Advances applied research in water and wastewater treatment, developing sustainable technologies that improve water quality, resource recovery, and environmental performance for industry and municipalities.
The Lambton Water Centre (LWC) advances applied research and innovation in water and wastewater treatment to address environmental and industrial challenges. Through collaboration with municipal, industrial, and government partners, LWC focuses on developing, testing, and implementing technologies that improve water quality, resource recovery, and sustainability.
The Centre’s expertise spans advanced wastewater treatment, anaerobic digestion and energy production, nutrient recovery, disinfection and oxidation technologies, industrial automation, and digitalization for smart water management. LWC also conducts research on emerging contaminants and provides pilot-scale system design and testing to evaluate new processes in real-world conditions.
Equipped with state-of-the-art facilities and led by an experienced research team, LWC helps industry partners validate technologies, optimize processes, and advance commercialization. Their integrated approach combines scientific research, engineering expertise, and environmental stewardship to create practical, scalable solutions. Supported by flexible intellectual property policies, accessible funding partnerships, and dedicated full-time research staff, LWC ensures every project is delivered on scope, on time, and on budget while maximizing impact and industry value.
By training students alongside industry experts, the Lambton Water Centre also supports workforce development and capacity building, ensuring a skilled generation of professionals ready to tackle global water challenges.
- Advanced wastewater treatment solutions
- Advanced water analysis
- Pilot-scale system design and testing
- Industrial control and automation
- Advanced disinfection and oxidation technologies
- Anaerobic digestion and energy production
- Nutrient recovery and resource optimization
- Emerging contaminants research
- Mining and industrial wastewater treatment
- Digitalization and smart water management
- Chemical industries
- Clean technology
- Environmental technologies and related services
- Mining, minerals and metals
- Utilities
Specialized labs and equipment
| Specialized lab | Equipment | Function |
|---|---|---|
| WaterTech Scale up Lab (WTSL) | Metrohm 930 Compact IC Flex Ion Chromatography System with 919 IC Autosampler Plus | Perform precise analysis of anions, cations, and polar substances in water samples. |
| WaterTech Scale up Lab (WTSL) | Mantech L50 PeCOD COD (Chemical Oxygen Demand) Analyzer | Perform real-time assessment of organic pollutant levels to evaluate water and wastewater quality. |
| The Chemical and Bioengineering Analysis Lab (CBAL) | Agilent 1260 Infinity II HPLC (High-Performance Liquid Chromatography) System | Perform precise analysis of contaminants, nutrients, and organic compounds in water and environmental samples. |
| The Chemical and Bioengineering Analysis Lab (CBAL) | Agilent 1260 Infinity II Triple Quadrupole HPLC (High-Performance Liquid Chromatography) System with Ultivo Triple Quadrupole LC/MS (Liquid Chromatography/Mass Spectrometry) system | Quantify trace contaminants and complex organic compounds with targeted methods, delivering high sensitivity, precision, and selectivity. |
| The Chemical and Bioengineering Analysis Lab (CBAL) | Agilent 1260 Infinity series High-Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC/MS) Mass Spectrometry System with an Evaporative Light Scattering Detector (ELSD) | Separate, identify, and quantify non-volatile and complex organic compounds in environmental and industrial samples. |
| The Chemical and Bioengineering Analysis Lab (CBAL) | Agilent 8890 Gas Chromatograph (GC) with 7010B triple quadrupole Gas Chromatography/Mass Spectrometry (GC/MS) system and Prep and Load (PAL) Robotic Sample Injector (RSI) 85 Autosampler System | Analyze volatile and semi-volatile organic compounds in environmental and industrial samples with high sensitivity. |
| The Chemical and Bioengineering Analysis Lab (CBAL) | Agilent 8860 Gas Chromatograph (GC) with 5977C Gas Chromatography/Mass Selective Detector (GC/MSD) | Conduct qualitative and quantitative analysis of volatile and semi-volatile organic compounds. Provides reliable identification of chemical pollutants and process-related compounds in environmental samples. |
| Material Performance Characterization Lab (MPCL) | Malvern Mastersizer 3000 Laser Diffraction Particle Size Analyzer | Measure the size distribution of powders, suspensions, and emulsions. Supports process optimization and material characterization. |
| Natural Health Product Lab (NHPL) | LECO 828 Series Macro Combustion Analyzer | Perform macro combustion analysis for carbon, hydrogen, nitrogen, and protein determination. |
| Natural Health Product Lab (NHPL) | LECO 832 Series Combustion Analyzer | Perform combustion analysis for sulfur and carbon determination. |
| The Chemical and Bioengineering Analysis Lab (CBAL) | Agilent 5110 Inductively Coupled Plasma Optical Emission Spectrometry (ICP-OES) System | Perform multi-element analysis of metals and trace elements. Provides precise quantification of nutrients and contaminants in water, wastewater, and environmental samples. |
| The Chemical and Bioengineering Analysis Lab (CBAL) | Agilent 6230 Time-of-Flight Liquid Chromatography–Mass Spectrometry (TOF LC/MS) System | Measure accurate mass and identify molecular structures. Enables qualitative and quantitative analysis of complex environmental and biological samples. |
| BioSafety Level 2 Lab (BSL2) | Sartorius Sartoflow Advanced Tangential Flow Filtration (TFF) System | Concentrate and purify biomolecules, cells, and particles. Supports process development and pilot-scale studies in water treatment, biotechnology, and environmental research. |
| BioSafety Level 2 Lab (BSL2) | Thermo Scientific Varioskan LUX Multimode Microplate Reader | Detect absorbance, fluorescence, and luminescence in biological, chemical, and environmental assays. Ideal for microbial, biochemical, and toxicity testing. |
| WaterTech Scale up Lab (WTSL) | MBraun LABmaster pro SP (single purifier) Glovebox | Provide a sealed, controlled-atmosphere enclosure for handling air- or moisture-sensitive materials, ensuring an inert environment for sample preparation, chemical reactions, and material testing under oxygen- and humidity-free conditions. |
| The Chemical and Bioengineering Analysis Lab (CBAL) | Shimadzu TOC-L Series Total Organic Carbon Analyzer with a Combustion Sample Holder (CSH) | Provide accurate assessment of organic load and treatment efficiency in environmental and industrial samples. |
| The Chemical and Bioengineering Analysis Lab (CBAL) | Hund Wetzlar Wilovert Inverted Light Microscope | Observe live cells, microorganisms, and suspended particles in liquids. |
| WaterTech Scale up Lab (WTSL) | Primozone Ozone Generator | Generate high-efficiency ozone for advanced oxidation and disinfection applications. |
| WaterTech Scale up Lab (WTSL) | Thermo Scientific GENESYS 180 UV-Vis Spectrophotometer | Measure absorbance and transmittance across liquid samples. Quantifies concentration, measures colour, and assesses turbidity in water and environmental analyses. |
| WaterTech Scale up Lab (WTSL) | Challenge Technology BPA-800 Biomethane Potential Analyzer | Automate measurement of biogas and methane production from organic substrates. |
| BioSafety Level 2 Lab (BSL2) | Bio-Rad Quantitative Polymerase Chain Reaction (qPCR) System | Assess microbial activity, monitor gene expression, and support water and environmental microbiology research. |
Private and public sector research partners
- INEOS Styrolution
- USP Technologies
- Brown and Caldwell
- City of Sarnia
- Veolia Water Technologies & Solutions
- Evercloak Inc.
- Trojan Technologies
- Western University
- Bishop Water
- Dynamita
- SENTRY Water Technologies Inc.
- Enviro-STEP Technologies Inc.
- Viridis Research