Environmental Science

Pollution disrupts water fleas' 'chemical conversations,' disrupts food chain: U of T study

Christopher.Sorensen — Tue, 09 Mar 2021 15:31:38 +0000

Pollution disrupts water fleas' 'chemical conversations,' disrupts food chain: U of T study

Christopher.Sorensen Tue, 03/09/2021 - 10:31

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A new study by U of T Scarborough's Myrna Simpson shows how low levels of pollution can disrupt communication, via "info-chemcials," between water fleas and other species (photo by iStockPhoto via Getty Images)

Don Campbell

Topic

Breaking Research

Physical and Environmental Sciences

Environmental Science

Research & Innovation

Sustainability

U of T Scarborough

Researchers at the �ؿ�ζSM have shown that pollution can disrupt the “chemical conversations” water fleas rely on to communicate with other species.

Daphnia, more commonly known as water fleas, live in all sorts of aquatic environments – from swamps to freshwater lakes and ponds. They’re crucial to the aquatic food chain, feeding on algae, while also serving as food for insects, water mites and small fish.

The water fleas navigate by releasing bio-molecules, or info-chemicals, that interact with other species, helping them detect prey or potential mates.

“It’s these info-chemicals that species use to communicate with each other – they’re basically like messengers,” says Myrna Simpson, a professor of environmental science in U of T Scarborough's department of physical and environmental sciences and associate director of the Environmental NMR Centre.

It’s been thought that “chemical conversations” between species are disrupted when one of the species is affected by pollution. But a new study by Simpson and former post-doctoral student Tae-Yong Jeong, now an assistant professor at Hankuk University of Foreign Studies in Seoul, that was recently published in the journal Environmental Science & Technology documents the first time this disruption between two species has been observed because of exposure to such low levels of pollution.

The study found that info-chemicals between water fleas and algae could be disrupted by a small amount of fenoxycarb (200 nanograms per one litre of water), which is a type of pesticide. Fenoxycarb is also an endocrine disruptor – a chemical that can mimic or disrupt hormones in the body – which is important because the endocrine system is believed to play an important role in producing info-chemicals in water fleas.

Simpson, a Canada Research Chair in Integrative Molecular Biogeochemistry, says the disruptions may cascade throughout the entire food web. If water fleas can’t reproduce or find food it means there will be less of them, she says, and fewer water fleas means less food for larger predators, but also more algae, which can lead to algae blooms that can harm fish and deteriorate water quality.

“Daphnia are an excellent indicator of aquatic ecosystem health,” says Simpson, whose research program focuses on the effect of environmental change in water and soil at the molecular level. “If they’re unhealthy, other organisms living in that ecosystem are also likely unhealthy as well.”

Simpson and Jeong developed a novel technique that relies on a powerful instrument called a tandem mass spectrometer to detect the info-chemical disruption. They pioneered the approach by using a method called metabolomics that’s able to detect rapid changes in tissues and cells almost instantaneously. This approach is both fast and highly sensitive to any stress or biochemical changes within an organism.

Simpson says the fact the info-chemicals of daphnia and algae were disrupted so quickly, and at such a low concentration of exposure, demonstrates that these pollutants may pose a greater ecological risk than is currently recognized. She adds that most water monitoring focuses on how relatively large amounts of a toxin will affect a water flea’s ability to reproduce.

“This shows we may need to look at things more broadly because there is this disruption taking place, and we know that these types of pollutants are commonly found in the environment at these low levels.”

The research, which received funding from U of T Scarborough’s Research Excellence Faculty Scholars award, offers the potential of developing a rapid way of assessing the health of an ecosystem.

Simpson says the overall goal is to create a framework where these novel techniques can be easily used in environmental monitoring programs.

“Currently, water pollution tests are time-consuming and they analyze only a certain number of pollutants,” Simpson says. “But there are many pollutants and by-products that are undocumented. By using metabolomics to study how daphnia are affected, it can offer a rapid way of assessing water quality through this critically important organism.”

In video conference with Trudeau, students raise youth-oriented concerns about COVID-19

Christopher.Sorensen — Wed, 08 Apr 2020 15:05:43 +0000

In video conference with Trudeau, students raise youth-oriented concerns about COVID-19

Christopher.Sorensen Wed, 04/08/2020 - 11:05

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Habon Ali, pictured here during an earlier meeting with Trudeau, is an undergraduate student at U of T Mississauga and a member of the Prime Minister’s Youth Advisory Council (photo courtesy of Habon Ali)

Topic

Environmental Science

Global

Munk School of Global Affairs & Public Policy

U of T Mississauga

Undergraduate Students

Canadians are accustomed to seeing Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on the daily news, advising us to “just stay home” during the COVID-19 pandemic. But one student at the �ؿ�ζSM recently had the chance to hear from the prime minister directly.

Habon Ali is in her final year of studies in biology and environmental science at U of T Mississauga. She’s also a member of the Prime Minister’s Youth Advisory Council, a non-partisan council that meets regularly to advise Trudeau on issues facing young Canadians, including mental health, reconciliation with Indigenous Peoples and economic growth.

Despite the intense pressures of running a country during an international health crisis – all while in self-isolation – Trudeau recently found time to meet with youth council members, including Ali, by video conference.

“We weren’t expecting him on the call,” Ali says. “It was incredible that he found time to speak to us. It’s a testament to his appreciation for youth engagement and participation, and shows how much he cares to have our voices at the table.”

In the meeting, Ali says council members spoke freely and frankly about concerns facing young people as a result of the pandemic.

“Youth are in a precarious place,” she says, noting that many young people are concerned about employment prospects for summer jobs and internships. “We also talked about what this situation means for us regarding mental health and Internet access for youth in rural and remote communities.”

Ali was appointed to the council for a two-year term in 2018. In addition to regular meetings with Trudeau, the 20-member advisory group is developing Canada’s first-ever national youth policy. Ali, who is vice-president, equity for U of T Mississauga’s student union, says it has been exciting to make contributions at the federal level.

“As a young, Black Muslim female, as a first-generation Canadian from a big city and as a university student, it is important to be at the table sharing my lived experiences and perspectives,” she says. “Every issue is a youth issue. If it doesn’t affect us now, it will affect us later.”

Through the council, Ali has connected with others to create a youth response to the COVID-19 crisis. The newly launched CAN Youth Forum has a Facebook group and will soon create a website that will gather mental health resources, employment opportunities, official health data and webinars – creating a one-stop digital resource hub to help Canada’s youth, aged 14 to 30, cope with the pandemic.

“This initiative will engage us during this time and create a space for young people to share opportunities, learn and have conversations,” Ali says.

Ali first became involved in health and social justice issues in her Somali-Canadian community of Rexdale in Toronto’s west end. Born to parents who came to Canada as refugees, Ali credits her early exposure to the challenges faced by immigrant families as the inspiration for her interest in community advocacy.

“Cultural and language barriers impacted the health of the people around me, and it was frustrating to see,” says Ali. “My volunteering was directed by issues that I saw in my community and wondering what I could do about it.”

Despite the uncertainties posed by the pandemic, Ali is looking forward to the future. In September, she will begin the Masters of Global Affairs program at U of T’s Munk School of Global Affairs & Public Policy.

“How do I want to make change in the world?” she asks. “I see that the things I like – migration, health policy, equity, global relations and international policy – are coming together. The future is really wide open.”

How can average Canadians slow climate change? Live a low-carbon lifestyle – and tell everyone about it: U of T experts

noreen.rasbach — Fri, 27 Sep 2019 15:52:19 +0000

How can average Canadians slow climate change? Live a low-carbon lifestyle – and tell everyone about it: U of T experts

noreen.rasbach Fri, 09/27/2019 - 11:52

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Carrying signs and chanting, thousands turned out in Toronto for Friday's climate strike rally at Queen's Park (photo by Nick Iwanyshyn)

Tina Adamopoulos

Topic

Our Community

Climate Change

Environmental Science

Faculty of Arts & Science

Tens of thousands of Canadians took to the streets Friday to call for action on climate change – part of a series of climate strikes that took place in cities around the world.

The strikes were inspired by 16-year-old Greta Thunberg and her sit-ins outside Sweden’s parliament. Thunberg, who led the rally in Montreal on Friday, was recently invited to speak at the UN Climate Summit where she delivered an impassioned speech that chastised political leaders for not treating climate change as a true global emergency.

"You have stolen my dreams and my childhood with your empty words," Thunberg said.

Yet, while governments have a crucial role to play, many are no doubt asking themselves a version of the following questions: How can we respond to climate change as average citizens? How do we continue to do our part to slow it down?

U of T News asked University of Toronto experts Bill Gough, a professor of environmental science at U of T Scarborough, and Matthew Hoffmann, a professor of political science who is cross-appointed to U of T Scarborough’s department of physical and environmental sciences, for their opinion on where we go from here.

Bill Gough (left), a professor of environmental science at U of T Scarborough, and Matthew Hoffmann, a professor of political science who is cross-appointed to U of T Scarborough’s department of physical and environmental sciences (photos by Ken Jones)

What is a climate emergency?

Hoffmann: About 600 communities have declared climate emergencies, (but) Canada is one of only three or four countries that have done it. What it really is is an expression of urgency and an expression of not wanting to continue with business as usual. It is a way to highlight the notion that we need to act quickly.

Gough: I would define it as a signal that we are on a pathway to potentially catastrophic change. To declare a crisis or emergency is a way of bringing attention to the issue so that we can address it in two ways: one is mitigation, which is the reduction of greenhouse gases; and two, to accelerate adaptation measures – in other words, anticipate what the changes will be and plan how to respond to these.

What do we do to respond to climate change as average citizens?

Hoffmann: The most important thing people can do is make sure everything they are doing around climate change is visible socially. So that means the things that you can do that are most effective are things like voting and if you are going to support renewable energy for your household, make sure you are putting a sign on the yard that says you are doing that. If you’re going to not fly, tell people because individual actions that are not visible don’t contribute to the social momentum around climate action.

Individual actions that contribute to social momentum are really important.

Gough: One is an awareness of our carbon footprint, and this comes from very specific knowledge of how we use greenhouse gases in our lives, how we’re dependent upon the way we do transit, how frequently we fly, and how we heat and cool houses and buildings.

What would our daily lives look like for us to adapt to it?

Hoffmann: Adapting to it means not just adapting to the impacts of climate change, it means adapting to what it takes to generate a low-carbon future. That is going to be disruptive as well, but hopefully disruptive in a good way. If we take the problem seriously and the challenge seriously, we have a great opportunity to make our cities more livable.

Living in a low-carbon future means you’re walking and biking to school and work more often. It means less air pollution and different kinds of community planning.

So, it’s not that we are trying to stop climate change, it’s that we are trying to adapt to it to slow it down?

Hoffmann: We are adapting to climate change. It isn’t a discreet problem to solve anymore. Climate change is the context in which we live. For instance, every infrastructure decision that a city makes is a climate adaptation plan because the climate is changing.

Is it too late to slow climate change down?

Gough: It’s never too late to make a difference. However, there might be some tipping points. For example, the West Antarctic Ice Sheet is on ground at the moment, but it’s becoming less stable. If that whole piece falls into the ocean, we will experience an immediate six to eight metres of sea level rise. That’s the kind of disaster scenario that movies are made of. Frequency of weather extremes as a result of climate change are also quite worrisome – heat waves, cold air outbreaks, floods, droughts and violent storms.

Other impacts are much more likely – the gradual loss of habitat for example. It’s not as if we haven’t experienced change in our climate history. We have. It’s the pace of the change and whether animal, plant and human populations can adapt to the rapidly changing conditions.

From environmental science to sci-fi thrillers: U of T student makes feature film debut

Christopher.Sorensen — Fri, 01 Feb 2019 16:36:08 +0000

From environmental science to sci-fi thrillers: U of T student makes feature film debut

Christopher.Sorensen Fri, 02/01/2019 - 11:36

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Alexis Whelan, a second-year student pursuing a degree in environmental science at U of T Mississauga, has been acting since age nine and has already appeared in several short films (photo by Yasmeen Alkoka courtesy of the Medium)

Patricia Walker

Topic

City & Culture

Environmental Science

U of T Mississauga

Undergraduate Students

Alexis Whelan, a student at University of Toronto Mississauga, will make her feature film debut in Level 16, a dystopian science fiction thriller by Canadian director and independent filmmaker Danishka Esterhazy.

Level 16, set for release March 1, follows the story of Vivien (Katie Douglas), Sophia (Celina Martin), and several other orphaned girls, including Whelan’s character. They live in the mysterious Vestalis Academy. At Vestalis, the girls are taught four key virtues: obedience, cleanliness, patience and humility in order to become “perfect” adoptees for wealthy families – or so they say.

This is Whelan’s first role in a feature film. She describes the experience as “really exciting” but confesses she became “a little nervous” when the film started to gain traction.

“Now everyone is going to watch me for the first time and I hope they like what they see,” she says.

Whelan, a second-year student pursuing a degree in environmental science, describes her character as “super complex.” Motivated by a desire to be popular, Ava is not afraid to step on people’s toes to get to the top of the social ladder, but as Whelan explains, “she is still human and has feelings.”

Whelan’s favourite thing about being a part of Level 16 was working with the predominantly female cast. “We formed this kind of sisterhood,” she says.

As for working with award-winning director Esterhazy, Whelan says, “She was approachable and accommodating. She set the bar pretty high for any director that I work with in the future. I hope they’re on her level.”

When filming began, Whelan had just started her first year at U of T Mississauga. Despite having a demanding filming schedule and taking five courses, she is proud to have successfully completed her courses. She feels strongly about having something to fall back on if her acting career doesn’t go in the direction she envisions. Whelan is also passionate about the environment and hopes fame will give her a platform to advocate for environmental issues.

Daughter to an Egyptian mother and a Scottish father, Whelan began acting at age nine, appearing in a 2013 television show produced by none other than Steven Spielberg – Lucky 7. Since then, Whelan has appeared in several commercials, including ones for Sirius XM and Rogers Communications Inc., as well as several short films.

When asked about her future plans and whether she intends to move to an acting hub like Los Angeles or New York, Whelan says she would prefer to land a role in a national network show – although she added she’s open to the idea of working in the United States because it could catapult her career.

“I really like Canada,” she says. “I don’t think I would want to live in the U.S. long-term.”

Sustainable concrete: U of T alumni recognized for innovation to use waste of one industry to benefit another

noreen.rasbach — Thu, 10 Jan 2019 20:02:23 +0000

Sustainable concrete: U of T alumni recognized for innovation to use waste of one industry to benefit another

noreen.rasbach Thu, 01/10/2019 - 15:02

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Kimberly Asemota (far right), Blandine Barthod (right) and David Aceituno-Caicedo (left) receive the SDSN Youth Special Prize in Geneva from Nane Annan, a lawyer and wife of former UN secretary general Kofi Annan (photo courtesy of Kimberly Asemota)

Alexa Battler

Topic

Global Lens

Alumni

Environmental Science

Global

Graduate Students

International Development

Research & Innovation

Sustainability

U of T Scarborough

Water

Subheadline

A group of alumni from the �ؿ�ζSM has been internationally recognized for its proposal to create more environmentally friendly concrete that would help nations fight climate change, build sustainably and save valuable drinking water in the process.

Concrete is an important material for developing nations, but it has downsides, including using clean water as one of its three ingredients.

“Climate change isn’t just a scientific problem, it’s a problem in almost every discipline that exists – it affects everything directly or indirectly,” says David Aceituno-Caicedo, a recent graduate of U of T Scarborough's Master of Environmental Science program.

While finishing the program, Aceituno-Caicedo and fellow alumna Kimberly Asemota were inspired by two class topics.

In one week, they learned about bioconcrete, an emerging technology for “self-healing” concrete. It’s a mixture that becomes limestone when bacteria and nutrients are exposed to water. In another week, they were introduced to the sustainable use of brine – the highly concentrated salt mixture left over from making saltwater drinkable.

“We thought, ‘Why not just take the brine that has to be managed from the water desalination process and use that to mix bioconcrete?’” says Aceituno-Caicedo. “It’s mixing the two industries together, bridging this sustainability gap and taking the waste of one and using it to benefit the other.”

Through Maria Dittrich, an associate professor in the department of physical and environmental sciences, the students were connected to Blandine Barthod, a Master of Environmental Science student doing a one-year exchange program from the University of Geneva.

Dittrich, who supervised Barthod's master thesis, felt their fields of expertise would complement each other. Aceituno-Caicedo’s background is in microbiology, while Asemota’s is in chemistry and Barthod’s is in international development.

“It’s even better when people work together, when they start mixing the backgrounds for interdisciplinary solutions to an interdisciplinary problem,” says Aceituno-Caicedo.

Dittrich also encouraged them to enter the Geneva Challenge, an annual competition for master students to showcase ideas to solve an international development issue. Their proposal was one of the top 15 global semi-finalists. They were awarded the UN Sustainable Development Solutions Network (SDSN) Youth Special Prize.

The trio were invited to Geneva for the award ceremony and to network with other global leaders. Their work will also be published on the Youth Solutions Report platform.

“It was a good learning opportunity with like-minded individuals who have similar goals,” says Asemota.

Their proposal used Cape Town, South Africa as a case study. The city is suffering from drought and is expecting “Day Zero” this year, when its taps will run dry and people have to use communal water stations.

“We are dealing with issues of water scarcity and we are also tackling the issues of sustainable development for infrastructure,” says Asemota. “Our major goal was having more water available to the public in areas that are water-stressed.”

For the proposal, Asemota focused on the possibility of using the new concrete in Cape Town, while Barthod concentrated on broader international development concerns. Aceituno-Caicedo looked at the feasibility of using brine to mix bioconcrete.

Their next steps: Find the best ways to mix the concrete and start working on a pilot project.

“It’s like a domino effect,” says Aceituno-Caicedo. “If you give people the basic necessities for life, like water, that leaves room for them to start developing in other areas."

From India to the Rouge: U of T student gets conservation experience in Toronto's national urban park

noreen.rasbach — Thu, 20 Dec 2018 20:41:55 +0000

From India to the Rouge: U of T student gets conservation experience in Toronto's national urban park

noreen.rasbach Thu, 12/20/2018 - 15:41

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Devanshi Kukadia got first-hand experience in conservation practices as part of her Master of Environmental Science program at U of T Scarborough (photo courtesy of Devanshi Kukadia)

Don Campbell

Topic

Our Community

Alumni

Environmental Science

Graduate Students

U of T Scarborough

Devanshi Kukadia’s passion for nature and wildlife started as a young child growing up in India. Her parents were avid birdwatchers and she went with them on long nature walks to watch birds in different parts of the country.

“They initially pulled me in but I became fascinated by watching animals in their natural habitat,” says Kukadia, who earned her undergraduate degree at St. Xavier’s College in Ahmedabad, India.

“From there I kept reading about urbanization and the loss of biodiversity, and I wanted to do something about it. That’s why I took up conservation management as a career.”

Kukadia is a recent graduate of the Master of Environmental Science program at �ؿ�ζSM Scarborough. She completed the internship option of the program in the conservation and biodiversity stream, where she did her work term as part of the Toronto Zoo’s Adopt-a-Pond Wetland Conservation Program.

During her work-term with the Adopt-a-Pond program, she worked on a range of conservation-focused projects aimed at research, restoration and outreach, most of it in the Rouge National Urban Park. She tracked Blanding’s turtles (part of the zoo’s Headstarting Project), tagged and tracked turtle species native to the Rouge, conducted road and snake surveys, logged frog calls and participated in public outreach.

Gathering information like length, weight and height of turtles is important to get a better sense of how populations of each species are doing in the area, not to mention where they go to eat, mate and hibernate in the park.

Road surveys involved checking areas near natural and human-modified habitats like swamps, ponds, forests and farms that house a variety of wildlife species that often cross roads.

“I didn’t really appreciate to what extent biodiversity is being lost due to roads until I started doing these surveys,” she says, adding that she often came across dead turtles and other roadkill.

“This work is important because it helps identify ecologically significant areas for wildlife crossing areas that would benefit from fences, culverts, signs or even speed bumps.”

It was while tracking turtles that Kukadia had her most memorable experience in the program.

“Every so often we would come across snapping turtles, and one day we came across a huge one – it was 28 pounds,” she says. “Initially it was a bit scary because their bite is strong enough to take off a finger, but after a month or so I gained experience and courage to handle them myself. It’s something I won’t forget.”

Before coming to Canada to study, Kukadia worked on a marine mammal protection project in India, but she found many of the official policies were not being communicated effectively to the public. Illegal fishing and capturing of wild animals continued in protected natural areas.

“There was a big gap in people’s understanding of policies versus that of policy-makers,” she says. “The policies just weren’t being translated that well and I wanted to learn ways to bridge the gap.”

Kukadia says she was drawn to the the master’s program because of its reputation, and the chance to learn about conservation management by working alongside professionals in the field.

She plans to work with environmental consulting companies on the conservation side of the business and says what she learned from the program is invaluable.

“There’s so much selection in terms of courses, you can pretty much choose whatever you want depending on what you’re interested in and where you see yourself in the future,” she says.

“The faculty are also so supportive. They’re really there for you and want to see you succeed. I can’t say enough good things about how encouraging they are.”

U of T startup that turns food waste into high-quality bio-plastic eyes next phase of growth

noreen.rasbach — Mon, 24 Sep 2018 19:41:39 +0000

U of T startup that turns food waste into high-quality bio-plastic eyes next phase of growth

noreen.rasbach Mon, 09/24/2018 - 15:41

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Luna Yu, founder and CEO of Genecis, completed her master's degree at U of T Scarborough. Genecis is scaling up operations and looking at developing other materials from food waste (all photos by Don Campbell)

Don Campbell

Topic

Our Community

Alumni

Creative Destruction Lab

Environmental Science

Faculty of Applied Science & Engineering

Hatchery

Innovation & Entrepreneurship

Startups

ThisIsThePlace

U of T Scarborough

Luna Yu is passionate about not wasting food.

“I was taught at an early age by my grandparents never to waste food since it was throwing away the hard work of farmers and food producers,” says Yu, a recent graduate from the Master of Environmental Science program at the �ؿ�ζSM Scarborough.

“More than $1 trillion worth of food is wasted globally every year. What we’re able to do is take this waste and turn it into something of higher value.”

It’s no wonder that passion led Yu to team up with a talented group of scientists and engineers – many of whom are U of T students or recent graduates – to form Genecis. The company uses recent advancements in biotechnology, microbial engineering and machine learning to take food destined for the landfill and convert it into PHAs – a high-quality, fully biodegradable form of plastic.

It’s not Yu’s first foray into entrepreneurship. She worked at a software company as an undergrad before moving to another startup that converted restaurant food waste into biogas. It was there she met several talented engineers, learned about the microbiology of converting discarded food into other materials, and discovered a valuable lesson in the economics of recycling food waste.

“Converting food waste into biogas is time-consuming process and the end product is fairly low value,” she says.

After connecting with a fellow environmental science student in The Hub, U of T Scarborough’s entrepreneurial incubator, they started looking into what else could be made from food waste.

“We looked at different types of bio-rubbers and bio-chemicals before landing on PHAs. We felt it had the biggest market potential.”

PHAs, or polyhydroxyalkanoates, are polymers produced by bacteria that have many benefits over other forms of bio-plastics, explains Yu. For one, they can be a thermoplastic, meaning it can be easily moulded and remoulded into different products. Another benefit is that, unlike many other forms of bio-plastics, it won’t ruin the recycling process.

“Many people throw bio-plastics into the recycling bin rather than the compost, but if it’s not a thermoplastic it can’t be remoulded and this disrupts the physical properties of new recycled products. They will end up falling apart,” she says.

PHAs won’t cause this problem if they accidentally end up in recycling bins, making them much easier for waste management companies to handle.

But what really sold Yu on the benefits of PHAs is the fact that they’re fully biodegradable. PHAs degrade within one year in the environment, and fewer than 10 years in water. Synthetic plastics can take hundreds of years to degrade in similar environments.

While PHAs can be used to make pretty much anything out of plastic, Yu says the ones made by Genecis are best suited for higher-end, multi-use products like toys, flexible packaging, 3D-printing filament and medical applications including surgical staples, sutures and stents.

Genecis uses a three-step process to create their PHAs. First, a bacteria culture breaks down the food waste into volatile fatty acids.The fatty acids are added to another bacteria culture specially selected to produce PHAs in their cells. Finally, an extraction process breaks open the cells, then collects and purifies the plastic.

The entire process takes seven days. “Making biogas, on the other hand, takes an average of 21 days,” Yu says.

The company’s main lab in U of T’s Banting and Best Centre for Innovation and Entrepreneurship houses pilot-scale bioreactors that can complete the three-step process. The other location in the Environmental Science and Chemistry Building at U of T Scarborough is responsible for research and development in looking for ways to optimize their production process. When Genecis opens its demonstration plant with an industry partner later next year, it will be able to convert three tonnes of organic waste into PHAs weekly.

In less than two years of existence, Genecis has already won more than $330,000 in prize money from startup competitions. Yu says the support, guidance and mentorship they’ve received from The Hub, the Creative Destruction Lab, and the Hatchery, a startup accelerator at the Faculty of Applied Science & Engineering, have also been instrumental in their growth.

As they aim to ramp up production, Yu says this support and the lessons learned from her work in other startups will be invaluable.

“Our goal is to create the highest value from organic waste,” says Yu, adding they have cultured and isolated hundreds of species of bacteria that currently don’t exist in databases.

“Soon we will be able to synthesize speciality chemicals and other materials from organic waste, all at a lower cost than traditional production methods using synthetic biology,” she says.

Those specialty chemicals can be used in a range of products, including those found in cosmetics and the health and wellness industry, says Yu.

“It’s a really exciting time for us.”

#UofTBackToSchool: Young activist to pursue environmental studies at U of T

noreen.rasbach — Tue, 28 Aug 2018 17:02:07 +0000

#UofTBackToSchool: Young activist to pursue environmental studies at U of T

noreen.rasbach Tue, 08/28/2018 - 13:02

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“I feel like if people understood that the environment isn’t separate from humanity, they would take a lot more time to learn about it,” says Sam Demma, who runs an environmental group and is entering U of T this fall

Tina Adamopoulos

Topic

City & Culture

Back To School 2018

Environmental Science

U of T Scarborough

Undergraduate Students

For most of his life, Sam Demma's only goal was to be a soccer player. That all changed when he was injured. But it also opened the door to new prospects, with a little inspiration from his teacher.

“He would say, ‘If you want to make a change in the world, you have to commit to a small and consistent action,’” says Demma, who is entering first year at the �ؿ�ζSM Scarborough in environmental studies and political science.

Demma started small, collecting waste on his walk from school, which caught the attention of a friend and grew into a community initiative with weekly cleanups.

U of T researchers conduct most comprehensive airborne mercury testing in GTA

noreen.rasbach — Wed, 08 Aug 2018 04:00:00 +0000

U of T researchers conduct most comprehensive airborne mercury testing in GTA

noreen.rasbach Wed, 08/08/2018 - 00:00

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Air samplers like these were deployed in nearly 200 locations around the GTA with the help of faculty, staff and students at U of T Scarborough (photo by Don Campbell)

Don Campbell

Topic

City & Culture

Environmental Science

Research & Innovation

U of T Scarborough

�ؿ�ζSM researchers say they have conducted the most comprehensive monitoring of airborne mercury ever in the GTA, finding that although mercury concentrations continue to be low, emission levels officially reported to the government are often inaccurate.

The project, conducted by a team of researchers in U of T Scarborough’s department of physical and environmental sciences, deployed nearly 200 air samplers across the GTA with the help of dozens of faculty, staff and students. Researchers said they believe it was the largest monitoring project on airborne mercury in the world.

“In terms of acute exposure levels, there’s nothing we should be concerned about whatsoever,” said Carl Mitchell, an associate professor who is one of the authors of the study. Professor Frank Wania and David McLagan, who received his PhD from U of T this year, were also involved in the project.

In comparing their results to data gathered over the past decade, the team found that airborne mercury concentrations in the GTA appear to have gone down. Mitchell said this is at least partly attributable to Ontario moving away from coal-fired electricity generation in recent years.

The researchers also put the samplers across the GTA near known mercury emission sources identified by Canada’s National Pollutant Release Inventory (NPRI), the public inventory of pollutant releases from waste disposal and recycling facilities. The concentrations they measured did not match well with emissions that are being officially reported to the NPRI.

For example, a hazardous waste facility operated by Aevitas in Ayr, just outside of Cambridge, ranks low on the NPRI list but was found to have concentrations 10 times higher than the average found at other sites – but still well below chronic exposure levels. Meanwhile, waste water treatment plants that rank high on the NPRI list were found to have much lower concentrations, suggesting emissions at these facilities are being overestimated.

“It indicates these emissions are not very accurately accounted for, and this has implications for our commitment to the Minamata agreement,” Mitchell said, referring to the 2013 international treaty designed to reduce mercury emissions.

Mitchell, an expert on contaminant cycling in the environment, said the federal government "hasn’t been doing a great job when it comes to accurately monitoring mercury emissions.”

The study also found that gaseous mercury levels were slightly higher in downtown Toronto than in other parts of the GTA, likely due to the concentration of medical facilities downtown.

The extensive monitoring project was made possible through an inexpensive air sampler that was developed at U of T Scarborough. The passive sampler does not rely on electricity and instead works by using the natural movements of air and a carbon material to capture airborne mercury, meaning they were able to deploy many.

Despite low mercury levels, the passive air sampler is so precise that it’s able to determine extremely small differences in concentrations, said Mitchell. As a result, they were able to see tiny increases in concentration levels near waste facilities, crematoria and medical and dental buildings that handle or dispose mercury in various forms.

“These types of mapping exercises can be used to find so-called fugitive emission sources that are really difficult to find and measure otherwise,” he said.

Mitchell said monitoring mercury is important because it’s a highly toxic pollutant. Mercury released by human activity can be transported in the air across great distances and can eventually be transformed in the environment to methylmercury, the most alarming form from a human health perspective. In humans, it can cause damage to the neurological, immune, cardiovascular and respiratory systems, among others. Fetuses and children are particularly vulnerable because it can hinder the neurological development of the brain.

But, Mitchell added, it’s also important to accurately measure whether mercury reduction targets, like those set in the Minamata agreement, are being met.

The research, which is published in the journal Environmental Research Letters, received funding from the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC) and an NSERC Alexander Graham Bell Canada Graduate Scholarship.

Plastic not just a problem in our oceans, also affecting the Great Lakes: U of T research

ullahnor — Mon, 18 Jun 2018 15:24:44 +0000

Plastic not just a problem in our oceans, also affecting the Great Lakes: U of T research

ullahnor Mon, 06/18/2018 - 11:24

Cutline

Plastic water bottle in the Pacific Ocean. An international conference being held at U of T Scarborough will explore issues including plastic polluting the Great Lakes (photo by Citizen of the Planet/Education Images/UIG via Getty Images)

Don Campbell

Topic

Global Lens

Climate Change

Department of Ecology & Evolutionary Biology

Environmental Science

International

U of T Scarborough

When it comes to plastics polluting our water, it’s not just the world’s oceans that should keep us concerned.

Chelsea Rochman, assistant professor of ecology and evolutionary biology at the �ؿ�ζSM, says we should be paying close attention to what's taking place closer to home in the Great Lakes.

“The contamination in the Great Lakes and other bodies of freshwater from plastics and microplastics is ubiquitous,” says Rochman, who looks at plastic debris and its associated chemical contaminants.

Pollution from plastics is just one of many environmental issues to be explored during the annual conference of the International Association for Great Lakes Research (IAGLR), taking place June 18 to 22 at U of T Scarborough. It’s the largest scientific event held in the Great Lakes area with more than 800 participants from countries all over the world, and will feature more than 50 scientific presentations.

Rochman points to published research, in addition to work in her lab and with colleagues, that finds the concentration of plastics in parts of the Great Lakes are equal to or greater than those reported in the ocean. Their work in Lake Ontario, Lake Superior and Lake Huron has also found microplastics (particles five millimetres and smaller) in nearly all fish collected.

This shouldn’t come as a surprise, says Rochman. Canada and the United States discard about 22 million pounds of plastic into the Great Lakes annually and unlike oceans, which get flushed out by global currents, the lakes are less diluted.

Most plastics end up in the Great Lakes from stormwater runoff through rivers or streams, from wastewater treatment plants or litter blown directly into the lakes. Other sources include agricultural runoff and maritime debris like fishing gear. Rochman’s own research on microplastics has uncovered pollution from tiny bits of tire dust, microfibers from clothing, glitter, plastic bottles and microbeads found in face wash.

“Toxicity tests show that microplastics can be harmful to wildlife, impacting growth, feeding behaviour, survival and reproduction,” she says.

Assistant Professor Chelsea Rochman (right), an expert on water pollution from plastic contaminants, says the concentration of plastics in parts of the Great Lakes rivals those in the oceans

Rochman says a lot of the research on plastic pollution in the Great Lakes is still in its infancy, but it’s becoming a hot topic of environmental research. One line of her lab’s current research is focusing on how plastics move through Great Lakes food webs, and how this contamination may affect local aquatic wildlife.

“It’s exciting to be part of a group of researchers that are really moving the needle on microplastics in freshwater,” she says. “I think the research we will see in the next few years will be eye-opening.”

The Great Lakes basin is home to 43 million inhabitants in Canada and the U.S. It accounts for 58 per cent of Canada’s economy, while $311 billion of Ontario’s annual exports derive directly from its natural resources, including municipal and industrial water supplies, fish harvesting and land uses.

“There’s no question it’s an invaluable economic resource, but it’s also home to numerous natural aquatic habitats that, in many ways, remain under threat,” says Professor George Arhonditsis, chair of the department of physical & environmental sciences at U of T Scarborough and co-chair of the conference.

In addition to pollution from plastics, there’s also the threat from parasites, invasive species, algae blooms, habitat loss and various other forms of pollution. The conference will be looking at developing effective environmental policy to protect them.

“We will have leading experts covering important environmental issues facing the Great Lakes, the important scientific research being done in the lakes as well as sessions on governance and environmental policy,” adds Arhonditsis, an expert in food web ecology and biogeochemical modelling.

Arhonditsis and fellow conference co-chair Mathew Wells, an associate professor of physical & environmental science at U of T Scarborough, both note the significant work done over the past few decades in cleaning up the Great Lakes.

“Just 20 to 30 years ago, you couldn’t safely eat the fish in the Great Lakes because toxic PCB levels were so high,” says Wells, an expert on environmental fluid dynamics.

“Much of that has changed because the water quality has improved, and much of it comes down to good science and environmental agreements made between Canada and the United States. Problems exist, but in many respects there are great news stories about the work that’s been done.”

Associate Professor Mathew Wells an expert on environmental fluid dynamics does much of his research in the Great Lakes

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