Charles Jia

Contact via University of Toronto

Key Research Areas
Associated Researchers
Associated Organizations

Recent Research Projects

Structured Biocarbon as Next Generation High-Performance Materials

2019/20 • $28,000 • PI
In nature, the transport of water and nutrients in lignocellulosic biomass occurs through a series of highly ordered structures, such as vessels, tracheids, rays and pits in a living tree. Biomass is made of cellulose, hemicellulose and lignin, with half of its dry mass being carbon - originated...

Nature-inspired Engineering of High-Performance Nanoporous Carbon Materials for Sustainable Energy and Environmental Applications

2014/15-2018/19 • $145,000 • PI
A major scientific challenge facing today’s world is the ever-increasing demand for natural resources, and the need to manage the negative impact from energy and raw materials production on the environment. The challenge is particularly relevant to Canada where natural resources are...

NETCARE - Network on climate and aerosols: Addressing key uncertainties in remote Canadian environments

2012/13-2017/18 • $4,895,260 • PI,CO
No summary

High-performance, low-cost porous carbons from oil sands petroleum coke

2014/15-2016/17 • $482,245 • PI,CO
Applying a waste-treat-waste strategy, the goal of this project is to develop new technologies that enable large-scale manufacturing of high-performance, affordable porous carbons from a major industry waste - oil sands petroleum coke (OSPC). The OSPC-derived porous carbons will be used by the...

Indirectly fired rotary kiln steam reformation technology

2012/13-2013/14 • $184,584 • PI,CO
Bioresources for energy are increasingly being considered and promoted for non-fossil fuel energy production for both developing and developed nations. Carbon containing wastes such as MSW have an added advantage, since no new land requirement is needed and the problem of disposal is greatly...

Probing Organometallic Bonds and Selective Biosorption for Metal Recovery from Electronic Waste

2013/14 • $22,000 • PI
The proposed research program aims to lay a scientific foundation for the development of environmentally friendly technologies for extracting valuable metals from e-waste. Due to the relatively short lifespans of computers and mobile phones, e-waste, or discarded electronic devices and...

A versatile differential calorimetry system for evaluation of phase transition and fluid-solid interfacial thermodynamics in nano-structured solids, surfactants, and polymers

2012/13 • $147,876 • PI,CO
A high precision and flow through differential scanning calorimeter is requested in this proposal. This instrument will probe the heats associated with phase transition of materials and with the interaction of gas phase species on solid surfaces over a wide pressure and temperature range under...

Fundamental aspects of sustainable energy and metal productions

2010/11-2012/13 • $66,420 • PI
Canada has the world's greatest repository of hydrocarbon resources, a large portion of them are bitumen in oil-sand. Upgrading bitumen to crude oil produces waste such as fluid coke. In Alberta alone the production of oil-sand fluid coke exceeds 10000 tonnes per day. Due to its high sulphur...

Inductively Coupled Plasma-Optical Emission Spectrometer (ICP-OES)

2011/12 • $127,727 • PI,CO
The requested equipment is an Inductively Coupled Plasma - Optical Emission Spectrometer (ICP-OES), as the most reliable and sensitive method used for the rapid, simultaneous multi-element determinations at the ultra-trace level. The advanced analytical capabilities of the ICP-OES allow for high...

Syngas test bed feasibility study

2011/12 • $25,000 • PI
Elementa Group is a Canadian company with head office in Niagara-on-the-Lake and pilot plant in Sault Ste. Marie. The company is developing its waste-to-fuel technology which is in the Syngas production field. The Company has focused its attention on conversion of Municipal Solid Waste (MSW) to...

Thermal analysis equipment

2010/11 • $148,725 • PI,CO
This application is for a thermal analysis system consisting of a Thermogravimetric Analyzer (TGA/DTA), a Differential Scanning Calorimeter (DSC) and a Mass Spectrometer (MS) detector.The thermal analysis equipment requested will replace and upgrade a now no-longer operable TGA/DSC apparatus...

Patents