In December 2024, UBC announced the inaugural recipients of the Wall Fellowships and Wall Research Awards, funded by the $100M+ Peter Wall Endowment and totaling $4M annually. Three CHBE professors—Heather Trajano, Xiaotao Bi, and Eric Lees—have received $200,000 from the Wall Research Awards for their projects (detailed below), which focus on urban sustainability, the environmental protection of coastal areas, and sustainable approaches to resource-intensive industries.
Creating an integrated thermochemical and biological platform for waste valorization in British Columbia
Dr. Heather Trajano (Lead PI), Dr. Xiaotao Bi, Dr. Ryan Ziels
BC urgently needs new ways of handling waste due to its growing population and almost-full landfills. This project team will develop an interconnected system that converts waste, such as fire-damaged wood and plastics, into valuable chemicals and fuels. High-temperature pyrolysis will convert solid waste into liquid fuel, gases (e. hydrogen), and biochar. Newly-discovered bacteria will convert the gas into liquid chemicals. Yinka Dene Economic Development Limited Partnership, wholly owned by the Wet’suwet’en First Nation, supports this work as it provides a path to fostering a healthy environment for all life on Mother Earth and creates new Indigenous business opportunities, thus increasing the community’s wellbeing. This interconnected pathway lays the foundation for circular waste management.
An Artificial Photosynthesis Device to Generate Green Methanol Fuel from CO2
Dr. Eva Nichols (Lead PI), Dr. Alexander Uhl, Dr. Eric Lees
Methanol has recently become a focus of great interest as a sustainable fuel for the decarbonization of the transportation and shipping industries, but current methods for methanol synthesis are associated with high emissions. An alternative, greener approach involves transforming captured carbon dioxide (CO2) into methanol using water and renewable energy in the form of electricity or sunlight. BC is well positioned to participate in this green transition, yet significant scientific and technological improvements are required to meet demand, which is expected to increase 11‐fold by 2027. This project will solve current roadblocks by exploring the chemistry, materials science, transport modeling, and technoeconomic analysis of (photo)electrochemical CO2 conversion to methanol and emphasizing the need for advancements from multiple disciplines and perspectives.
For more information, please refer to: https://walllegacyawards.ubc.ca/awardees/