On Friday, December 8, 2023, the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC) officially awarded an applied research grant to Cégep de Sorel-Tracy and CTTÉI for the project "The circular economy in response to three strategic issues facing Canada".
The grant, amounting to C$1.5 million over 5 years, is intended to support three lines of research:
- Recycling energy transition materials such as photovoltaic panels and wind turbine blades
- The development of carbon-neutral construction materials (geopolymers and alternative cement derived from industrial residues), in support of the Canadian government's commitment to decarbonize the cement and concrete industry by 2050.
- Treatment of contaminants of emerging interest, including microplastics and PFASs (per- and polyfluoroalkylates, sometimes referred to as "eternal pollutants"), found in hospital and municipal effluents, among others.
Teamwork for research in Sorel-Tracy
These research topics will benefit from the combined skills of CTTÉI and Cégep de Sorel-Tracy staff: project leaders, researchers, professors, research advisors, student interns and laboratory personnel.
They will also mobilize sector organizations, SMEs and other college and university research partners. Distinctive feature: circular economy indicators will be used at all stages to guide all work towards solutions with the least environmental impact.
Calls for partners will be launched in early 2024 to identify companies interested in benefiting from leverage in any of these three research areas.
The Mobilization grant is part of the College and Community Innovation (CCI) program, which supports applied research in Canada's colleges, CEGEPs and polytechnics. CCI is administered by NSERC in collaboration with the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) and the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC).
