture water in the atmosphere, extracting chemical and microbiological contaminants to render it useable while reusing the waste extracted from wastewater. Polytechnique also works on innovation on all aspects of potable water, from source to tap.
IN RELATION TO THIS SPHERE OF EXCELLENCE |
Consult information sheets about our professors and details about their research work by consulting the directory of expertise at Polytechnique Montréal.
Since 1999, Polytechnique has invested $32,290,533 in its Energy, Water and Resources in A Transitional World Sphere of Excellence thanks to support from the Canada Foundation for Innovation, the Government of Quebec and other partners.
Research units :
* Inter-university research units
Strategic clusters :
EXAMPLES OF MASTER'S AND PHD PROJECTS OFFERED |
Every year, Polytechnique Montréal offers hundreds of project opportunities for graduate students. To give you an idea of the wide range of topics our researchers are working on, here are a few examples of the projects being carried out at the university in connection with the Energy, Water and Resources in A Transitional World Sphere of Excellence. Keep in mind that this list isn't exhaustive.
Click here to see all the projects currently offered and find the one(s) that align with your interests.
Lead Professor: Benoit Barbeau
Department: Department of Civil, Geological and Mining Engineering
Professor Benoit Barbeau is leading new projects in the development of innovative technologies to remove chemical and microbiological contaminants from potable water. Professor Barbeau holds the Industrial NSERC Chair in potable water and is the director of the Centre de recherche, développement et validation des technologies et procédés de traitement des eaux (CREDEAU), a centre for research, development and validation of water-treatment technologies and processes.
Professor Barbeau is seeking future students at the Master’s or doctoral level who are interested in technologies using membrane filtration, active carbon absorption, ionic exchange and biological filtration that will lead to the development of new processes designed to eliminate micro-pollutants, to purify waters, to lower the concentration of natural organic matter and to reduce the presence of metals to improve the quality of water delivered to consumers. Selected students will work in partnership with municipalities and industry to solve actual problems affecting society today. These projects will be carried out by a pluridisciplinary team regrouping some 30 graduate students.
Lead Professor: Jason Tavares
Department: Chemical Engineering
The capture of atmospheric water allows arid regions that do not receive regular rainfall or for which subterranean resources are inaccessible, to gain access to enough potable water to meet their needs. Typical methods for this type of capture rely on a single principle: forcing humid air to circulate over a mesh to condense water and then to let it drain using gravity. These methods are somewhat limited from a yield perspective, especially due to the rate of condensation and the time it takes to drain.
Professor Jason Tavares and his team are working on a new configuration for the capture of atmospheric water developed by a Montreal-based company that is centred on a nanostructured porous substrate. This project will lead to the deployment of new Canadian technology for the capture of atmospheric water and will revolutionize the supply of fresh water.
Lead Professor: Yves Comeau
Department: Department of Civil, Geological and Mining Engineering
Wastewater contains numerous resources such as water, energy, nutrients, and biosolids. Wastewater treatment gradually integrates the recovery of these resources that may then be reused in other sectors. This is made possible by the transformation of purification plants into stations for the treatment and recovery of resources from wastewater (StaRRE).
In the spirit of sustainability, Professor Yves Comeau’s research projects focus on the development of new treatment processes and the validation of water resources with the aim of conforming to StaRRE norms and to find uses for the extracted resources, as well as the production of energy or fertilizer, or even soil amendment.
Professor Comeau is seeking future Master’s or doctoral students working toward the optimization and development of physical processes (settling, flotation separation, filtration, absorption), chemical processes (coagulation, thermal) and biological processes (activated sludge, aerated ponds, anaerobic digestion, granular aerobic sludge, anammox and phytotechnologies) for the recovery of macro and micro pollutants in wastewater.
Lead Professor: Musandji Fuamba
Department: Department of Civil, Geological and Mining Engineering
Urban drainage systems are subject to various pressures caused by variations in the flow of heavy rainfall, among other factors. To manage water resources in an integrated and sustainable way, Professor Musandji Fuamba is using digital modelling tools to find solutions to reduce the risk of damage to water and sewer pipes due to the pressure of flow that can introduce contaminants to the distribution network of potable water, or that cause sewage treatment to back up.
Professor Fuamba is seeking future Master’s students to work on the analysis of transient flow generation conditions in stormwater systems (SWS), the modeling of conditions set to SWS limits and the analysis of the behaviour of the wavefront both under pressure and without pressure in a transient two-phase flow.
Lead Professor: Bruno Blais
Department: Chemical Engineering
Professor Bruno Blais conducts research on the processes of wastewater treatment based on his expertise in computational fluid dynamics. His work focuses on the development, verification and validation of digital models of fluid-solid, granular or multi-phase flows. These new tools can predict the behaviour of solids in various types of fluids and allow for the implementation or optimization of innovative technological processes in the treatment of water, particularly for activated sludge or those using sand.
Professor Blais favours a rigorous scientific approach for his students. His collaboration with the industrial sector allows his students to determine the needs of businesses. He is seeking Master’s students motivated by their knowledge of computational systems to advance industrial practices.
Lead Professor: Françoise Bichai
Department: Department of Civil, Geological and Mining Engineering
Professor Françoise Bichai, a specialist in the integrated management of urban water supply, is seeking to find the answer to the question How to help municipalities ensure the resilience of their water supply in the face of risks associated with climate change, natural disasters and industrial accidents? by developing tools that will help to make better decisions in the management of risk in the distribution of potable water.
Her approach is based on an analysis of risk in the potable water supply, from the source to the tap. She considers the two types of risk that weigh on distribution systems of potable water – gradual or sudden – and the public health risks in relation to water quality and the risks of shortage due to water levels. Solutions are based on the development of analytical models to quantify these risks according to various scenarios.
Projects led by Professor Bichai are focussed on sustainable and resilient strategies in the supply of water in urban areas. They require students in graduate studies who wish to acquire a global vision of water resource management and to participate in projects characterized by interdisciplinary and collaborative work.