Olugbenga Olubanjo remembers fist-pumping in celebration on Victoria Day when he found out his startup had won an award of US$10,000.
Olubanjo, who recently graduated with a master’s degree in civil engineering from the University of Toronto, and his team at Reeddi (pronounced “ready”) aim to bring clean, affordable and portable power to the people of Nigeria, freeing them from an expensive and unpredictable energy grid.
A research team from the University of Toronto has developed a new electrochemical path to transform CO2 into valuable products such as jet fuel or plastics. The technology could significantly improve the economics of capturing and recycling carbon directly from the air.
“Today, it is technically possible to capture CO2 from air and, through a number of steps, convert it to commercial products,” says University Professor Ted Sargent, in the Edward S. Rogers department of electrical and computer engineering, who led the research team.
The 4th floor of the Exam Centre, home to the Sustainability Office, is continuing with its efforts to be eco-friendly (it’s already LEED Gold certified) with the installation of solar panels this September. Our summer Work Study student, Mariya, sat down with the Director of Sustainability Operations, Paul Leitch, to get the full scoop on the solar project.