CAPSTONE DESIGN PARTICIPANTS
Adrian Foell
Irfan Khan
Aaliyan Kap
Low Cost Monitoring System for Cell Cultivators
11
A shift towards a circular economy has created a need to produce biological products with low profit margins. To combat high capital costs required for a typical bioprocess, highly accurate monitoring systems are often substituted with inadequate and labour-intensive procedurals. The goal of our capstone project is to develop an accurate biomass monitoring system applicable for a bioprocess at a fraction of the cost currently available. This will include the development of a plug and play monitor combined with a user interface for seamless integration.
Faculty Advisor: Dr. Marc Aucoin
Partner Organization/Industry or Government Mentor: Escarpment Laboratories
Mariana Lozano Castillo
Xinge Yang
Fabian Ismael Villa Lema
Sylvester Li
Ethanol Production from the Biofermentation of Sargassum
12
Sargassum, a species of microalgae has been accumulating in unsafe quantities by the coasts of Mexico due to the propagation of algae growth caused by global warming of the oceans. When sargassum is allowed to decompose onshore, toxic gases such as hydrogen sulfide are released into the atmosphere impacting the local ecosystems, communities, and the tourism sector. We have developed a green alternative for the production of ethanol using saccharification and fermentation from sargassum.
Faculty Advisor: Dr. Valerie Ward
Craig Harrison
Jason Tong
Gregory Hufton
Sid Kanade
Jason Pun
Modular Germination Systems
13
Our project focused on the design of an aeroponics system for early growth of leafy, or otherwise low-mid height fruits/vegetables. We decided to focus on optimizing water and energy usage through robust physical design and efficient process controls. Although our system is optimized for growing lettuce, with further work the modules can be optimized for nearly any type of plant. The work done in our project can be applied to all sorts of agricultural models—most applicable to greenhouses or other vertical farms.
Faculty Advisor: Dr. Nasser Mohieddin Abukhdeir Partner Organization/Industry or Government Mentor: Leamington Farm Fresh
Alice Feng
Elliot Cho
Param Ravin Dave
Rithu Muthalathu
Sustainable Aviation Fuel Manufacturing Plant
14
To reduce the carbon emissions associated with flying commercially, jets can use alternative carbon-neutral fuels. The goal of this project is to generate a plant design for the manufacture of airplane fuels that are chemically identical to current options. The solution should incorporate a feasible pathway, and aim to be efficient and profitable.
Faculty Advisor: Dr. Luis Ricardez-Sandoval
Yiran Liu
Helen Ding
Soobin Kim
Aryan Ahmed
Design and Modelling of Pre-treatment Processes
15
Wheat straw is one of the most abundant herbaceous biomasses in Canada and can be used for biomass gasification—a process that converts biomass into gases to reduce environmental impact of waste disposal. However, the high potassium and chlorine concentrations in wheat straw lead to corrosion and ash melting problems for downstream equipment. To lessen the effect of corrosion, we plan to model the industrial-scale pre-treatment process to investigate and improve the overall biomass performance, and to promote affordable and responsible consumption of clean energy.
Faculty Advisor: Dr. Sarah Meunier