Environment & Energy

The federal contaminated sites inventory lists over 1000 soil and groundwater sites contaminated with BTEX compounds (Benzene, Toluene, Ethylbenzene, and Xylenes). BTEX present significant risks to human and environmental health, especially benzene, a known carcinogen. Benzene is also particularly challenging to remediate due to its slow biodegradation in the absence of oxygen. Genomics-based modeling of

Given the competitiveness among the super-majors to find and develop new oil and gas reservoirs around the world, and the billion-dollar cost of exploration programs, any proven enhancements in offshore exploration success will have an immediate economic return. This project focuses on de-risking exploration and development in offshore Nova Scotia by the validation and integration

The proposed GAPP project fits within a broad initiative in offshore oil and gas exploration geoscience mapping led by the Nova Scotia Department of Energy (NSDoE), the project’s End User. The province has partnered with this team to develop, validate, and deploy three new genomics-based bioassay tools for offshore prospecting on the Scotian Slope. Results

Our present society is dependent on hydrocarbon resources. Until technologies exist to deliver a high proportion of our energy from renewable sources, at a reasonable cost, we must ensure that we extract the existing hydrocarbon resources in the most environmentally friendly manner possible. This project will allow Canada to satisfy the growing gap between the

Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) is a contagious prion disease of deer, elk and moose, are slowly-progressing, fatal, brain-destroying diseases that are spreading throughout Canada and could infect and kill many of our ~2M cervids. This would affect those who rely on cervids for food and culture, affect ecosystems and biodiversity, and hurt our reputation as

Increased shipping activity in the Northwest Passage brings increased risk of accidental releases of diesel or bunker fuel and other transportation related contaminants. The GENICE project will use microbial genomics to generate credible, science-based knowledge on the role and potential of the biodegradation of oil by naturally occurring microorganisms in Arctic marine environments critical to

The cost of corrosion in the oil and gas industry alone is staggering, estimated to cost on the order of $3 – 7 Billion USD/yr. Within this industry, corrosion that involves microbial activities, deemed Microbiologically Influenced Corrosion (MIC), is thought to account for at least 20% of all corrosion cases. Even though several MIC mechanisms