One UNBC Environmental Engineering Professor is hoping to make a difference in the way that oil spills are handled.
Dr. Jianbing Li, who started at UNBC in 2003, hopes to discover a better way to separate oil from water, and transform oily waste into useable energy.
Li received 1.9 million dollars from Fisheries and Oceans Canada as apart of their multi-partner oil spill research initiative.
He considers the project a natural extension of his past work.
“My original research was oil waste management, I have done a lot in the area.”
The current method of cleaning oil spills involves collecting dirty ocean water and transporting it back to shore for processing. Li hopes to develop a method to separate the oil from water while still at sea.
“This research will not only help protect Canada’s environment and coastal communities, it will also inform oil spill response approaches around the world,” explained Dr. Daniel Weeks.
UNBC has been nicknamed “Canada’s Green University”, a reputation that Li believes benefits his ecologically-minded project.
The 1.9 million dollar grant will fund the project for four years and will support 11 scientists, providing valuable training opportunities.
“This is not a small project,” Li said with a laugh, adding “the oil industry, the government, and academics all benefit.”
He emphasized that he is pursuing a cost-effective method of treating oil waste, which could potentially allow it to be more widely adopted.
Li hopes that his research will “enhance Canada’s response toolbox in the unfortunate event of a marine oil spill.”
Fisheries and Oceans Canada’s 45.5 million dollar multi-partner oil spill research initiative hopes to improve collaboration with oil response experts around the world, and reduce the harm caused by oil spills.
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