Derive value from industrial waste and underused mining, forestry and agri-food products.
Semi-industrial ore processing plant and laboratory to analyse scientific test results in the forestry, mining and agri-food sectors.
Analysis, testing, prototyping and data-processing services, analysis of solutions to technical problems, technical analysis and testing services, etc.
- Environmental technologies and related services
- Forestry and forest-based industries
- Manufacturing and processing
- Mining, minerals and metals
Specialized labs and equipment
| Specialized lab | Equipment | Function |
|---|---|---|
| NC2 laboratory | 2.5 litre bioreactors | Fermentation tests |
| Real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) thermal cycler | Genetic analyses, detection and identification of microorganisms | |
| Ultraviolet visible (UV-Vis) spectrophotometer | Colorimetric quantitative analysis | |
| Laminar flow cabinet | Microorganism manipulation | |
| Incubators | Cultivation of various microorganisms | |
| Chemical analysis laboratory | High-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) system and ion chromatography (IC) system | Quantitative analysis |
| Gas chromatography (GC) system | Gas analysis | |
| X-ray fluorescence (XRF) spectrometer | Elemental analysis of various metals | |
| Graphite furnace and flame atomic absorption (AA) | Elemental analysis of various metals | |
| Fusion splicer | Preparation of pellets for the XRF spectrometer and solutions for atomic absorption | |
| Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) detector | Identification, characterization | |
| Microwave digester | Acid digestion | |
| Kjeldahl analyser | Ammoniacal nitrogen | |
| Biological oxygen demand (BOD) | Oxygen consumed by microorganisms in a sample | |
| Calorimeter | Determination of calorific value | |
| Total organic carbon (TOC) analyser | Analysis of total organic carbon | |
| Suspended solids, moisture content and ash content | ||
| Minerals laboratory |
Separators: - Magnetic - Flotation cell - Humphrey spiral - Sweco separator Thickener |
Particle separation systems |
| Oven | Drying of samples | |
| RoTap | 8-inch-diameter round sieve shaker used to measure material size | |
|
Grinders: - Ring mill - Bare mill - Conical mill - Ball mill - Jaw crusher - Rod mill - Coffee grinder |
Different systems for grinding materials | |
| Rotary sampler | Simultaneous preparation of several samples | |
|
Filtration : - Vacuum - Hydrocyclone |
System used to evacuate excess water before drying of samples | |
| 1,700°C muffle furnace | Furnace used to heat minerals to their melting point | |
| Biomass laboratory | 750 kg/h hammer mill | Biomass grinding |
| 50 kg/h laboratory Kahl press | Biomass granulation | |
| Pellet durability tester | Verification of pellet durability | |
|
250 kg/h granulation line: - Infeed conveyor - Horizontal paddle mixer - Crust breaker - 250 kg/h hammer mill - Cyclone separator - Conditioner - 250 kg/h granulator - Output conveyor - Pellet cooler - Vibrating sieve |
Pilot-scale biomass granulation | |
| Small cement mixer | Mixing of various materials | |
|
Vibrating sieves: - Dillon (three pellet sizes) - Gilson (eight pellet sizes) |
The Dillon vibrating screen is used to separate particles and the Gilson vibrating sieve is used to determine pellet size. | |
| Abri-Tech dryer | Biomass drying | |
| Bandit shredder | Grinding of large pieces | |
| Gilson SP-1 particle separator | Particle separation | |
| Pelletizer (“home-made”) | Biomass densification | |
| Environmental laboratory |
Filters: - Environmental rotary - Membrane - Column |
Effluent filtration |
|
Miscellaneous equipment: - Pump - PH meter - Colorimeter |
Various “home-made” systems, including effluent treatment columns | |
|
Pilot systems (custom assembled): - Passive treatment of acidic and neutral mining effluents (limestone drains, wastewater treatment marsh, biofilters) - Active treatment by liming (HDS plant) - Oxidation treatment of cyanide and nitrogen-containing derivatives (chemical oxidant, bioreactor, UV) - Treatment of organic pollutants |
- Taking of samples and analyses - Performance diagnostics - Bacteria counts - Material characterizations - Training - Technical support |
|
| Greenhouse | Revegetation plants | |
| Réseaubox | View changes in plant root systems | |
|
Scanner: - Ground moisture temperature |
Gather field data during the summer | |
| Semi-industrial ore processing laboratory (300 to 1,000 kg/h) |
Crushing circuit Grinding circuit Physical separation circuit Leaching and bioleaching circuit |
Ore processing |
Private and public sector research partners
- Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council (NSERC)
- Consortium de recherche et innovations en bioprocédés industriels au Québec (CRIBIQ)
- Canada Foundation for Innovation (CFI)
- Conférence régionale des élus de l’Abitibi-Témiscamingue (CRÉAT)
- Conférence régionale des élus de la Baie-James (CRÉBJ)
- City of Rouyn-Noranda