l’actualité chimique canadienne canadian chemical news ACCN
September | Septembre • 2008 • Vol. 60, No./no 8
Geochemistry
À bas les
flavones
Carbon Storage at
Canada-Nova Scotia Offshore Petroleum Board’s
Geoscience Research Centre
Weyburn-Midale
Industry Canada’s
Protecting
Groundwater
Petrol Predictions
Howard Alper on Research
Integrity
CIC
50-Year
Members
GOLD PROSPECTS
ACCN
september | septembre • 2008 • Vol. 60, No./no 8
A publication of the CIC | Une publication de l’ICC
T a b l e o f C o n t e n t s | T a b l e d e s m a t i è r e s
Guest Column Chroniqueur invité . . . . . . 2 Step Up to the Plate Roland Andersson, MCIC
Ar ticles
12
letters lettres . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
News Nouvelles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
15
50 Years of Distinction . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
Regulatory News . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
Industrial Briefs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
Chemfusion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 Joe Schwarcz, MCIC
Recognition reconnaissance . . . . . . . .
28
Events Événements . . . . . . . . . . . .
29
16
Canadian geochemists launch an attack on groundwater pollution. Jim Fox
Canada-Nova Scotia Offshore Petroleum Board’s Geoscience Research Centre Gold Prospects Gold can be found anywhere by anyone. Anne Campbell, MCIC
20
Petrochemical Trends
22
Collaborating for Carbon Storage
24
Research Integrity
26
À bas les flavones, flavanols et flavanones, les hydroxycinnamates, hydroxybenzoates et caroténoïdes
careers carrières . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30
Cover illustration by Alix Mitchell
Water Works
Major factors affecting the global and Canadian petrochemical industries John Margeson, MCIC
Weyburn-Midale CO2 Storage Project
Howard Alper, HFCIC, OC
Ariel E. Fenster, MCIC
Guest Column Chroniqueur invité
Managing Editor/Directrice de la rédaction Heather Dana Munroe Graphic Designer/Infographiste Krista Leroux
Step Up to the Plate
Editorial Board/Conseil de rédaction Joe Schwarcz, MCIC, chair/président Cathleen Crudden, MCIC John Margeson, MCIC Milena Sejnoha, MCIC Bernard West, MCIC
Roland Andersson, MCIC
Why do so few scientists and engineers enter the political arena?
O
ver the last several years, I have asked many Canadian and international chemical scientists and engineers this question. I posed it at the American Chemical Society (ACS) Board of Directors’ meeting in New Orleans, LA, this spring and, although it generated considerable discussion and debate, the answer was the same—no one really knows. U.S. statistics show that approximately 1 of every 20 people go into science and engineering fields, and we could surmise that this applies to Canada as well. Out of 305 federal government Members of Parliament (MP), this should work out to about 15 MPs with scientific backgrounds. Yet, my unofficial statistics at the federal government level indicate that Bob Mills of Red Deer, AB, and Cheryl Gallant of Pembroke, ON, are the only MPs with post-secondary science degrees. We can all probably come up with the name of one or two politicians who have a science degree, such as Angela Merkel, chancellor of Germany, or Margaret Thatcher, past prime minister of the U.K. Both, incidentally, have chemistry degrees. I suspect that at least 50 percent of our Canadian MPs have law degrees. You would think that with so many of the important national and global issues being directly linked to science and engineering, we would have a higher number of scientists stepping into politics. There is hardly a day when energy, climate change, environment, healthcare, security and the associated economic issues are not showcased by the media. Add to the list our non-scientific politicians—expounding on how their parties will
manage and lead the country on these topics. How quickly they can change their minds and policies. Corn-based ethanol serves as a prime example. A year ago, biofuels were going to save the environment and end our energy problems. Those political statements have reversed in the past several months. While the public remains somewhat skeptical about the benefits of chemicalrelated industries, they hold individuals in the science and engineering community in very high esteem. They tend to trust these experts to do the right thing for the benefit of society. Where, then, are our science and engineering political leaders? It is true that many scientists and engineers hold prominent, high-level leadership positions—those you might even call “political” positions—in industry, government, government-supported councils and academia. But their influence falls short of where it ultimately counts—at the House of Commons voting arena. Scientists and engineers routinely complain about politicians’ lack of understanding of some of the complex issues mentioned previously. So what keeps us from stepping up to the political plate? Will we continue to rely on non-scientific politicians to adequately represent the scientific issues that affect the global community? This is a matter of personal interest to me. I would certainly be interested in hearing from you on the subject, as would other readers.
L’Actualité chimique canadienne Septembre 2008
Roland Andersson, MCIC, is executive director of the Chemical Institute of Canada.
Editorial Office/Bureau de la rédaction 130, rue Slater Street, Suite/bureau 550 Ottawa, ON K1P 6E2 613-232-6252 • Fax/Téléc. 613-232-5862 editorial@accn.ca • www.accn.ca Advertising/Publicité advertising@accn.ca Subscription Rates/Tarifs d’abonnement Non CIC members/Non-membres de l’ICC : in/au Canada CAN$55; outside/à l’extérieur du Canada US$50. Single copy/Un exemplaire CAN$8 or US$7. L’Actualité chimique canadienne/Canadian Chemical News (ACCN) is published 10 times a year by the Chemical Institute of Canada / est publié 10 fois par année par l’Institut de chimie du Canada. www.cheminst.ca. Recommended by the Chemical Institute of Canada, the Canadian Society for Chemistry, the Canadian Society for Chemical Engineering, and the Canadian Society for Chemical Technology. Views expressed do not necessarily represent the official position of the Institute or of the societies that recommend the magazine. Recommandé par l’Institut de chimie du Canada, la Société canadienne de chimie, la Société canadienne de génie chimique et la Société canadienne de technologie chimique. Les opinions exprimées ne reflètent pas nécessairement la position officielle de l’Institut ou des sociétés qui soutiennent le magazine. Change of Address/Changement d’adresse circulation@cheminst.ca Printed in Canada by Gilmore Printing Services Inc. and postage paid in Ottawa, ON./ Imprimé au Canada par Gilmore Printing Services Inc. et port payé à Ottawa, ON. Publications Mail Agreement Number/ No de convention de la Poste-publications : 40021620. (USPS# 0007-718) Indexed in the Canadian Business Index and available on-line in the Canadian Business and Current Affairs database. / Répertorié dans la Canadian Business Index et accessible en ligne dans la banque de données Canadian Business and Current Affairs. ISSN 0823-5228
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News Nouvelles
letters lettres
Further Developments … Dear Editor, I want to thank Jennifer Clarke, MCIC, for kindly including my development with Alan Marshall of FT-ICR Spectroscopy as one of the highlights of Canadian chemistry in the last 100 years (“Canadian Chemical Discoveries 1908– 2008,” May 2008 ACCN). I am also writing to you to note three other Canadian chemical developments that could, and in my opinion certainly should, have been included in any list of important Canadian chemical achievements. Each of these is far more significant than several of the items listed in your article. The first achievement is Neil Bartlett’s 1962 discovery of the first noble gas compound. This work at The University of British Columbia opened up a whole new field of noble gas chemistry and even caused the rewriting of freshman chemistry texts. The second noteworthy Canadian chemical achievement is Paul Kebarle, FCIC’s observation and exploitation of thermodynamic equilibria between gas phase ions and neutrals. This was first done in 1963 at the University of Alberta. Kebarle’s work from 1963 to this day created the field of gas phase acidity/basicity and allowed a step-bystep thermodynamic analysis of the process of ion solvation. Kebarle’s work, which is discussed in any treatise on solution chemistry or physical organic chemistry, is Nobel calibre. The third noteworthy achievement is Norm Dovichi’s gene analysis technology from the 1990s that was critical to the success of the human genome project. Without Dovichi’s work at the University of Alberta, sequencing the human genome would have taken many decades rather than a few years. Dovichi’s methodology (independently developed by Hideki Kambara at Hitachi in Japan) is in wide use today for gene sequencing. Mel Comisarow
What Do You Think? editorial@accn.ca
Photo courtesy of National Research Council Canada
Benoit Simard, FCIC, displays a model single-walled carbon nanotube—one of the strongest materials ever created.
Nanotubes Combat Explosives They’re the ultimate high tech material. Single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNT) are about 100 times stronger than steel but just one-sixth the weight. Some day, their anti-ballistic potential may be used to protect Canadian soldiers, police officers and other security personnel against improvised explosive devices (IEDs)—a favourite weapon of terrorists and guerrillas. Today in Afghanistan, more Canadian casualties are caused by IEDs than gunfire. Although bomb disposal suits and helmets offer an effective defence once an IED is discovered, together they are extremely heavy, weighing more than 30 kilograms. “This is not something you can put on and walk around in for the rest of the day,” says Benoit Simard, FCIC, of the NRC Steacie Institute for Molecular Sciences (NRC‑SIMS). With funding from Canada’s Chemical, Biological, Radiological-Nuclear, and Explosives Research and Technology Initiative (CRTI), NRC is leading a threeyear R&D program to incorporate SWCNT composites into personal protective equipment. “Nanotubes have the potential to enhance or replace anti-ballistic fabrics now used in vests and other protective gear, while reducing the total weight by 25 percent,” says Simard. The $4.5 million program, which begins in September 2008, links scientists in
government, academia and industry, including three NRC institutes, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, McGill University, The University of British Columbia and Ottawabased Med-Eng Systems. Simard’s team, in collaboration with the Université de Sherbrooke (UdeS), has developed a process to produce SWCNT in bulk and filed a patent application on the process. “On the market, carbon nanotubes cost about $100 to $300 per gram, but NRC’s production cost is significantly below this. The NRC-UdeS team can provide all of the single-walled carbon nanotubes in the quantity, purity and quality needed to execute this R&D project,” says James Webb, director of NRC-SIMS. The challenge now is to make useful materials such as fibres, sheets and composites from nanotubes, which typically measure from several microns to millimetres in length by just one nanometre in diameter. “From fibres, we can make yarn and from the yarn make textiles,” adds Simard. “We can weave materials or make nonwoven sheets.” The goal then is to intersperse nanotubewoven textiles into “aramid” fabrics such as Kevlar® or high-density polyethylene, which are currently used in anti-ballistic suits, in order to reduce the total number of layers needed to achieve the same level of performance. “This will reduce the weight of a suit, so the people who wear it will be more mobile and comfortable, and able to wear the gear for longer durations,” says NRC-SIMS team member Chris Kingston.
september 2008 Canadian Chemical News
News Nouvelles By the end of the three-year project, NRC and its partners expect to develop nanotube-based textile materials and test their mechanical and anti-ballistic properties. “Since nanotubes are one of the best thermal conducting materials, our vision for the future is to try adding new functionality, such as a cooling or water management system to remove sweat,” says Simard. “If we can reduce the weight of protective suits, we can focus on making them even more comfortable and higher performing for the people wearing them.” National Research Council Canada
Atlantica BioEnergy Task Force Unveiled A task force of forest industry stakeholders from Eastern Canada and Maine was launched this summer to explore bio-related opportunities within the forestry sector across the region. The study will seek to map the most effective use of wood resources available in the region including bio-energy, biochemical and value added bioproducts. The study will also examine new technologies with a strong focus on solutions that complement the current operations across the region. The Atlantica BioEnergy Task Force is comprised of regional government, industry, federal and regional organizations and post secondary institutions. The group is supported by a world-class team from PricewaterhouseCoopers that will systematically examine opportunities in the area of wood-based bioproducts while considering sustainable use of resources, current regional operations, maturity of new technologies, the current regulatory environment and the economic impact. “The global forest industry is rapidly changing and it is incumbent on all stakeholders to look for environmentally sustainable ways to best use our wood-based resources in the future,” says task force executive director Thor Olesen. “The BioEnergy Task Force is a group of forest industry stakeholders who are committed to future sustainable development of our forest products and the role biotechnologies can play in that.”
SFU research suggests that pesticides inhibit fish migration. “The work will be conducted over the next few months and will culminate with a leader’s summit and R&D forum by the end of the year that will bring together industry and government leadership along with key stakeholders to identify tangible actions that will move the study into meaningful outcomes,” adds Olesen. Atlantica BioEnergy Task Force
Trouts’ Sense of Smell— Something’s Fishy Pesticides are causing rainbow trout to lose their delicate sense of smell. That could harm the fish’s ability to avoid predators, find mates and migrate back from the sea, according to a study by a team of Simon Fraser University (SFU) researchers working with Environment Canada and Fisheries and Oceans Canada. The findings, reported in the June issue of the journal Environmental Science and Technology, show that during tests, pesticidetreated trout could sense an odour— an amino acid called L-serine—but couldn’t
L’Actualité chimique canadienne Septembre 2008
accurately sense changes in the scent’s concentration. Such detection is important, says Keith Tierney, who led the study while a graduate student at SFU. He says animals, even humans, tend to “tune out” smells that don’t change. “You can imagine if a fish is unable to detect just how close it is to a wading bear,” reported Tierney, who is currently at the University of Windsor. Fisheries experts have long questioned the possible link between pesticides and a fish’s sense of smell. But other studies have focused on single chemicals at high concentrations. Streams typically carry a mixture of chemicals at low concentrations. SFU researchers and their collaborators measured the water quality in South Surrey, BC’s 34-kilometre Nicomekl River and found at least 40 chemicals, most at trace concentrations. Using a realistic mix of the ten most abundant pesticides including diazinon, they exposed trout to the mixture for several days. Then they tested how it affected the fish’s odour-sensing cells when exposed to a scent molecule produced by predators. They found that the trout could not perceive changes in scent levels as well as unexposed trout.
News Nouvelles Trout are members of the salmon family, and Tierney points out that salmon typically swim through contaminant-polluted waters that can change from day to day, depending on the characteristics of the runoff entering the river system. While the researchers found that exposure to low levels of pesticides impaired neuron responses to predator scent, the same neurons are believed to perceive odours associated with migration. Their overriding concern is that a decreased ability to smell may mean that fewer salmon survive to spawn each year. Simon Fraser University
Nuclear Power for Jordan? Atomic Energy of Canada Limited (AECL) and SNC-Lavalin are pleased to announce the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the Jordan Atomic Energy Commission in Amman, Jordan. The agreement covers a range of areas of cooperation designed to assist Jordan in assessing the feasibility of the introduction of a CANDU® nuclear power program based on the Enhanced CANDU 6® (EC-6) reactor. The MOU serves as a framework for collaboration on: • engineering and economic studies aimed at demonstrating the technical and economic feasibility of a CANDU nuclear power program in Jordan; • studies to assess infrastructure development requirements and a site selection process to assess construction feasibility of an Enhanced CANDU 6 reactor within Jordan’s regulatory requirements; and • studies on fuel fabrication facilities, technology transfer, personnel training and ongoing support to ensure the potential use of Jordan’s uranium resources in a CANDU nuclear power program. “This MOU launches a new and important chapter that could lead to bilateral and multisectoral trade, investment and nuclear-related technology cooperation between Jordan and Canada,” said Ron Denom, president of SNCLavalin International. Atomic Energy of Canada Limited
Photo courtesy of National Research Council Canada
« Des revêtements très résistants prolongeront nettement la vie des lames de turbine, la pièce la plus importante des turbines actuelles », a déclaré John Rodgers d’Innovative Materials Technologies inc. Il apprécie son étroite collaboration avec Linruo Zhao du CNRC.
Longue vie aux moteurs d’avions Un des meilleurs moyens de réduire le coût d’entretien des avions commerciaux et militaires consiste à créer de meilleurs revêtements pour les pièces de moteurs. Un partenariat entre le CNRC et Innovative M a t e r i a l s Te c h n o l o g i e s ( I M T ) i n c . procurera bientôt à l’industrie mondiale de l’aérospatiale des enduits spéciaux qui prolongeront sensiblement la vie des turbines à gaz. « Les propriétaires d’avions qui misent sur la performance du moteur – comme les lignes aériennes ou l’armée canadienne – paient des sommes exorbitantes quand celui-ci est remis à neuf plus tôt que prévu », déclare Linruo Zhao, chercheur au CNRC. « Les pièces sont conçues pour durer un certain nombre de cycles ou d’heures, mais il arrive souvent qu’elles défaillent prématurément à cause de l’érosion par le sable, la poussière et d’autres particules. En diminuant le temps d’immobilisation, les revêtements à haute performance réduiront nettement les coûts d’exploitation. » Linruo Zhao dirige le groupe de technologie des pièces et des matériaux à l’Institut de recherche aérospatiale du CNRC (IRA-CNRC). Vers la fin des années 1990, l’IRA-CNRC a commencé à créer et à fabriquer ses propres revêtements pour les moteurs d’engins aérospatiaux.
Depuis 10 ans, Linruo Zhao collabore étroitement avec John Rodgers, chef technicien d’IMT. Rodgers a testé quatre revêtements anti-érosion pour les lames du compresseur et son entreprise commercialisera les deux meilleurs. « Nos revêtements sont trois à sept fois supérieurs au nitrure de titane, affirme-t-il. Ils performent 70 fois mieux que les substrats non protégés. » « La nouvelle technologie pourrait vraiment placer le Canada à la fine pointe de cette branche de la science des matériaux, estime Rodgers. Un fabricant européen de turbines à gaz teste déjà nos revêtements. Dès que leur rendement supérieur sera connu, beaucoup de constructeurs et d’entreprises de remise en état de moteurs se tourneront vers nous. » This article is also available in English at www.nrc-cnrc.gc.ca/highlights/2008/ 0807coatings_e.html. Conseil national de recherches Canada
Clarification Our sincere apologies to W. G. Forbes, FCIC, whose name was mistakenly omitted from the 2005 list of CIC 50-Year Members. ACCN is pleased to include him in this year’s list on p. 8.
september 2008 Canadian Chemical News
News Nouvelles
Engineering Contact Lenses
PPI Builds U.S. Biofuels Facility
Chemical engineering researchers at McMaster University have shown that a common fluid found in our bodies can be used as a natural moisturizing agent in contact lenses. This is a step up from the current wave of self-moisturizing contact lenses that use synthetic materials as a wetting agent to prevent eye dryness and increase wearer comfort. It is estimated that more than 50 percent of people who stop wearing contact lenses do so because of discomfort caused by dryness, which is particularly high at the end of the day. The research from McMaster, recently published in the journal Biomaterials, shows that hyaluronic acid can be entrapped in existing contact lens material without affecting optical properties. It was also found that using hyaluronic acid considerably reduces the build up of proteins that can cloud contact lens material. That is the cause of up to 30 percent of all after-care visits by contact lens wearers to optometrists. Hyaluronic acid is a natural polymer that acts to reduce friction. An average person weighing 70 kilograms has about 15 grams of hyaluronic acid in their body—one third of which is turned over daily. The body uses hyaluronic acid to repair skin, provide resiliency in cartilage, and contribute to the growth and movement of cells among other things. It is also used by the medical profession for other eye-related procedures such as cataract surgery. While manufacturers have not yet produced contact lenses with hyaluronic acid, the researchers remain hopeful. “We’ve shown that the process works,” said Heather Sheardown. She is a professor of chemical engineering at McMaster and a member of the McMaster School of Biomedical Engineering who was involved in the research. “We’re optimistic that a manufacturer will see the benefits of using this naturally based technology to provide contact lens wearers with greater comfort and convenience.”
One of North America’s leading biofuels and food biotechnology companies, Performance Plants Inc. (PPI) of Kingston, ON, has established an American research centre to develop specialized non-food crops for industries seeking renewable feedstocks for liquid transportation fuels, biochemicals and coal replacement. The new facility in Waterloo, NY, will develop biomass feedstocks adapted to maximize cellulose energy productivity. These crops will not compete with staple food crops such as corn and soybeans. The centre will link PPI’s strong trait discovery expertise with its biotech crop development capabilities. It will evaluate and demonstrate industrial, agronomic and environmental efficacy on an adjacent energy farm. The centre will provide the next generation of customized feedstocks derived from cellulosic non-food biomass crops. PPI’s proprietary seeds will benefit farmers by providing new income opportunities on land less suitable for major food crops. Target crops include some highly productive annual and perennial and grass species such as sorghum, switchgrass and Miscanthus. PPI’s proprietary technologies will enable crops to produce more energy per acre and reduce the costs to produce each gallon of ethanol.
McMaster University
Performance Plants Inc.
Edmonton Pioneers Waste→Biofuel Edmonton will be home to the world’s first industrial scale facility to produce biofuels from municipal solid waste. The city has signed a 25-year agreement with Canada’s largest ethanol producer, GreenField Ethanol, and Enerkem, a leading biofuels technology company. The $70 million biofuels facility will initially produce 36 million litres of biofuels per year. Alberta’s carbon dioxide footprint will be reduced by more than 6 million tonnes over the next 25 years—the
L’Actualité chimique canadienne Septembre 2008
equivalent of removing 12,000 cars off the road every year. “This new facility will be a first for both the biofuels and waste management industries. This is the world’s first agreement signed between a large urban centre and a biofuel producer to turn municipal waste into ethanol,” said Enerkem president and CEO Vincent Chornet. The City of Edmonton and the Government of Alberta through the Alberta Energy Research Institute (AERI) are contributing $20 million to the facility. The City of Edmonton will also contribute $50 million to a related processing facility and research facility. AERI’s total contribution to all the components is $29 million. “This unique partnership with private companies and the provincial government builds on our global leadership in municipal waste management,” said Edmonton mayor Stephen Mandel. “It will enable us to make a noted contribution to reducing greenhouse gases and become the first major city in North America to achieve 90 percent residential waste diversion from landfill.” This plant is the first to be announced by Greenfield Ethanol and Enerkem since the recent announcement of their partnership to jointly design, build and operate commercial next generation ethanol plants. Canadian Renewable Fuels Association
AkzoNobel Paints Come to Canada AkzoNobel has signed an agreement to sell its Para® and Crown Diamond® decorative paint brands in Canada to General Paint Corp. The sale is in line with the commitment package which was agreed with the Canadian authorities in connection with AkzoNobel’s acquisition of Imperial Chemical Industries plc (ICI) in January 2008. General Paint is a leading decorative coatings manufacturer in Canada. Completion is subject to certain customary conditions and the approval of the Commissioner of Competition. AkzoNobel
News Nouvelles
Ontario’s protection of 22.5 million hectares of Northern Boreal Forest will secure 50 billion tonnes of stored carbon.
Canada’s Largest Conservation Commitment ForestEthics applauds the Ontario government’s July 14, 2008, commitment to legislate protection of 50 percent (or 22.5 million hectares) of Ontario’s vast Northern Boreal Forest from industrial development. This move will secure more than 50 billion tonnes of stored carbon, help species and ecosystems adapt to the changing climate, and provide habitat for the threatened species including woodland caribou, wolverine, lake sturgeon and polar bear. Ontario’s Northern Boreal is part of the largest intact forest left in Canada, with 28 First Nation communities, and only two operating mines and few roads. The area designated for protection is 30 times the size of the Greater Toronto Area, half the size of California and six times the size of Belgium. “Premier McGuinty’s announcement … is the largest conservation commitment in Canada and raises the bar for environmental protection across this country and around the world,” said Gillian McEachern of ForestEthics. “We commend his bold action and hope that other leaders will follow—the ecological and economic security of future generations depend on it.” As a member of the Boreal Leadership Council, ForestEthics has worked to promote the conservation of at least half of Canada’s Boreal forest. The organization has worked toward this particular solution since 2005
using tactics that included raising the profile of Ontario’s Boreal Forest worldwide. They reached out to more than 500 wood and paper customers including customers like Limited Brands, Staples and Lowes to urge government action. They also supported First Nations opposed to mining on their traditional territory. Ontario has also pledged to update its outdated Mining Act by the end of this year. Promised reforms include ensuring mining developments occur only with First Nation consent and granting a leading role to communities in land use planning. ForestEthics
Canada—Dig Deep for Arctic Development Canada lags behind in efforts to find, develop and produce hydrocarbons from the Arctic, says an Alberta-based expert. Dave Russum, vice-president of geoscience with AJM Petroleum Consultants, focused on Canada’s Arctic opportunities during a technical talk he presented as part of the 2008 C3GEO Convention in Calgary, AB this past July. “About 30 years ago, Canada was a pioneer in the Arctic, but we have spent the past 30 years mired in a debate over the Mackenzie Valley Pipeline,” explains Russum. “Estimates suggest that there might be ten billion barrels of oil and 181 trillion cubic feet of gas in the Canadian Arctic, and with our high rates of natural gas production depleting reserves of conventional
natural gas across Canada, we need to be considering all opportunities.” According to international law, no country currently owns the rights to the North Pole. The five surrounding Arctic states—Canada, the U.S., the former Soviet Union, Norway and Denmark— are limited to a 200 nautical mile (370 kilometre) economic zone around their coasts. However, as part of ratifying the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea in 2003, Canada was awarded ten years to stake a claim extending our 200 nautical mile zone. While Canada has the opportunity to expand our claim to Arctic sectors, we have historically lagged behind on the exploration and development fronts. “While exploring for petroleum in the Arctic is technically and physically challenging, there are a number of geological basins that have proven oil and gas—Norway, the former Soviet Union and the U.S. all have producing projects within the Arctic basins,” said Russum. “As the changing environment increases open water in the Arctic and the Northwest Passage becomes passable during summer months, Canada needs to consider liquefied natural gas (LNG) and other imaginative transportation options to support our Arctic development.” AJM Petroleum Consultants, a privately owned Calgary-based company, has extensive experience in corporate reserve evaluations, acquisition and divestiture evaluations, and evaluations of unconventional reserves such as coalbed methane, tight gas, shale gas and bitumen/heavy oil. AJM Petroleum Consultants
september 2008 Canadian Chemical News
50 Years
of Distinction
G. M. Allison, MCIC S. W. Atkins, MCIC Lewis J. Brubacher, FCIC A. T. V. Buckingham, MCIC
On behalf of all of the members of the CIC, I would like to congratulate you on the remarkable anniversary of 50 years of membership. Your dedication and commitment to the chemical sciences
W. G. Forbes, FCIC (2005) Prescott E. Gardner, FCIC B. A. Gingras, FCIC
and engineering are an example to us all. Congratulations!
John Gray, MCIC C. G. Halliday, MCIC
De la part de tous les membres de l’ICC, je tiens à vous féliciter pour ces 50 merveilleuses années
W. A. Harrison, FCIC
d’adhésion. Votre dévouement et votre engagement
Kenneth Hunt, MCIC
pour les sciences et l’ingénierie chimiques constituent
Gerald W. King, FCIC
un exemple pour nous tous. Félicitations!
John W. Lorimer, FCIC Ian H. McEwan, FCIC
Murray R. Gray, FCIC CIC chair
Mario Onyszchuk, FCIC John C. Polanyi, HFCIC J. W. Rotheram, MCIC Kenneth E. Russell, FCIC William T. Sanders, FCIC M. Joyce Smith, MCIC Jack Walker, FCIC Herbert F. Wallace, MCIC Joseph Zauhar, MCIC Raymond H. Zienius, FCIC
L’Actualité chimique canadienne Septembre 2008
IndustrialBriefs regulatory news
J. David Adams has been appointed president of Professional Engineers Ontario. Biophage Pharma announced that Robert Burr has resigned as member of the company board of directors.
Pest Management Regulator Finds 2,4-D Can Be Used Safely Health Canada’s pest management regulatory agency (PMRA) concluded its re-evaluation of the popular herbicide 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid (2,4-D). The agency concluded that the herbicide can be used safely according to label directions for a variety of lawn, turf and agricultural applications. The information note in the PMRA decision included the following statement, “Health Canada also consulted an independent science advisory panel comprised of government and university experts/researchers in toxicology, epidemiology and biology. The panel agreed with Health Canada’s assessment that 2,4-D can be used safely when used according to label directions, with some uses requiring additional protective measures.” Jim Gray, executive director of the industry task force II on 2,4-D research data, said, “After reviewing an unprecedented depth of scientific data and expert panel reviews regarding the impact 2,4-D may have on children, adults, animals and the environment, Health Canada determined the herbicide meets all of Canada’s pesticide health and safety regulations, which are among the toughest and most stringent in the world.” “These most recent findings by the PMRA are consistent with previous decisions made by authorities including the World Health Organization, European Commission, U.S. EPA, and recent studies by the U.S.National Cancer Institute that deem 2,4-D to be a valuable and useful herbicide that does not pose human health or environmental risks when used according to label instructions,” Gray added. This conclusion supports the 2005 and 2007 draft assessments issued by PMRA, which found that 2,4-D can be used safely on lawn, turf, agricultural, forestry and industrial sites, when label directions are followed. Health Canada’s decision and other resources pertaining to 2,4-D are available at www.pmra-arla.gc.ca/ english/consum/2,4-D-e.html. Camford Chemical Report
Lignol Energy Corporation announced that Jeff Charpentier, vice-president, finance and corporate secretary, has been appointed chief financial officer of the company. Catalyst Paper is pleased to announce the appointment of William (Bill) Dickson to its board of directors. Biophage Pharma announced the appointment of Luc Dubois and Jocelyn R. Pelchat to its board of directors. The following individuals have been appointed sole officers of AbitibiBowater Canada Inc.: David J. Paterson as president; Alain Grandmont as vicepresident; William G. Harvey as vice-president and treasurer; Pierre Rougeau as vice-president; and Jacques P. Vachon as vice-president and secretary. BioSyntech, Inc. is pleased to announce that Michel Lagueux, Karen Hong, Eric W. Linsley and Winston Black have been appointed to the board of directors. Michel Lagueux has been appointed chair of the board, replacing Joseph Benarrosh. Genome Prairie announced the appointment of Wilf Keller as the new president and CEO of the company. The Canadian Academy of Engineering (CAE) elected John Leggat as president of the academy. Rafik Loutfy has been elected chair of the board of directors of Canadian Light Source Inc. (CLSI), Canada’s national synchrotron research facility. Novadaq(R) Technologies Inc., a developer of real-time imaging and image guidance systems for use in the operating room, announced that John T. Reidy has been appointed chief financial officer. Nobel Biocare announced the appointment of William J. Ryan as senior advisor to the CEO. MedMira Inc., a developer and marketer of rapid diagnostics, announced that Michael Thompson has resigned from the board of directors.
september 2008 Canadian Chemical News
Chemfusion Joe Schwarcz, MCIC
Chew on This
S
o … do you stop chewing gum? Get rid of your hair spray? Forget about using latex paints? Take white glue away from your children? It’s a sticky situation we encounter here. Why? The Canadian government has declared vinyl acetate to be a “toxic substance,” and you guessed it, the chemical is present in a host of consumer items. That sounds pretty scary, given that the standard definition of “toxic” is “capable of causing injury or death.” But in the context of the Canadian Environmental Protection Act (CEPA), this definition needs a little clarification. CEPA, as enacted in 1999, called for the establishment of a List of Toxic Substances, known as “Schedule 1,” to include chemicals that “constitute or may constitute a risk” to the environment or to human health. Placement on the list does not mean that risk has been clearly established, nor does it mean that production of the chemical is to be banned. It does mean that there is sufficient evidence for a thorough evaluation of the use of the chemical and its effects on the environment and on human health, taking into account the amounts released to the environment and the extent of human exposure. Listing of a chemical begins a cooperative effort between
the government, industry and non-government organizations to develop a management plan to reduce possible harmful effects, and if the evidence warrants, to ban the chemical. The addition of vinyl acetate to Schedule 1 created quite a hullabaloo as many press reports highlighted the fact that it is present in chewing gum. Panicked masticators wanted to know what to do. The answer is simple. Calm down. You are not at risk. At least not from the gum. I think that becomes evident as we try to digest this story. In 1912, Dr. Fritz Klatte in Germany added acetic acid to acetylene and created a compound called vinyl acetate. This turned out to be an extremely useful substance because its molecules could be coaxed into reacting with each other to form a polymer. Polyvinyl acetate (PVA) was put into use as a varnish and then as a glue. It revolutionized the paint industry by serving as the “latex” in latex paints, and it kept ladies well-coiffed in hair styling products. Chewing gum manufacturers capitalized on the rubbery nature of PVA and incorporated it into “gum base.” Since PVA is a non-toxic substance, none of these uses, not even its inclusion in eye-liners, has raised an eyebrow. The same cannot be said for the compound from which PVA is made—vinyl acetate. PVA always has a trace residue of vinyl acetate, which can potentially “outgas” from the plastic and lead to environmental and human exposure. Vinyl acetate readily biodegrades, so even though there is some release during PVA production, there is no concern about accumulation in the environment. The reason for its inclusion in Schedule 1 is its potential toxicity to humans. The alarm was sounded when the International Agency for Research on Cancer concluded that vinyl acetate was a possible human carcinogen. This classification was based on several factors. Vinyl acetate in the body is transformed into acetaldehyde, a known carcinogen that occurs naturally in apples, broccoli, coffee and alcoholic beverages. Rodents have been shown to develop nasal tumours upon inhalation, as well as cancers of the upper digestive tract when they consume vinyl acetate-laced drinking water in very high doses. In the laboratory, vinyl acetate can affect genetic material in human cells in an adverse fashion. To get a grasp on what this means in practical terms, we need to get a handle on how much vinyl acetate the animals were
10 L’Actualité chimique canadienne Septembre 2008
exposed to, and how this compares with human exposure. The Canadian Environmental and Health Ministries have done a remarkable job in identifying exposure of the general population from all known sources whether it be by inhalation, ingestion or through products applied to the skin. After scrutinizing numerous studies, officials concluded that vinyl acetate intake ranged from about 1.3 to 3.9 micrograms per kilogram (kg) of body weight per day. How does this compare with the animal experiments? The lowest dose at which any effect is noted is about 140,000 micrograms per kg of body weight. So there appears to be a pretty respectable safety margin for the ingestion of vinyl acetate. Digestive tract tumours require ingestion, of course, but nasal tumours can be caused by inhalation of vinyl acetate. This effect has to be evaluated because for humans, the major exposure is from indoor air. Rats develop tumours when exposed to a concentration of over 2,000 milligrams (mg) per cubic metre of vinyl acetate continuously for 104 weeks. That is an immense dose when compared with human exposure. Hair styling products release about 0.05 mg per cubic metre, and working with white glue can result in an air concentration of 2.3 mg per cubic metre. Applying carpet glue can mean an exposure to 540 mg per cubic metre. These exposures are not continuous as is the case for the rats. There is no evidence of any human cancer linked to occupational exposure to vinyl acetate. If human exposure is so much less than the dose that causes problems in animals, why is vinyl acetate being listed as a Schedule 1 substance? Because there are uncertainties when exposure is estimated, and in theory, a carcinogen may have an effect at any dose. Practical evidence suggests that as with any other toxin, carcinogens do have a “threshold effect” and can be seen with the vinyl acetate data. In the experiments where cancer was detected in rodents at some dose, there were …
ACCN
Continued on p.25 Joe Schwarcz, MCIC, is the director of McGill University’s Office for Science and Society. He hosts the Dr. Joe Show on Montréal’s radio station CJAD and Toronto’s CFRB. The broadcast is available at www.CJAD.com.
Illustrated by Alix Mitchell
september 2008 Canadian Chemical News  11
Water Works Groundwater is under attack from a growing number of polluting sources. A counterattack has been launched by two Canadian geochemistry scientists and their teams. James Hendry and David Blowes stand at the forefront of research to protect water supplies and, in particular, minimize the harmful impact of acid mine drainage.
12 L’Actualité chimique canadienne Septembre 2008
W
Jim Fox
aste at mine sites is widely acknowledged as the biggest and most costly environmental challenge facing the industry— and a threat to the existence of clean, pure water. In Canada’s west and across the Prairies—in regions where both farming and mining are important industries—there are substantiated concerns about the contamination of the water supply from fertilizers, pesticides and mine tailings. In Ontario, many of the 2,000 inactive mines release acidic metal-bearing drainage waters. Industrial waste sites release dissolved inorganic contaminants including nickel, copper, zinc and arsenic. Overall, the Canadian mining industry produces about one million tonnes each of waste rock and tailings daily. These are major research challenges for University of Saskatchewan geochemist James Hendry and the University of Waterloo’s David Blowes, a professor of earth and environmental sciences. They lead research teams that are making major advances in understanding and resolving problems surrounding the release of dissolved metals into the groundwater and surface water flow systems at mines, industrial waste sites and farming operations.
Above: Geochemistry researchers analyze the discharges of mine waste in containment areas such as this.
Hendry’s innovative research concerns aquitards—the nearimpermeable underground layer along an aquifer that provides drinking water. “Clay-rich aquitards sequester dangerous wastes of modern technological society—everything from swine waste and PCBs to mine tailings and nuclear waste,” said Hendry, who holds the NSERC Industrial Research Chair in Environmental and Aqueous Geochemistry. The chair was established in partnership with Cameco Corp. Ltd., based in Saskatoon, SK, the largest publicly held producer of uranium in the world. In addition to research into contaminants from uranium tailings, Hendry’s research assesses the ability of clayrich geologic media to provide long-term containment of industrial wastes and to protect groundwater resources from agricultural contaminants and industrial and municipal wastes. Now in its third five-year term, the Cameco-Hendry partnership is ensuring the impact of uranium mining on the environment is minimal and the findings are extending to benefit mining enterprises around the world. A professor of geology in the department of geological sciences, Hendry said that despite the importance of aquitards, “they are among the most difficult geological features to study and thus the leastunderstood area in groundwater science.” Until now, the typical type of research in geological science has been studying the movement of solutes, or dissolved substances, in aquifers but they make up only a “minor part of the subsurface,” Hendry said. “A far greater portion of the subsurface is made up of other material, such as aquitards, where the movement of solutes is poorly understood,” he added. The movement of solutes through the subsurface by molecular diffusion or advection to the underground aquifer depends on the type of subsurface material in between. Research shows this subsurface material directly affects how quickly an aquifer becomes contaminated. Studies
reveal that based on their composition, virtually no water flows through aquitards. As a result, without the presence of moving water, solutes move almost exclusively by diffusion. The movement is so minimal that the solutes are at a virtual standstill over thousands of years. “While you never completely eliminate the contamination, we’re talking about tens of thousands of years of transport time before the contaminants would finally leach into the aquifer,” Hendry said. This provides the breakthrough findings and the beginnings of a solution to the problem as it has been scientifically determined that aquitards do act as a buffer zone to keep the underlying aquifers from becoming contaminated. “Therefore, locating an industrial or agricultural-related site such as a potash tailing pond or a hog barn atop an aquitard would go a long way to postponing the contamination of groundwater,” he noted. Over at Waterloo, Blowes and his Groundwater Geochemistry and Remediation group have recently undertaken a new challenge—a large multidisciplinary project at the Diavik Diamond Mine that is 300 kilometres northeast of Yellowknife in the Northwest Territories. “This project focuses on waste rock at the mine site and potential long-term environmental effects on this pristine watershed,” he said. Along with the University of Waterloo, researchers from the University of Alberta and The University of British Columbia, Diavik and CANMET are involved in the investigations. As holder of the Canada Research Chair in Groundwater Remediation, Blowes’ specific focus is on the contamination of groundwater or surface water by dissolved metals. This relates to the prediction, remediation and prevention of groundwater contamination associated with mining and remediation of groundwater contamination through the development of passive geochemical techniques. About 35 percent of North America’s population relies on groundwater for drinking water. Field study research is providing detailed characterizations of sites of contamination by dissolved metals and metalloids.
The seepage and oxidation of this water is a result of a nearby mine tailing impoundment.
september 2008 Canadian Chemical News 13
“The mining and milling of sulphidic ore deposits generate large quantities of sulphide-bearing waste rock and finely crushed mill tailings. When exposed to oxygen and water, these by-products generate acidic effluents that can leach heavy metals and contaminate the soil and water supplies,” Blowes explained. Detailed investigations have been conducted at mine sites, mine-waste disposal facilities, wetlands, on-site sewage disposal systems and other industrial sites. That’s because the release of dissolved metals into groundwater and surface water flow systems at mine sites and industrial waste sites is common. Blowes heads the research team with Waterloo’s Carol Ptacek, research scientist in contaminant hydrogeology. Their team has had significant success developing Permeable Reactive Barrier (PRB) systems to treat contaminants. Now, their long-term efficiency, effectiveness, and limitations are being assessed. Laboratory studies are developing design parameters for construction of PRB systems for treatment of arsenic, lead, and mercury, while field studies examine these systems at sites throughout North America. Reactive transport computer models, which account for thermodynamic and kinetic controls on chemical reactions between groundwater and the aquifer material, are used to predict the complex geochemical behaviour of these systems. “In the past decade, we have developed and applied the PRB technology for the in-situ remediation of contaminated groundwater containing a variety of metals, such as chromium, copper, selenium, arsenic, mercury, nickel, zinc, and uranium,” Blowes said. This approach to treatment of metals and other inorganic contaminants in groundwater is being applied increasingly for plume control and management at many contaminated sites around the world. Jim Fox is a widely published freelance writer specializing in science and technology. A member of the Canadian Science Writers’ Association, he also prepares university research brochures, research success stories
A researcher from the Groundwater Geochemistry and Remediation group at the University of Waterloo takes a sample for testing.
14 L’Actualité chimique canadienne Septembre 2008
and profiles that help to demystify the complex world of science.
Canada-Nova Scotia Offshore Petroleum Board’s Geoscience
Research Centre
The Canada-Nova Scotia Offshore Petroleum Board’s Geoscience Research Centre (GRC) p r o v i d e s g e o l o g i c a l a n d g e o p hy s i c a l information and services for the Nova Scotia offshore area. The GRC also houses the board’s new digital data management centre (DMC), which provides free on-line access to offshore data at www.cnsopbdmc.ca. The GRC facility consists of three working areas—a data and core storage warehouse, public viewing rooms, and a micro-paleontology laboratory. Subsurface samples from 204 offshore petroleum exploration and development wells drilled by industry offshore Nova Scotia are stored at the facility. The facility curates a current hard copy inventory and microfiche record of geological, well history and geophysical information. Examination space, data, and materials for study are made available to the public free of charge.
condensate samples available for geochemical analysis. These samples are used to determine the variations in hydrocarbon composition and maturation of source rocks in evaluating various petroleum systems. The facility’s public examination area includes layout tables for studies of cores and samples and microfiche viewing equipment. A binocular microscope and other sample examination aids are available to users upon request. The facility’s laboratory is able to process samples from wells for extraction of micropaleontological material. Access to the laboratory is provided for users wishing to prepare samples taken for palynology processing, vitrinite reflectance, petrology, etc. The laboratory also contains equipment for petrological determinations and a rock saw to sample cores for thin sections. The board’s digital data management centre is the first in North America to offer publicly accessible digital offshore petroleum data free of charge via a Web-based interface. The DMC was launched in October 2007 and is housed in a dedicated computer room in the GRC. The DMC provides for the submission, loading, management and distribution of entitled petroleum data. Initially, the DMC will manage
Geoscience Research Centre Facility Facts Wells drilled in NS offshore area (to December 2006) Drill core in storage Drill core in storage Sidewall cores in storage Washed cuttings in storage (approximately) Unwashed cuttings in storage (approximately) Geochemistry cutting samples in storage (approximately) Size of data and sample storage area Released geological and geophysical reports The GRC warehouse contains geological samples in the form of washed cuttings, unwashed cuttings, sidewall core, conventional core, and well site samples. The washed cuttings are taken by the operator every five metres during drilling. Unwashed cuttings are taken every five metres as well. Unwashed cuttings and conventional core may be sampled by clients to aid in further understanding of our offshore geology. A collection of micropaleontology and palynology slides are also available for examination. Recent fluid samples are archived and stored in a flammable goods freezer on the premises. In addition to the geochemistry cutting samples in storage, there are over 400 oil and
Geological technologist Nancy White displays core for examination.
204 4,304 boxes 4,286.05 metres 14,128 vials 160,594 vials 139,746 bags 11,549 jars 1200 metres squared over 365
and distribute the following digital petroleum data—well data such as logs and reports, seismic image files, Geographic Information Systems (GIS) data (licenses, wells, bathymetry) and production data. In the future, the DMC could be expanded to include operational, safety, environmental, and fisheries data. To become a registered DMC user free of charge, visit www.cnsopbdmc.ca. For more information about the Canada-Nova Scotia Offshore Petroleum Board, visit www.cnsopb.ns.ca. Canada-Nova Scotia Offshore Petroleum Board’s Geoscience Research Centre
september 2008 Canadian Chemical News 15
O G
Gold can be found anywhere by anyone. Anne Campbell, MCIC
B
D L Prospects
assanio knew the way to Portia’s heart was not through gold. The same cannot be said for the rest of the world. From the mountains of Minais Gerais in Brazil and up to the Western Cordillera of British Columbia—gold has lured people to migrate across country just for the prospect of returning home with riches. Gold has been used by a number of diverse civilizations throughout history. It continues to be internationally recognized as a symbol of wealth and artistic merit. Egyptian Pharaoh King Tutankhamun of the 14th century BC was encased in a coffin of pure gold surrounded by priceless golden objects. Gold is still the metal of choice in the 21st century for declaring one’s undying love and commitment. Metallic gold is malleable, ductile, inert, dense and conducive to heat and electricity. These properties, combined with its shiny, yellow lustre, enhance gold’s desirability.
16 L’Actualité chimique canadienne Septembre 2008
Gold is malleable and ductile—so soft that 1 ounce of gold can be beaten and flattened out to 300 square feet. As such, gold is a prime metal of choice for jewelry and other artistic artifacts. Because gold is so soft, other metals are often required to alloy with gold to give it more strength. The purity of gold relates to its colour and is characterized by karats. Gold and silver both belong to the copper family. They have the same number of valence electrons, the same atomic structure and have nearly identical atomic size. This means that silver alloys with gold naturally. Pure gold is bright yellow and is called 24-karat gold. As the amount of silver increases, the colour becomes paler and the purity is reduced to 20-karat for an 80 percent gold/20 percent silver alloy. Other similar atoms like copper, palladium, rhodium and iridium have been substituted into gold to increase its hardness.
Photos courtesy of Dominic Santangelo
Gold is considered relatively inert and stable. It is unreactive in air, unreactive towards acids, does not rust, tarnish, decay or decompose. It exists as a free metal in the earth, and it can lay underground or on the bottom of the sea untouched for centuries. Therefore, gold has been deposited throughout the world. It is generally found in only minute quantities, but gold can be found anywhere by anyone. The origin of gold ore deposits is still up for debate. Depending on the age of the surrounding rock, popular theories include the possibilities that gold washes in from rivers and streams from volcanic mountains and that hot spring fluids deposit gold inside the rocks. Geochemistry has recently solved the riddle of the origin of South African gold nuggets found in the Witwatersrand Basin.1 In this particular case, if the gold is older than the surrounding rock, it must have washed in from the surrounding mountains and highlands, and the rock then built up around the gold. If the rock is older than the gold, then the hydrothermal model stating that the gold seeped in with fluids into crevices in the rock makes more sense. A team of geochemists, led by Jason Kirk from the University of Arizona, used radiochemistry to determine the age of the gold. Rhenium and osmium are both naturally found in gold. Rhenium naturally decays into osmium with a half-life of 42.3 billion years! By dissolving gold grains and measuring the ratio of rhenium to osmium, the gold was aged at a quarter of a billion years older than the rock. The geochemists also concluded that the rheniumto-osmium ratio means that the gold came from the Earth’s mantle and not its crust. They proposed that the Witwatersrand Basin gold originated from volcanic rocks and not from granite in the Earth’s crust. Gold-panning enthusiasts take this finding as a golden opportunity for uncovering other gold deposits. Gold weighs in at 19.3 grams per cubic centimetre. It is 19 times heavier than water, making gold one of the heaviest metals. As a result, gold deposits are found settled at the bottom of river beds or concentrated in soil. The host rocks are subject to weathering and chemical erosion. Eventually, they are broken down to expose the quartz and gold. Weathering also fragments the quartz, releasing any gold contained in it. Since gold is so heavy, it sinks. This specific attribute has led to the success of gold panning in both modern and ancient times. Gold can be panned in water or the surrounding debris and sifted and sorted easily. Gold’s density and stability lend to its accessibility. Its softness and conductive properties lead to its wide utility. Its colour adds beauty. All of its inherent chemistry designates gold as the world’s most treasured metal.
References 1. Charles Choi, “Origin of World’s Largest Gold Deposit Found,” United Press International Science News, September 23, 2002. Anne Campbell, MCIC, has a BSc in chemistry from the University of Guelph and an MA in chemistry from Brown University in Providence, RI. She tutors chemistry students of all ages and is the CIC career services and student affairs officer.
A report published in the July 8 issue of the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS) is the first to describe the principles behind the stability and electronic properties of tiny nanoclusters of metallic gold. The study, which confirms the “divide and protect” bonding structure, resulted from the work of researchers at four universities on two continents. “While gold nanoparticles are being used by so many researchers— chemists, materials scientists and biomedical engineers—no one understood their molecular and electronic structures until now,” said Robert Whetten, a professor in the Georgia Institute of Technology’s School of Physics and School of Chemistry and Biochemistry. “This research opens a new window for nanoparticle chemistry.” Gold and sulfur atoms tend to aggregate in specific numbers and highly symmetrical geometries. Sometimes these clusters are called “superatoms” because they can mimic the chemistry of single atoms of a completely different element. Researchers commonly use gold nanoparticles because they are stable and exhibit distinct optical, electronic, electrochemical and bio-labeling properties. However, understanding the physicochemical properties of such clusters is a challenge requiring knowledge of their atomic structures. A significant advance came in late 2007, when Stanford University researchers reported the first-ever total structure determination of a 102-atom gold cluster. The X-ray structure study revealed that pairs of organic sulfur (“thiolate”) groups extracted gold atoms from the gold layer to form a linear thiolate-gold-thiolate bridge while interacting weakly with the metal surface below. These gold–thiolate complexes formed a sort of protective crust around the nanoparticles. “This discovery contradicted what most chemists believed was going on—which was that the sulfur atom merely sat atop the uppermost gold layer, bound to three adjacent metal atoms,” said Whetten. With the experimentally determined structural coordinates, an international team of researchers conducted large-scale electronic structure calculations in supercomputing centres in Finland, Sweden and Germany. They found that the 102-atom gold cluster was a “superatom” with a core of 79 gold atoms arranged into a truncated decahedron. The results confirmed the “divide and protect” structure first predicted by team member Hannu Häkkinen, a professor at the University of Jyväskylä.
september 2008 Canadian Chemical News 17
Challenges for a
Changing World
8th World Congress of Chemical Engineering(WCCE8) is being held in Montréal, QC, The
August 23–27, 2009. The congress theme is “Challenges
for a Changing World,” and our Canadian team has put together an exciting program with help from our international colleagues. The Call for Papers opened on June 16, 2008 and will close November 30, 2008. Papers can be sent through Hermes Conference Centre via the WCCE8 Web site. Details are available at www.wcce8.org/call_for_ papers_instructions.html. The Congress program will include plenary sessions, oral and poster presentations, student programs and a full social program. A partial list of plenary speakers includes experts such as Shell Global Solutions president Greg Lewin; Yale University professor Mark Saltzman; and professor Gerhard Kreysa, president of DECHEMA. Major themes for WCCE8 are in place and the following topics will be explored: energy; green processing; new materials and processes; biotechnology; contemporary topics in chemical engineering; and chemical engineering and society. WCCE8 will also be featuring a program designed for industrial engineers. Examples of industrially-oriented topics that will be of special interest to engineers working in industry include: financing industrial research and development; process intensification for sustainable manufacturing; XTL (X to Liquid); and process safety and loss management. You can view the full technical and industrial programs at www.wcce8.org or sign up to receive more information on the congress at www.wcce8.org/onlineform.html. Montréal is a scenic and vibrant multi-cultural city with a European flavor, and is renowned for its cultural and artistic life with remarkable restaurants and an excellent hotel network. Montréal is easy to reach by air with direct flights from the U.S.A., Latin America, and Europe, and from Asia through the Vancouver and Toronto hubs. We look forward to receiving your paper and seeing you in Montréal in 2009.
Ca l l f o r P a p e r s Closes November
30, 2008
“In 2006, we predicted that gold atoms in this bonding motif were divided in two groups—those that made the metal core and those that helped to protect it,” explained Häkkinen. “Now there was evidence that this was true.” In the study reported in PNAS, the researchers found that the clusters were stable because the surface gold atoms in the core each had at least one surface-chemical bond and the gold core exhibited a strong electron shell closing. With the 102-atom gold cluster, each gold atom in the cluster donated one valence electron. Forty-four of those electrons were immobilized in bonds between gold atoms and thiolates, leaving 58 electrons to fill a shell around the “superatom.” In this configuration, the cluster wouldn’t benefit from adding or shedding electrons, which would destabilize its structure. This process is similar to what happens in noble gases, which are chemically inert because they have just the right number of electrons to fill a shell around each atom’s nucleus.
Associated with the filled electron shell, the gold-thiolate compound also had a major energy gap to unoccupied states. The calculated energy gap between the highest occupied molecular orbital and the lowest unoccupied molecular orbital states for the 102-atom compound was significant—0.5 electron volts. Metals typically have a gap of zero, so this gap indicates an atypical electronic stability of the compound. In addition to the 102-atom compound, the researchers also determined the electronic structures for 11-, 13- and 39-atom gold cluster compounds. They found that the 11- and 13-gold atom clusters form closed electronic shells with 8 electrons and the 39-atom gold clusters with 34. “The theoretical concepts published in this paper provide a solid background for further understanding of the distinct electrical, optical and chemical properties of the stable mono-layer-protected gold nanoclusters,” said Whetten. The study also shows that experimentally well-characterized, structure-resolved, thermodynamically stable species of thiolate-, phosphine-halide-, and phosphine-thiolate-protected gold nanoparticles share common factors underlying their stability. Once this initial work was completed, the researchers started predicting the structures of other stable gold cluster compositions that are still awaiting a precise structure determination. “We now have a unified model that provides a solid background for nanoengineering ligand-protected gold clusters for applications in catalysis, sensing, photonics, bio-labeling and molecular electronics,” said Häkkinen. Abby J. Vogel Georgia Institute of Technology
18 L’Actualité chimique canadienne Septembre 2008
september 2008 Canadian Chemical News  19
Petrochemical
Trends
Major factors affecting the global and Canadian petrochemical industries
John Margeson, MCIC
C
hemical Market Associates, Inc. (CMAI) projects that the profitability of the global chemical industry likely peaked in 2007. The persistent high price of oil, combined with a slowdown in U.S. demand and the anticipated wave of new Middle Eastern capacity that will begin to arrive on markets toward the end of 2008, will lead to lower profitability this year. The large surge in new Middle Eastern capacity will continue through 2010, creating oversupply situations which will lead to lower prices during the trough portion of the cycle, and the closure of lower-efficiency production sites. Canada is well positioned to weather this consolidation—Alberta in particular. The next up-cycle is not anticipated until about 2012 when demand growth is projected to have absorbed the increased supply. Ethylene production, as the largest-volume petrochemical in the world, is often used as a benchmark to measure industry competitiveness. It is a particularly important petrochemical for Canada because so much of our chemical industry is ethylenebased. The Middle East is easily the world’s lowest-cost producer of ethylene. It derives that advantage from very low prices for ethane feedstock and natural gas energy, but this cost advantage is beginning to erode. New Middle Eastern contracts for natural gas and ethane will not be priced as advantageously as former contracts were. The supply of incremental ethane is also becoming constrained, forcing some new cracker projects to utilize heavier feedstocks like propane, butane and naphtha. Alberta is the second lowest-cost ethylene producing region in the world. Alberta derives its competitive advantage from a number of factors including the fact that the price of North American natural gas is currently low compared to crude oil. Ethylene crackers based on natural gas liquids are advantaged compared to crackers based on crude oil-derived feedstocks like naphtha. Ethane is also less expensive in Alberta than on the U.S. Gulf Coast due to the regions’ differing market dynamics. The ethane-extracting straddle plants in Alberta are very large and offer economies of scale. Finally, the ethylene crackers are large and modern and offer additional economies of scale. Historically, Alberta producers have a cost advantage compared to the U.S. Gulf Coast of about six cents per pound of
20 L’Actualité chimique canadienne Septembre 2008
ethylene. Last year, NOVA Chemicals reported that its cost advantage averaged 17 cents per pound. Work has been underway under the auspices of the Hydrocarbon Upgrading Task Force in Alberta for several years to promote the concept that products and off-gases from the processing and upgrading of oil sands should be utilized within the province to produce refined petroleum products and petrochemicals. The motivation is to extract maximum value-added from the bitumen resource for Alberta and Canada rather than exporting raw materials. At production levels of two million barrels per day (M bbl/d) of bitumen, exporting raw bitumen contributes about $25 billion per year to Canada’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP). If the bitumen is upgraded to synthetic crude oil, the GDP contribution doubles to $50 billion. If the upgrading continues downstream to refined petroleum products and petrochemicals, then the GDP jumps to $75 billion—or higher—depending upon how far down the value-added spectrum you go prior to exporting a product. Achieving this vision will require significant new investments in refinery and petrochemical capacity. The Government of Alberta has been sponsoring a series of consultant studies over the past several years to develop information that will assist industry in assessing the potential for value-added manufacturing in Alberta, addressing both technical and economic issues. The latest study, done by Kline & Co., looks at the potential for a greatly expanded petrochemical cluster in the Alberta Industrial Heartland region northeast of Edmonton. The assessment is based upon the strong nucleus of petrochemical companies already in the region. The premise for a greatly expanded petrochemical complex is based on integration with bitumen upgraders that are being built in the region. It is projected that there will be 3 M bbl/d of bitumen being upgraded in the province by 2020, creating large volumes of bitumen bottoms that could become the advantaged feedstock for producing petrochemicals. Kline identified 140 petrochemicals that could be produced through gasification of these bottoms. The list of priority opportunities has been screened down to about ten chemicals of highest priority for initiating the cluster based on criteria such as their integration potential, their derivatization potential, the
availability of technology, and minimization of the environmental footprint. There is some resistance to the concept of a greatly expanded petrochemical cluster in Alberta, but the concept has made significant headway in the past few years. Another tool that will soon be available to the government of Alberta to stimulate this kind of downstream investment relates to bitumen royalties. Currently, the government of Alberta collects its royalties from bitumen in cash. However, a decision has been made that they will begin to collect bitumen royalties in-kind, as they already do with crude oil. The objective is to accumulate a position in bitumen that could be used strategically to stimulate downstream, value-added investments in upgrading, refining and petrochemicals. The Alberta government also expects that this approach will close the price gap between bitumen and conventional crude. A Request for Expressions of Interest was issued on August 15, 2008. It will be used to solicit ideas from industry on how the volumes of Crown bitumen could be handled. The submitted ideas will be evaluated and followed by a Request for Proposals that is expected in the late fall or early winter. It will ask companies to provide more detail on possible options. The transition from cash royalties to bitumen-in-kind is expected to occur around 2012. The intent is not to use Crown bitumen as a means for subsidizing otherwise non-economically viable projects. This article was prepared with information presented at the Chemical Market Associates, Inc. (CMAI) World Petrochemical Conference that was held in Houston, TX, March 26–27, 2008, the National Petrochemical and Refiners Association International Petrochemical Conference in San Antonio, TX, March 30–April 1, 2008, the Hydrocarbon Upgrading Task Force meeting in Calgary, AB, on May 29,2008, and the Canadian Energy Research Institute Petrochemical Conference, June 9–10, 2008 in Kananaskis, AB.
John Margeson, MCIC, has worked at Industry Canada for the past 19 years. He is the sector specialist with responsibilities for the chemicals and plastics industries. He received a PhD in chemical engineering from the University of Ottawa.
september 2008 Canadian Chemical News 21
Collaborating for Carbon Storage Economically feasible storage of CO2 provides a real tactic to mitigate the environmental impact of oil production. The world is demanding much more energy for development—which currently means more fossil fuels—and a solution to climate change. The seemingly insurmountable task might be offset by safe and cost effective ways of capturing and storing carbon dioxide (CO2) from coal, oil and natural gas. National geological services, research institutions and other energy companies are joining forces to develop the science and methodology needed to: • ensure that CO2 stays underground safely; • measure the amount stored; • monitor and manage any environmental impact. Shell Canada Limited recently signed on as a co-sponsor of the International Energy Agency Greenhouse Gas (IEA GHG) Weyburn-Midale CO2 Monitoring and Storage Project (Weyburn-Midale CO2 Project) at the Petroleum Technology Research Centre (PTRC) in Regina, SK. The project is operated in conjunction with two billion-dollar commercial CO2 floods in Saskatchewan where huge volumes of the gas are captured from an industrial source and injected to revive oil production. “Deployment of carbon capture and storage and a wide range of low-carbon technologies will be needed to meet the climate change challenge. Shell’s sponsorship of the Weyburn-Midale CO2 Project is in step with the carbon capture and storage work we are doing in other parts of the world with research institutions, regulatory agencies, international organizations and other energy companies,” said Dave Collyer, president of Shell Canada Limited. The PTRC is an independent, non-profit corporation. Its primary objective is to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of oil recovery in Canada through the development of leading edge technologies and processes. The PTRC manages research projects to this aim, carried out largely but not exclusively by the Saskatchewan Research Council and the University of Regina. The PTRC is funded by the provincial and federal governments, industry, and in-kind support from associated research groups. The PTRC has and continues to build connections with leading experts around the world and promotes a collaborative approach to research. The Weyburn-Midale CO2 Project is one of the world’s three largest in-field carbon storage research projects and the largest CO2 enhanced oil recovery (EOR) project on land. In its final phase, the $80 million international study is investigating long-term geological storage of man-made CO2 in mature oil reservoirs. This process is used around the world to increase oil production. Research from the project is shared with partners on an ongoing basis and is based on data generated at the sites of the commercial EOR operations by EnCana Corporation and Apache Canada Ltd. in Saskatchewan. “What makes the Weyburn-Midale CO2 Project a win-win project for Shell and other industry partners is the potential to store a … greenhouse gas in a natural hydrocarbon container, while realizing the economic benefits of increased oil recovery thanks to the CO2,” said Ray Knudsen, project director of the WeyburnMidale CO2 Project.
22 L’Actualité chimique canadienne Septembre 2008
When CO2 is injected underground in carbon flooding, it helps to thin light to medium oil and move oil that was previously unrecoverable towards production wells. The majority of the CO2 remains underground and the portion that returns to the surface with the produced oil is captured and returned underground in a closed loop system. “Shell believes it is important to test and demonstrate the science and methodology of CO2 storage,” continued Collyer. “This research will further understanding about the safety and effectiveness of long-term underground storage of CO2 and enable the public and regulatory agencies to make informed choices.” Economically feasible storage of CO2 provides a real tactic to mitigate the environmental impact of oil production. The environmental potential of the technology is grabbing international attention while the economic benefits encourage early adoption of the technique. In the final phase of the Weyburn-Midale CO2 Project, the technical component of the project will include work on site characterization, monitoring and verification, wellbore integrity and risk assessment. The policy considerations will look at regulatory issues concerning the long-term nature of storage, public communication and outreach, and the means to foster widespread use of CCS through strategies to support the business environment. This final phase will further develop the most scrutinized data set for CO2 geological storage in the world. A key end deliverable for this final phase is also to compile a manual of best practices to guide all aspects of future CO2 storage projects. This Best Practices Manual will address both technical and policy considerations for successful implementation.
Weyburn-Midale CO2 Storage Project The project is supported by an international collaboration of governments, research institutes and industry. Government sponsors include: • Alberta government through the Alberta Energy Research Institute • Natural Resources Canada • Saskatchewan Energy and Resources • U.S. Department of Energy
Corporate sponsors include:
University of Regina’s Green Science and Technology Conference 2008 The Green Science and Technology 2008 Conference was held in Regina, SK, in June 2008. It featured 14 presentations and a visit to the Encana carbon dioxide EOR and sequestration site in Weyburn and the ITC pilot recovery project at the Boundary Dam coal-fired power plant near Estevan, SK. The visiting speakers included Catherine Santini from CNRS in Lyon, France; Richard Pagni from the University of Tennessee; Robin Irons from E.ON Engineering in Nottingham, U.K.; and Richard Hotchkiss from RWE npower in Swindon, UK. The audiences ranged from 20 to 40, mostly chemists and chemical engineers. We are indebted to the University of Regina, ITC, the Petroleum Technology Research Centre and HTC Pure Energy for financial support. Abstracts of the presentations can be viewed at www.uregina. ca/greenconference2008. Keith Johnson, FCIC
• Apache Canada Ltd. • Aramco Services Company • Chevron • EnCana Corporation • OMV Austria Exploration & Production GmbH • Research Institute of Innovative Technology for the Earth (RITE), Japan • Saskatchewan Power Corporation • Schlumberger Carbon Services • Shell Canada Limited
Making Environmental and Economic Sense The world’s largest full-scale, in-the-field study of CO2 storage in a commercial EOR operation:
CIC Fellowships Do you know a deserving member? The CIC Fellowship is a senior class of membership that recognizes the merits of CIC members who have made outstanding contributions. Four areas of achievement are considered:
• • • •
scientific, engineering, and technical contributions; CIC, CSC, CSChE, and CSCT activities; management of science, engineering, or technology; teaching and promotion of chemical public awareness.
In general, candidates should have made contributions in all four areas; outstanding contributions in one area may partially offset weaknesses in another area. Nominees should be members in good standing for at least ten years. Nominations for 2009 CIC Fellowship are due October 1, 2008. For more information, visit www.cheminst.ca/fellowship.
• $80 million project • 12 million tonnes of CO2 injected to date
• 40 million tonnes will be stored by 2035
• Greater than 20,000 incremental bbl/day • Currently in Final Phase ending 2011
For additional information on the Weyburn-Midale CO2 Project, visit www.ptrc.ca/weyburn_overview.php. Petroleum Technology Research Centre
Photo courtesy of the Petroleum Technology Research Centre
New Chemical Education Project? If you are seeking seed funding for an interesting science project with a strong educational component, why not consider submitting your proposal to the CIC Chemical Education Fund (CEF)? The CEF directors are always looking for new ideas and new projects. Grants should be submitted by December 15 for the following year’s approval. For more information about the CEF and the grant application form, visit www.cheminst.ca/cef.
september 2008 Canadian Chemical News 23
Research Integrity Increased attention has been paid to the issue of research integrity in recent years, with some cases attracting considerable notoriety.
Howard Alper, HFCIC, OC
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et us consider what research integrity and misconduct are and the approaches that can reduce violations of acceptable practice. Research integrity can be defined as the firm adherence to a code of high moral values, principles, and professional standards in research. As the African writer Chinua Achebe said, “One of the truest tests of integrity is its blunt refusal to be compromised.” U.S. Federal policy defines research misconduct as fabrication, falsification, or plagiarism in proposing, performing, or reviewing research, or in reporting research results. Honest errors or differences of opinion do not constitute research misconduct. The policy states that: • research misconduct results from a significant departure from accepted practices of the relevant research community; • is committed intentionally, knowingly, or recklessly; and • is proven by a preponderance of evidence. What are the standard codes of scholarly conduct and ethical behaviour in research? What are the best practices for the conduct of research on a global basis? Research credibility i.e., scientific believability is pivotal in both cases. In reality there are, in different fields of endeavor, some dishonest individuals who engage in fraudulent activities and pursue unacceptable practices to the detriment of scientific advancement. There are also some individuals who are honest but, because of national goals, being in the limelight, peer pressure, or other factors,
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are tempted to take liberties with results, falsify or fabricate data, plagiarize, etc. For example, at a meeting in which I participated several years ago in Seoul, Korea, that was hosted by the president of Korea, a researcher asked, “What do you need to do to get a Nobel Prize?” As someone who travels to Korea regularly and who admires Koreans for their determination, love of education and the arts, I have also witnessed the obsession by Korean society at many levels to secure a Nobel Prize. This is essentially a national goal and could have served as a licence by a Korean stem cell researcher to engage in profound research misconduct. In many nations now, there is significant emphasis among the scientific and university elite to publish in top journals and require graduate students to publish at least one paper per year during their graduate program. This pressure can lead researchers to make exaggerated claims to enhance publication prospects and result in unnecessary publications and “corner cutting” in the process. It is of some concern that in addition to the findings of research misconduct, the falsification or fabrication of research results may go undetected if the work is of low importance and/or is of marginal interest and, therefore, less likely to be reproducetd by others. Major landmark advances attract attention and are likely to be subject to scrutiny. It is conceivable that as science evolves and pressure mounts to obtain results, often in unrealistic timeframes, the quality of research
Chemfusion
will not necessarily improve. The human element is key—key to discoveries, inventions, research integrity, and responsible science practices. There are two principal strategies to consider with respect to research integrity: • the values-based perspective, which includes the spirit, culture, and values of science; • the compliance-based perspective, which consists of rules and policies including adherence to strict codes. A good way forward would be to operate using an outcomeoriented code—a combination of the best elements of the two approaches. There are a number of potentially desirable components of an outcome-oriented code. For instance, the values-based perspective is characterized by, among other things, flexibility and the conviction that positive outcomes at the workplace can be achieved through the good judgment of participants. Consistency, and the realization that good outcomes at the workplace can be achieved by enforcement, are contributors to the compliance-based approach.1 Nurturing research integrity, while addressing research misconduct, can thus be attained by an outcome-oriented code. Prevention of misconduct, in terms of the values-based perspective (encouragement), begins with the values instilled in children by their parents at home and by their teachers at school. University academics/administrators have the responsibility to forge alliances with school teachers and educators to assure a continuum of best practices from the kindergarten to the completion of graduate studies. Also essential is the development of a strong science culture and the mentorship of researchers in universities, industry, and government laboratories. Rules and structures are key to prevention in a compliance-based perspective (deterrent). Integrity is a central tenet in research and innovation. The actress Vanessa Redgrave has noted that, “Integrity is so perishable in the summer months of success.” Our goal must be to establish agreed best practices in research integrity to minimize occurrences of research misconduct at any point in the career development of researchers. We owe it to ourselves. We owe it to our community. We owe it to our society. 1
Continued from p.10
… always lower doses where no effect was seen. Still, to err on the side of caution, it is appropriate to examine the possibility of reducing human exposure, but this pertains to industry, not to individual consumers. There is no action that any consumer need take with regard to the vinyl acetate question. There is no need to avoid chewing gum because of the release of vinyl acetate. A 2-gram piece of gum made with polyvinyl acetate contains roughly 1 microgram of vinyl acetate as readily determined by laboratory techniques. Not all gum is made with PVA. Some use natural chicle, and others use styrene-butadiene rubber. If a person weighing 50 kg were to swallow ten pieces of gum made with PVA a day, his intake would be 0.2 micrograms per kg body weight. In other words, he would have to swallow 7,000,000 pieces of gum a day to match the amount that caused digestive tract cancer in rodents. If we assume that someone has a big mouth, say a volume of 100 cubic centimetres, and if all the vinyl acetate in a piece of gum evaporates, the concentration in the nasal passage will be about 10 mg per cubic metre. One would therefore have to simultaneously chew 200 pieces of gum—continuously—to approach the concentration that has caused nasal tumours in rats. Let the alarmists chew on those numbers.
Saner, M., Policy Brief No. 20, Institute on Governance (www.iog.ca), 2004
This article was reprinted with permission from Materials Today where it was published in April 2008.
Howard Alper, HFCIC, OC, is Distinguished University Professor and past vice-president, research at the University of Ottawa. He is chair of the Government of Canada’s Science, Technology, and Innovation Council. Among his many achievements, he was the inaugural recipient of the Gerhard Herzberg Canada Gold Medal in Science and Engineering in 2000.
september 2008 Canadian Chemical News 25
À bas les flavones, flavanols et flavanones, les hydroxycinnamates, hydroxybenzoates et caroténoïdes Ariel E. Fenster, MCIC
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on, je ne veux pas dire qu’il faut bannir ces antioxydants, et tous les autres, de notre alimentation. Ils jouent un rôle essentiel pour la santé. Mais supprimons-les du vocabulaire où le terme est utilisé à toutes les sauces; essentiellement comme agents de marketing. La confiture de bleuets est devenue, d’après ce que je lis sur l’étiquette « une source d’anthocyanines, de puissants antioxydants 100 pour cent naturels ». Nous ne dégustons plus les tomates mais nous comblons nos besoins en lycopène. Le chocolat, lui, est consommé à cause de la présence de catéchines et le thé vert pour celle de la quercétine. Comment en sommes-nous arrivés là? Il y a à peu près une vingtaine d’années, les scientifiques ont fait le lien entre des maladies comme le cancer, les problèmes cardiovasculaires ou le diabète, et l’action d’une classe de molécules destructives, les radicaux libres. Ces composés connus aussi
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sous l’abréviation ROS, de l’anglais Reactive Oxygen Species, sont la conséquence inévitable du processus normal de respiration. L’oxygène, essentiel aux réactions métaboliques associées à la vie, produit également ces molécules porteuses de danger. Un processus qui est aussi favorisé par des facteurs tels que le tabagisme, la pollution et une alimentation déficiente. Ce qui caractérise les ROS est la présence dans leur structure d’un électron célibataire. Et les électrons aiment la compagnie (ils sont normalement en paires). C’est la raison pour laquelle, les ROS attaquent continuellement différentes molécules de l’organisme, l’ADN entre autres, pour leur « voler » leurs électrons. Aujourd’hui, le consensus scientifique est que ces attaques qui utilisent un processus « d’oxydation », sont la cause de beaucoup de ces maladies dégénératives qui nous frappent.
Des armes dans la nature Mais la nature nous offre des armes pour lutter contre les ROS. De nombreuses études épidémiologiques ont démontré qu’une alimentation riche en fruits et légumes réduit les risques de maladies d’ordre dégénératif. L’explication est que beaucoup de ces aliments contiennent les fameux « antioxydants ». Molécules qui, de par leur propre structure, sont capables de neutraliser les ROS en leur fournissant les électrons dont ils sont friands, et cela, sans initier les réactions destructives associées aux radicaux libres. Les antioxydants sont produits par les plantes pour se protéger des dommages causés par l’oxygène créé durant le processus de photosynthèse et aussi comme insecticides naturels pour se défendre contre leurs prédateurs. La découverte du rôle bénéfique des antioxydants eut pour résultat une explosion du marché des suppléments alimentaires avec des ventes atteignant les 25 milliards de dollars par an en Amérique du Nord. Pendant un certain temps, ce sont les vitamines antioxydantes - la vitamine C, la vitamine E, la vitamine A et son précurseur, le bêta carotène - qui étaient en vedette. Mais l’engouement s’est estompé après que plusieurs études eurent démontré que pour celles-ci il semble que « plus soit l’ennemi du bien ». Non seulement les mégadoses d’antioxydants en
elles-mêmes n’apportent pas de bénéfice santé mais, dans certains cas comme le bêta carotène, semblent causer une aggravation des problèmes existants. Depuis, les promoteurs se sont tournés vers le marketing des aliments, en fonction de leur teneur en antioxydants. Les marchands de thé nous informent que le thé vert contient de l’épigallocatéchine, soit un antioxydant qui protège du cancer. À quoi les importateurs de chocolat répondent que l’épicatéchine, un antioxydant du chocolat, est 20 pour cent plus efficace que l’épigallocatéchine du thé. À tout cela, il faut ajouter les distributeurs qui nous claironnent les vertus des jus de fruits exotiques, supposément à haute teneur en antioxydants. Les jus de noni de Polynésie, d’açaï du Brésil ou de grenade d’Asie. Les antioxydants, cela rapporte. Une des compagnies qui distribue le jus de mangoustan, un fruit originaire de l’Asie du Sud-Est, annonce qu’elle a des revenus de près d’un demi-milliard de dollars par an.
Aliments ou médicaments? Plus nous en apprenons sur les antioxydants, plus il devient clair que ce n’est pas la consommation isolée d’un aliment riche en un antioxydant en particulier qui va nous protéger de la maladie. Il faut aussi comprendre le jargon utilisé par le marketing. Dans leur publicité, certains promoteurs nous apprennent par exemple que leur produit a la valeur « ORAC » la plus élevée. Est-ce significatif? Le test de laboratoire ORAC, de l’anglais Oxygen Radical Absorbance Capacity, mesure la dégradation de molécules fluorescentes par des radicaux libres en présence de différents antioxydants. Le degré de protection qu’offrent ceux-ci est déterminé par la diminution de la luminosité de fluorescence en fonction du temps. Mais souvent, les chiffres qui sont fournis par l’industrie ne nous précisent pas s’il s’agit de valeur par portion, par gramme ou par calorie. Par ailleurs, le corps n’est pas une éprouvette et rien ne dit que ces mêmes résultats vont se retrouver chez l’humain en présence d’une variété d’autres molécules et en compétition avec des milliers de réactions possibles. Il est important d’avoir une alimentation saine et équilibrée. Mais cela ne demande
pas que nous traitions nos aliments en médicaments. Les deux plus grands facteurs de risque pour la santé en Amérique du Nord sont le tabagisme et l’obésité. Vous pouvez boire autant de jus de mangoustan que vous voulez, cela ne va pas améliorer votre espérance de vie si vous ne vous occupez pas de ces problèmes en priorité.
… le repas est un moment privilégié … Mangeons beaucoup de fruits et de légumes, non pas en fonction de tel ou tel composé mais parce que nous savons que c’est l’ensemble des molécules qu’ils contiennent qui sont bénéfiques. Et surtout, n’oublions pas que manger doit être un plaisir à savourer. Prenons le temps d’apprécier notre nourriture. Les Français ont un niveau très bas de problèmes cardiaques malgré leur alimentation à risque riche en graisses saturées. Graisses associées à leur consommation de beurre et surtout de ces 246 différentes variétés de fromages1 qui font l’orgueil du pays. D’aucuns expliquent ce l’on appelle le fameux « paradoxe français » par la présence dans le vin du resvératrol, un antioxydant. Mais selon moi, le « secret français » est plutôt dû au fait que, pour beaucoup de citoyens de l’Hexagone, le repas est un moment privilégié où la nourriture est appréciée pour sa saveur et non pour sa composition. Le verre de vin qui accompagne le repas signale à notre cerveau de se mettre en fonction et de prendre son temps afin de tirer le meilleur de ce que la nourriture a à offrir. C’est d’ailleurs pourquoi au début d’un repas on lève son verre de vin ... à la santé!
Note 1. D’après la fameuse phrase de Charles de Gaulle : « Comment voulez-vous gouverner un pays qui a 246 variétés de fromages ».
Ariel E. Fenster, MCIC, est un membre fondateur de l’Organisation pour la science et la société de l’Université McGill. Il détient un doctorat en chimie physique et inorganique de McGill et a remporté plusieurs prix en enseignement et en éducation du public.
september 2008 Canadian Chemical News 27
Recognition reconnaissance
Claude Hillaire-Marcel (au centre) reçoit la Médaille de l’UQAM. L’Université du Québec à Montréal (l’UQAM) rend hommage à Claude Hillaire-Marcel, professeur au département des sciences de la terre et de l’atmosphère et spécialiste mondial de la géochimie isotopique, en lui attribuant la Médaille de l’UQAM, par décision de son conseil d’administration et sur recommandation de sa Faculté des sciences. Par ce geste, l’Université veut souligner la carrière exceptionnelle de monsieur Hillaire-Marcel, qui a fait de nombreuses découvertes dans le domaine des sciences de l’environnement, de l’océanographie et des changements climatiques, ainsi que sa contribution remarquable au développement des sciences de la Terre à l’UQAM. Réputé pour son ouverture d’esprit, son intégrité et sa rigueur, membre de la Société Royale du Canada et Fellow de l’American Association for the Advancement of Science, il a reçu plusieurs récompenses dont le Prix Michel-Jurdant de l’Acfas et le Prix MarieVictorin du gouvernement du Québec, en plus d’obtenir, il y a deux ans, une Bourse Killam du Conseil des Arts du Canada.
At the inaugural Mississauga, ON, Technology Awards held on June 16, 2008, Fielding Chemical Technologies received the award for best small business. In her acceptance speech, Ellen McGregor, CEO of the chemical recycling company her father started, said, “When you think of the word innovation, and our family-owned business in the heart of Mississauga giving new life to spent chemicals ... innovation hasn’t been a luxury at our company. It’s been a necessity.”
Chemistry. This award is given annually to recognize the accomplishments of an individual working in the field of physical organic chemistry or applying the principles of this field to other areas. A member on NINT’s Molecular Scale Devices Group, DiLabio’s work focuses on the modelling of chemical processes leading to nanostructure formation on silicon surfaces. He also conducts research in the area of molecular electronics, including efforts to gain an understanding of the mechanism by which localized charged states on silicon surfaces can act as gates in models for molecular transistors.
Uttandaraman Sundararaj, MCIC Uttandaraman Sundararaj, MCIC, professor in chemical and materials engineering at the University of Alberta, received the national Engineering Medal of Distinction in Engineering Education for his exemplary contribution to teaching at the post-secondary level from the Canadian Council of Professional Engineers on May 24, 2008. Sundararaj is a professional engineer registered with APEGGA. He won the APEGGA Excellence in Education Award in April 2007.
Zhihong Nie
Kevin Yager Dalhousie University chemistry professor Bruce Grindley, FCIC, has been appointed as member of the Synergy Awards for Innovation Selection Committee for a three-year term ending March 31, 2011.
At the Canada Chemical Producers’ Association’s (CCPA) board of directors dinner in Edmonton, AB, June 4, 2008, Tom Blaney of Northwest Tank Lines was presented with a plaque recognizing Northwest’s leadership and continuous improvement in transportation safety.
Gino DiLabio, MCIC Gino DiLabio, MCIC, research council officer at the National Institute for Nanotechnology (NINT) in Edmonton, AB, has been awarded the 2008 Journal of Physical Organic Chemistry Award for Early Excellence in the Field of Physical Organic
28 L’Actualité chimique canadienne Septembre 2008
The CIC Macromolecular Science and Engineering Division (MSED) sponsors an award that recognizes research excellence by two graduate students working in polymer science and engineering in Canada. The 2008 MSED/LANXESS Graduate Award in Polymer Science competition was fierce with nine applications submitted from across Canada. The winners of this year’s competition are Zhihong Nie from the University of Toronto (under the supervision of Eugenia Kumacheva) and Kevin Yager from McGill University (under the supervision of Christopher Barrett). Nie completed his BEng in Polymer Materials Engineering from the department of
Recognition reconnaissance chemistry at Jilin University, followed by an MSc in polymer physics and chemistry from the Chinese Academy of Sciences. He joined the Kumacheva group in 2003. Currently, he is finishing his studies in Toronto, and plans to pursue postdoctoral research at Harvard University, ultimately aiming for a research career studying materials science. Yager completed his BSc degree at McGill University in 2001, where he remained for PhD studies. During his doctoral research, Kevin investigated photo-responsive polymer systems based on azobenzene chromophores, and the mechanisms by which these polymers could be surface patterned by exposure to an interference pattern of light. Currently, Yager is pursuing postdoctoral research work at the National Institute for Standards and Technology (NIST) in the polymer division. His goal is to obtain a faculty position within a Canadian university where he can continue to develop his research in nanostructured materials. For further information about the MSED/ LANXESS Graduate Student Awards, please contact Alex Adronov, department of chemistry at McMaster University at adronov@ mcmaster.ca.
Martha Cook Piper, a national leader in research and post-secondary education, has been named chair of the board of trustees of the National Institute for Nanotechnology (NINT). Piper, former president of The University of British Columbia and former vice-president (research and external affairs) at the University of Alberta (U of A), said she was drawn to the position in part because of the strong collaborative efforts and cutting edge initiatives that define the institute. NINT is a joint initiative of the National Research Council Canada, the U of A and the Government of Alberta. Housed in a $52.2-million, 14,000-square-metre facility on the U of A campus, it is world-renowned for its research facilities, which include specialized spaces for laboratories in chemical and biochemical synthesis and analysis of the materials structure at the atomic scale, as well some of Canada’s quietest laboratory space.
President Ravi Ravindran inducted 36 new Fellows into the Canadian Academy of Engineering on June 17, 2008. The ceremony took place in Montreal, QC, in conjunction with the Academy’s 2008 Annual General Meeting and Seminar. Ravindran commented, “The Academy has maintained its tradition of electing outstanding engineers. We look forward to the active participation of these stellar new Fellows in fulfilling the mission of the Academy.” The Canadian Academy of Engineering comprises many of the country’s most accomplished engineers, who have expressed their dedication to the application of science and engineering principles in the interests of the country and its enterprises. The list of new Fellows includes: John Gordon Agar Kamal Al-Haddad Amit Chakma, MCIC Savvas Chamberlain Jamal Chaouki Patrick Darold Daniel Levente László Diósady, FCIC Eric Dubois Stephen George Dunn Fernand Ellyin Richard Allan Fletcher Robert Milton Woodrow Frederking Kamiel Samy Gabriel Howard D. Goodfellow Gordon Alexander Irons Eddy E. Isaacs Peter Donald Lawrence Victor C.M. Leung John L. Mann Jon W. Mark Alexander McLean Nairn Melbourne McQueen Daniel Allison Meneley Rajnikant Patel, ACIC Doug Dragan Perovic Samuel Pierre Kenneth Walter Putt Abdul Ghani Razaqpur Douglas Warren Ruth Malcolm James Scoble Adriaan R. P. van Heiningen Pieter Van Vliet Kimberly Ann Woodhouse Bin Wu Zhenghe Xu, MCIC Jesse Zhu, FCIC
Tembec has received an award from Kimberly-Clark (K-C), presented by CEO Tomas J. Falk, recognizing its leadership in providing Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) certified pulp. The pulp enables companies like K-C to strengthen their reputations as sustainability leaders in the consumer products industry. “Tembec is very proud to receive this award from a global leading company such as Kimberly-Clark,” said James Lopez, Tembec president and CEO. In 2001, Tembec was the first large-scale forestry company in Canada to seek third-party certification for all of its forest operations in accordance with FSC forest management standards. To date, Tembec has certified the forest under its management, and is currently working with external supply partners to further extend the forest areas under certification. “At Tembec, we strive to find environmental solutions by providing products that reduce environmental impact while meeting market needs. And we do so with the utmost dedication to ensure excellent service to all of our customers. We are pleased to partner with K-C in developing environmentally sound solutions,” said Yvon Pelletier, executive vice-president and president of the Pulp Group. Events Événements
Canada Conferences October 19–22, 2008. 58th Canadian Chemical Engineering Conference, Ottawa, ON, www.csche2008.ca
U.S. and Overseas October 20–22, 2008. LABTECH Conference & Exhibition 2008, Manama, Bahrain, www.lab-tech.info November 16–21, 2008. 2008 AIChE Annual Meeting, Philadelphia, PA, www.aiche.org/ Conferences/AnnualMeeting/index.aspx December 12–15, 2008. 10th European Meeting on Supercritical Fluids, Strasbourg, France, www.isasf.net/strasbourg
september 2008 Canadian Chemical News 29
careers carrières
Looking for the right job? www.chemjobs.ca
THE UNIVERSITY OF NEW BRUNSWICK, FREDERICTON Department of Chemistry
http://www.unb.ca/fredericton/science/chemistry/ The University of New Brunswick, Department of Chemistry, Fredericton invites applications for a continuing (tenure-track) position at the Assistant Professor level to commence July 1, 2009 or soon thereafter. In particular, the Department of Chemistry is looking for applications in the areas of analytical or synthetic chemistry; preference will be given to applicants whose research interests are related to the strategic research plan of the Department, namely in the areas of biological or pharmaceutical chemistry or materials science. However, strong candidates in other disciplines will be given serious consideration. Qualifications required include a Ph.D. and postdoctoral experience. Demonstrated excellence in research and excellent potential for teaching at the undergraduate and graduate levels are required. Candidates should submit a curriculum vitae, a list of publications, a research proposal which MUST be prepared in NSERC 101 format (www.nserc.ca), and a statement of teaching philosophy to: Dr. Allan Adam, Chair Department of Chemistry University of New Brunswick 30 Dineen Dr Fredericton, NB E3B 6E2 Email: chemchair@unb.ca Fax: (506) 453-4981 Applicants should arrange for three (3) letters of reference to be sent directly to the Chair. Review of the applications will begin after November 15, 2008. All qualified candidates are encouraged to apply however Canadians and permanent residents will be given priority. Applicants should indicate current citizenship status. The University of New Brunswick is committed to the principle of employment equity. This position is subject to budgetary approval.
30 L’Actualité chimique canadienne Septembre 2008
careers carrières
september 2008 Canadian Chemical News 31
Ichikizaki Fund for Young Chemists The Ichikizaki Fund for Young Chemists provides financial assistance to young chemists who show unique achievements in basic research by facilitating their participation in international conferences or symposia.
Eligibility: • • • •
be a member of the Canadian Society for Chemistry or the Chemical Society of Japan; not have passed his/her 34th birthday as of December 31 of the year in which the application is submitted; have a research specialty in synthetic organic chemistry; be scheduled to attend, within one year, an international conference or symposium directly related to synthetic organic chemistry. Conferences taking place in January to March of each year should be applied for a year in advance in order to receive funding in time for the conference.
Deadline: December For more details:
31, 2008
www.chemistry.ca/awards
32 L’Actualité chimique canadienne Septembre 2008
A program of the Chemical Institute of Canada (CIC)
What is the goal? Its aim is to demystify and popularize chemistry in general, to motivate young people to discover
it and even consider a career in the field, to present concrete examples such as major discoveries in the world of chemistry, and ultimately, to eradicate the negative perception the general public often has of chemistry.
What does it involve? Some of the elements of the program are created by the CIC while others are organized in partnership with other organizations. The following are but a few of these:
• Canadian Chemistry Contest; • Canadian Chemistry Olympiad; • Science Fairs; • Canadian Chemistry Milestones; • Canadian Chemical Landmarks; • Canadian Science and Engineering Hall of Fame; • National Crystal Growing Competition; • National Chemistry Week.
For details, contact the CIC at publicunderstanding@cheminst.ca
The Canadian Society for Chemical Technology
2008AWARD
The Norman and Marion Bright Memorial Award is awarded to an individual
who has made an outstanding contribution in Canada to the furtherance of chemical technology. The person so honoured may be either a chemical sciences technologist, or a person from outside the field who has made a significant and noteworthy contribution to it advancement.
Award: A medal and a cash prize.
Deadline
The deadline for this CSCT award is December 1, 2008 for the 2009 selection. Nomination forms and the full Terms of Reference for this award is available at www.chem-tech.ca/awards.
september 2008 Canadian Chemical News 33
Nominations are now open for
The Canadian Society for Chemical Engineering
2008AWARDS Act now!
Do you know an outstanding person who deserves to be recognized?
The Bantrel Award in Design and Industrial Practice is presented to a Canadian citizen or a resident of Canada for innovative design or production activities accomplished in Canada. The activities may have resulted in a significant achievement in product or process design, small or large company innovation, or multidisciplinary designdirected research or production. The achievement will relate to the practice of chemical engineering and/or industrial chemistry whether in research and development, process implementation, entrepreneurialism, innovation, production or some combination of these. It may be via a well-known, long-standing reputation for translating chemical engineering principles into design and industrial practice and, through this, contribute to the profession as a whole. Sponsored by Bantrel. Award: A plaque and a cash prize.
The D. G. Fisher Award is presented to an individual who has made substantial contributions to the field of systems and control engineering. The award is given in recognition of significant contributions in any, or all, of the areas of theory, practice, and education. Sponsored by the department of chemical and materials engineering, University of Alberta, Suncor Energy Foundation, and Shell Canada Limited. Award: A framed scroll, a cash prize and travel expenses.
The Process Safety Management Award is presented as a mark of recognition to a person who has made an outstanding contribution in Canada to the Process Safety Management (PSM) Division of the Canadian Society for Chemical Engineering recognizing excellence in the leadership and dedication of individuals who have led Canada in the field of process safety and loss management (PSLM). Sponsored by AON Reed Stenhouse Inc. Award: A framed scroll and a cash prize.
The R. S. Jane Memorial Award is presented to an individual who has made new significant contributions to chemical engineering or industrial chemistry in Canada. Sponsored by the Canadian Society for Chemical Engineering. Award: A framed scroll, a cash prize and registration fee to the CSChE Conference.
The Syncrude Canada Innovation Award is presented to a resident of Canada who has made a distinguished contribution to the field of chemical engineering while working in Canada. Nominees for this award shall not have reached the age of 40 years by January of the year in which the nomination becomes effective. Sponsored by Syncrude Canada Ltd. Award: A framed scroll and a cash prize.
34 L’Actualité chimique canadienne Septembre 2008
Deadline
The deadline for all CSChE awards is December 1, 2008 for the 2009 selection.
Nomination Procedure
Submit your nominations to: Awards Canadian Society for Chemical Engineering 130 Slater Street, Suite 550 Ottawa, ON K1P 6E2 Tel.: 613-232-6252, ext. 223 Fax: 613-232-5862 awards@cheminst.ca
Nomination forms and the full Terms of Reference for these awards are available at www.chemeng.ca/awards
september 2008 Canadian Chemical News  35
36 L’Actualité chimique canadienne Septembre 2008
w w w . p a c i f i c h e m . o r g
Pacifichem 2010 December 15–20, 2010
Call for Symposia Round two opened August 1, 2008 and closes November 30, 2008.
he Canadian Society for Chemistry (CSC) is the host society. Howard Alper, HFCIC, O.C., University of Ottawa, is the Congress Chair and Steven Holdcroft, FCIC, Simon Fraser University/National Research Council (NRC) is the Technical Program Chair. Other sponsoring societies are the American Chemical Society (ACS), Chemical Society of Japan (CSJ), Chinese Chemical Society (CCS), Korean Chemical Society (KCS), New Zealand Institute of Chemistry (NZIC), and the Royal Australian Chemical Institute (RACI).
Guidelines for submitting proposals and more information on the Congress can be found on the Pacifichem 2010 website at www.pacifichem.org.
Technical Program
Promoting scientific exchange in the Pacific basin for a healthy and sustainable future.
Core Areas of Chemistry: analytical, inorganic, macromolecular, organic, and physical, theoretical, and computational Multi-and Cross-Disciplinary Areas of Chemistry: agrochemistry, biological, environmental, and materials and nanotechnology Challenges and Opportunities for Chemistry: alternate energy technology, chemistry outreach to the community, health and technology, and security
38 L’Actualité chimique canadienne Septembre 2008
Continuing Education for Chemical Professionals
Laboratory Safety 2008 Schedule October 21–22 Ottawa
Registration fees $550 CIC members $750 non-members $75 students For more information about the course and locations, and to access the registration form, visit: www.cheminst.ca/ profdev
T
he Chemical Institute of Canada and the Canadian Society for Chemical Technology are presenting a two-day course designed to enhance the knowledge and working experience of chemical technologists and chemists. All course participants receive the CIC’s Laboratory Health and Safety Guidelines, 4th edition. This course is intended for those whose responsibilities include improving the operational safety of chemical laboratories, managing laboratories, chemical plants or research facilities, conducting safety audits of laboratories and chemical plants. During the course, participants are provided with an integrated overview of current best practices in laboratory safety.
Day 1 • • • • • • • • • •
Introduction Safety management Safety policies Training Safety audit Labelling Flammable solvents Corrosive chemicals Toxic chemicals Reactive chemicals
Day 2 • • • • • • • • • •
Insidious hazards Compressed gases Cryogenic liquids Fire safety Storage Waste disposal Personal protective equipment Electrical hazards Fume hoods Radiation hazards
Instructor Eric Mead, FCIC, a former instructor with the chemical technology program at SIAST, has taught and practised laboratory workplace safety for more than 30 years. A former chair of The Chemical Institute of Canada, Mead has been commended for his work on behalf of the chemical industry. “The chemical field and profession are built on a foundation of trust with society. An integral part of that trust is the safe operation of facilities including laboratories, whether industrial, academic or government. The education of engineers, scientists and technologists must reflect that level of trust. We all share in the responsibility for safe and ethical research, chemical processing and analysis." —Eric Mead
The Chemical Institute of Canada
Canadian Society for Chemical Technology
Continuing Education for Chemical Professionals
The Chemical Institute of Canada (CIC) and the Canadian Society for Chemical Engineering (CSChE) are presenting the following course designed to enhance the knowledge and working experience of safety, environmental and process safety professionals.
Professional Development Risk Assessment and Management for Continuous Improvement 2008 Schedule October 21–22 Ottawa Registration fees $845 CIC/CSChE members $995 non-members www.cheminst.ca/ profdev
This two-day course is geared to those whose responsibilities include risk assessments, development of management systems, and providing advice to decision makers. The learning objective is to reach a thorough understanding of integrated risk assessment and management principles and techniques. During the course, participants are provided with a broad overview of the technical tools available to assess risk in industrial environments as well as how these tools fit in the bigger picture of the broader risk management systems to control risk.
Elements of the course • Introduction • Major Historical Accidents in Process Industries • Risk Concepts, How to Estimate Risk and Evaluate its Acceptability • Integrated Risk Management: Success Factors for High Performance • The Risk Management Process • Techniques for Risk Analysis • Qualitative Techniques: Hazard Identification (Screening Level, What-if, HAZOP, FMEA) with handson application examples • Index Methods • Frequency Analysis Techniques (Fault and Event Trees), SVA, LOPA • Consequence Analysis Methods for Hazards Associated with Hazardous Materials (with reference to US EPA Risk Management Program Rule)
The Chemical Institute of Canada
• Elements of Process Safety Management (with reference to US OSHA PSM Regulations) • Emergency Management (with reference to Environment Canada and other Canadian Legislation) • Summary and Conclusions
Recommended for Industry and government personnel who have responsibilities in: • Safety, Health and Environment • Worksite safety • Asset Management • Operations Management • Process Safety and Loss Prevention • Risk Management • Security and Emergency Response
Course leader Ertugrul Alp, PhD, PEng, MCIC, Principal, Alp & Associates Incorporated, has over 20 years' experience in assessment and management of risks to environment, health, safety, property and reputation. His experience covers a number of industrial sectors, including chemical, energy, pulp and paper, mining, steel, and transportation, and government sectors such as labour, environment, health, natural resources, and municipal planning.
Canadian Society for Chemical Engineering
PM40021620