BIOSEPARATIONS

The extraction and recovery of proteins and other value added materials for the biotechnology, biopharmaceutical and environmental industries is very important. Our group has developed the first circulating fluidized bed ion exchange chromatography system in the world which can be scaled up or down. This technology is currently under licence to a local company and has been demonstrated for protein and organic acid extraction and research is in progress on a number of different applications for biopharmaceuticals or bio-energy funded by the NSERC Idea to Innovation Grant, Western Innovation Fund and NSERC Strategic Special Project Grants and the NSERC ENGAGE grant.  

We have successfully demonstrated the recovery of ORGANIC SOY PROTEINS from SOY POWDER using the pilot scale LSCFB ion-exchanger technology. Organically processed Soy Protein does not undergo any pH change or precipitation during extraction under mild conditions and thus is expected to retain the functionalities of native soy proteins. This technology will lead to more functional soy proteins for the food industry.
 BIOFUELS AND RENEWABLE ENERGY

  My research group is actively focussed on the culturing of micro-algae in pilot scale photo-bioreactors using effluent from on farm biogas digesters. At the same time this microalgae culturing technique cleans up the wastewater and removes nutrients to acceptable levels while  mitigating CO₂ generated from an on site co gen power plant.  The research is funded by an NSERC Special Strategic Project Grant.
BIOSENSORS AND BIOLOGICAL TRANSDUCERS
We have developed innovative technologies using bacteriorhodopsin as a biological signal transducer. Currently the research is focused on flexible bioelectronics and micro-scale optical valves and biosensors for monitoring environmental threats.