U of T's Mark Lautens performs 100th citizenship ceremony

Christopher.Sorensen — Fri, 12 Apr 2024 14:28:40 +0000

Christopher.Sorensen Fri, 04/12/2024 - 10:28

Cutline

University Professor Mark Lautens, chair of the department of chemistry, chose an event at the Mississauga Citizenship and Immigration Centre for his 100^th appearance as a presiding official (photo by Nick Iwanyshyn)

Alyx Dellamonica

Topic

Our Community

Chemistry

Faculty of Arts & Science

Subheadline

University Professor and chair of the department of chemistry estimates he has sworn in as many as 6,000 new Canadians over the past decade

The �ؿ�ζSM’s Mark Lautens recently conducted his 100^thCanadian Citizenship Ceremony, officially welcoming 120 new Canadians from 31 countries of origin.

A University Professor and chair of the department of chemistry in the Faculty of Arts & Science, Lautens estimates that he may have sworn in as many as 6,000 new Canadians since 2014.

He chose an event held in the Mississauga Citizenship and Immigration Centre for his 100^th appearance as a presiding official. As is often the case, there were members of the university community at the ceremony, along with their families.

(photo by Nick Iwanyshyn)

“People are often excited to meet a scientist or a professor,” he says, adding that U of T alumni, students, faculty and staff whom he swears in often reach out afterward with their personal thanks and sometimes even ask if they can attend his classes.

“Officiants are encouraged to share some of their journey at the beginning of each ceremony and I talk about my mother, who came to Canada from the UK as a teenager, had a career as a legal secretary and then chose to complete high school after I became a professor.

“Many of the people at my ceremonies are especially touched by hearing that – both about my family and the transformative experience of pursuing higher education in Canada.”

(photo by Nick Iwanyshyn)

Lautens was first invited to preside in citizenship ceremonies after receiving the Order of Canada in 2014 for contributions at the forefront of organic chemistry. The honour qualifies Canadians to administer the Oath of Citizenship on a voluntary basis.

A passionate advocate for immigrants’ contributions to Canada, Lautens has written about the benefits for academic communities welcoming international students. "These individuals bring superb skills and a passion to succeed to their new home,” he wrote in a recent op-ed piece in the Globe and Mail.

(photo by Nick Iwanyshyn)

Even during the COVID-19 pandemic, Lautens says efforts were made to preserve a sense of occasion when the ceremonies became virtual affairs. Being unable to stand together with an officiant for a picture, for example, has evolved so that participants in remote ceremonies are urged to turn off their cameras at the end, leaving only the image of the presiding officer on the meeting screen. This allows everyone to take a selfie with the officiant – via the computer screen.

"I had to learn to hold a smile for a full minute,” Lautens says, “to ensure everyone has time to get a good picture.”

U of T researcher leads breakthrough in production of green carbon monoxide using light

Christopher.Sorensen — Mon, 11 Dec 2023 18:51:29 +0000

U of T researcher leads breakthrough in production of green carbon monoxide using light

Christopher.Sorensen Mon, 12/11/2023 - 13:51

Cutline

University Professor Geoffrey Ozin said the research aims to decarbonize the generation of industrial chemicals (supplied image)

Alyx Dellamonica

Topic

Breaking Research

Chemistry

Faculty of Arts & Science

Research & Innovation

Sustainability

Subheadline

The process is an eco-friendly alternative to burning fossil fuels to generate industrial carbon monoxide

A team of advanced materials chemistry researchers, led by University Professor Geoffrey Ozin of the department of chemistry in the �ؿ�ζSM’s Faculty of Arts & Science, have made a significant breakthrough in the use of light to convert carbon and carbon dioxide (CO2) into carbon monoxide (CO).

In a study published in Energy and Environmental Science, Ozin and his team showcase the process, which represents an alternative to carbon-intensive methods of producing industrial carbon monoxide.

Carbon monoxide and carbon dioxide are both hazardous to human health, with rising carbon dioxide concentrations in our atmosphere increasing the threat of climate change induced by global warming. However, both gases are also vital elements of large-scale production of commodity chemicals and fuels.

In the chemical sector, for example, carbon monoxide serves as feedstock for the synthesis of acetic acid and methanol, pharmaceuticals, fragrance and polymers. In the food industry, it’s used for packaging of fresh meat products and to acidify carbonized beverages. Its uses are wide-ranging, from refining or removing rust from metals to serving as a key component of infrared lasers.

Creation of carbon monoxide for such applications is typically done via thermally powered processes involving the gasification of coal and partial oxidation of natural gas, processes that are associated with large carbon footprints and significant toxic byproducts.

Rather than burning fossil fuels to generate carbon monoxide, the greener approach being advanced by Ozin’s team utilizes light for the production process, combining this with the emerging practice of using carbon dioxide as chemical feedstock.

The source of carbon to enable this conversion process can be natural, the study shows. It may also come from fossil emission sources as well as air using specialized capture, storage and release technologies, or biochar made by slow burning of agricultural biomass.

The U of T team uses a light-powered reaction that employs this captured carbon dioxide, converting it to carbon monoxide in ways that are less energy- and chemical-intensive than the same reaction driven by heat.

“The CO generated photochemically by this means can justifiably be called green,” Ozin said.

A principal investigator in U of T’s interdisciplinary Solar Fuels Cluster, Ozin said the research group’s vision is to help gradually move the chemical and petrochemical industries away from their reliance on legacy fossil resources to more eco-friendly processes enabled by waste carbon dioxide and carbon, driven by light in solar refineries.

"By this means, it should prove feasible to decarbonize the generation of commodity chemicals and fuels, motivated by the desire to ameliorate greenhouse gas-induced climate change and global warming,” Ozin said.

Previous attempts at eco-friendly carbon monoxide production utilized thermal steam-gasification of fossil fuels, biomass or waste materials — super-heating the necessary feedstock with steam to produce the carbon monoxide. However, this generates a large carbon footprint and can be hampered by issues like ash melting and tar contamination. The process requires injections of pure oxygen and produces combustion-related contaminants like dioxins and furans.

Ozin’s team is instead spearheading photochemistry methods that can be carried out at room temperature, while generating fewer contaminants.

Green carbon monoxide generation is expected to become more economically viable as advancements are made in the efficiency of photoreactors, battery performance, solar concentration optics and light-emitting diodes – with improvements in these technologies vital to making it competitive with existing thermochemical and electrochemical production methods.

Ultimately, transitioning production of carbon monoxide away from processes that burn fossil fuels toward using renewable energy, unwanted atmospheric carbon monoxide and waste forms of carbon offers the prospect of reducing the environmental footprint of producing this toxic yet vital industrial chemical – while also helping to create green sector jobs.