Research Interests
My research interests are wide ranging but with a focus on environmental management, sustainable agriculture and ecosystems, studying the flows and interactions between urban and peri-urban systems, and enhancing opportunities to utilize organic by-products (wastes). The areas of research undertaken with my research team, including technicians and students, have revolved around:
- Agro-ecosystem-based studies of Emerging Substances of Concern (ESOC) in agroecosystems receiving alkaline treated biosolids;
- Evaluation of soil health and agronomic parameters from soil conditioners in cropped systems;
- Modeling of chemical transformations and dynamics in soils receiving organic amendments;
- Microbial and nutrient dynamics associated with biochar applications to soil;
- Composting slaughterhouse wastes, manures, Source Separated Organics;
- Evaluation of a continuous flow gasification system with biomass feedstock;
- Alternative treatment approaches for wash and wastewater effluents from industrial processes;
- On-Farm management of Specified Risk Materials (SRM);
- Enhancing value opportunities by conversion of stock mortalities from salmon aquaculture into fish silage for use as agricultural amendments
- Microbial degradation of plastics.
More recently, I have been collaborating with industry, municipal, and academic partners on projects that help develop circular economy platforms. For example, we have partnered with Divert Nova Scotia, Hatch Inc., and the University of Guelph's Controlled Environment Systems Research Team (T. Graham and M. Dixon) to build new opportunities for recovery of carbon and nutrients from organic wastes and controlled environment agriculture (CEA) inedible residues. We have partnered with Mitacs and NSERC to build on these concepts of carbon recapture and utilization toward greater food security and sustainable food production.