Some of the coolest innovations in green technology are happening right here in Ontario. Ontario’s Green Chemistry and Engineering Awards recognize significant contributions to the fields of green chemistry and engineering by an individual and an organization.
This year, the individual recipient of the award is Dr. Paul A. Charpentier from Western University. Dr. Charpentier is being honoured for his nanotechnology research in developing ways to generate electricity from sunlight more cost-effectively and efficiently. One of his projects is to create new coatings for home use that convert sunlight directly into heat for hot water and floor heating.
The organization recipient for this year’s award is the Xerox Research Centre of Canada. New practices developed at Xerox’s Mississauga research facility help the company recycle and reuse many of its products, and reduce energy use and waste.
Xerox is also manufacturing many of its printers and other imaging products using organic materials. Its innovations include: a toner that prints at a higher quality than average printers and uses 50 per cent less material; “chemical armour” that protects certain printer and copier components and doubles their usable life; and a solid ink printer that eliminates the need for traditional toner cartridges and reduces waste generation by 90 per cent.
The Ontario Green Chemistry and Engineering Awards are sponsored by the Ministry of the Environment and given out by the Chemical Institute of Canada. This year’s recipients received their awards in Vancouver on October 16.
Find out more about the Ontario Green Chemistry and Engineering Awards and this year’s recipients.
Photo courtesy of the Chemical Institute of Canada