One of Carleton University’s recently renewed Canada Research Chairs (CRC), Reza Kholghy, was awarded new funding in support of his contributions to achieving Canada’s goal of net-zero emissions by 2050.
Kholghy’s funding is part of an announcement by the Government of Canada of almost $11 million in research infrastructure funding through the Canada Foundation for Innovation (CFI) John R. Evans Leaders Fund.
These awards, supporting the work of 43 CRCs, will support state-of-the-art equipment and facilities that mobilize knowledge, spur innovation and commercialization, and empower the talented minds of a new generation. The CFI funding represents up to 40 per cent of the total project, with additional funds anticipated from the Ontario Research Fund and other sources.
Kholghy, a Canada Research Chair in Industrial Decarbonization in the Faculty of Engineering and Design, is receiving $89,000 to support his project: System for Thermogravimetric Analysis of Powders at Extreme Environments.
“Carleton is proud to see recognition for our growing, innovative research in sustainable energy and low-carbon technologies,” said Rafik Goubran, vice-president (Research, Innovation and International). “I anticipate Kholghy’s work to make significant contributions toward Canada’s road to net-zero.”
Kholghy’s project will create new processes to produce clean fuels and materials while reducing greenhouse gas emissions. His team will develop technologies that reduce emissions from hard-to-decarbonize industries, such as metal production. By studying how metal powders, like aluminum and iron, interact with gases such as air, CO2 and steam at high temperatures, Kholghy aims to produce hydrogen, syngas and valuable materials like alumina and carbon black. These created materials are useful for energy storage, batteries and industrial processes, and can replace more carbon-intensive alternatives.
To achieve this, Kholghy’s Energy and Particle Technology Laboratory is acquiring a specialized instrument to study how powders behave under extreme temperatures (up to 1600°C) and in different gas environments. Understanding these reactions will help the lab develop more efficient, carbon-free methods to produce hydrogen and other valuable materials.
Learn more about Kholghy’s CRC work.