SLICE Projects

Project lead: David Halstead, M.Sc., P.Biol.

In 2019, Saskatchewan Polytechnic partnered with Reclaimit Ltd. to identify the ideal soil treatment for ecologically sustainable forest reclamation on coarse-textured sandy soils.

The research was carried out at Sask Polytech’s Hannin Creek Education and Applied Research Research facility at Candle Lake, Saskatchewan with funding provided by NSERC and National Research Council (NRC). Sandy soil poses challenges for reclamation professionals due to wind erosion, low organic matter content and low water holding capacity. In Canada’s boreal forest, reclamation efforts are further complicated by a short growing season and the impact of soil disturbance on the microbial community. Research results highlighted the superior growth performance of jack pine planted in sandy soils amended with a biochar/worm casting inoculant. Less effective treatments involved chemical fertilizers, peat, hydromulch and control plots. These results underscore the promise of the circular economy. Biochar produced from used wood and inoculated with organic waste may provide an opportunity to supercharge reclamation efforts that sequester carbon directly while enhancing carbon capture through improved growth performance of planted trees.

Saskatchewan Polytechnic is signatory to the SDG Accord. Learn more about this SDG case study.

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SLICE is working with internal partners Hospitality Services and the School of Hospitality, Tourism and Applied Aesthetics on a pilot project to test vermicomposting at the Prince Albert campus cafeteria known as The Commons. Sask Polytech received funding from the ImpAct-Climate Challenge with Colleges and Institutes Canada (CICan) for the project. This CICan funding is used to connect and mobilize post-secondary leaders, sharing the knowledge, skills and tools needed to combat climate change.

The pilot project, which launched in September 2023, is using earthworms to assist with composting kitchen scraps to produce rich, organic soil full of nutrients. On average, 70 kg of scraps are diverted from the landfill each week,” says Keri Sapsford, research associate at Sask Polytech at Prince Albert campus. We are also partnering with BrewNature, a Saskatchewan company that is developing a novel process and apparatus for high-speed composting, and working with the BioScience Applied Research Centre (BARC) of SLICE to analyze the finished compost from the two methods.

The research team produced a toolkit for others considering on-site composting based on their findings from the Sask Polytech pilot and their discussions with partner institutions Dawson College and Selkirk College. The downloadable handbook offers guidance on composting organic matter from commercial kitchens and coffee rooms. It is designed to help assess the needs of a facility and to determine the best composting system for its situation.

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Partnering with Sask Polytech, Prairie Clean Energy (PCE) is using a $1.1 million grant from the Mining Innovation Commercialization Accelerator (MICA) Network for a GHG emissions reduction project utilizing prairie biomass. The grant will provide a living lab demonstration through the implementation of a pilot operation at Sask Polytech’s Agriculture and Food Production diploma program field site near Moose Jaw.

As Saskatchewan produces 30 per cent of global potash, making it the largest sole potash producer in the world, the ability to significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions in these mines by utilizing local prairie biomass is an incredible opportunity. With this project, agricultural waste in the form of flax straw will be used to generate energy and support the potash industry in lowering greenhouse gas emissions. The project also involves the development of free, on-line micro-credentials in biomass production, storage and handling offered through Quick Train Canada with support from Canadian Colleges for a Resilient Recovery (C2R2). Sask Polytech is also working to develop at track and trace program for PCE using GIS to optimize transportation routes and document a sustainable supply chain for biomass in Saskatchewan. 

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In collaboration with the Southern Alberta Institute of Technology (SAIT) Centre for Innovation and Research in Unmanned Systems (CIRUS), Sask Polytech has initiated a three-year applied research project. In partnership with Frog Lake First Nation, this project utilizes geospatial tools and remotely piloted aircraft systems (RPAS) to map natural resources, community infrastructure and zones vulnerable to climate change and development impacts.

To help create a multi-purpose, interactive database of the natural asset and human built inventory, SAIT’s CIRUS is providing Frog Lake First Nation essential training using RPAS for data collection and Sask Polytech is leading geographic information system and data analysis efforts.  

The goal is to empower Frog Lake First Nation to consolidate their community information into a convenient and versatile geodatabase and asset management system, facilitating a transition toward digital governance.

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We acknowledge the support of the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC).

Nous remercions le Conseil de recherches en sciences naturelles et en génie du Canada (CRSNG) de son soutien.

In partnership with Prince Albert Model Forest and Filipino non-profit organization Daluhay, Daloy ng Buhay (flow of life), SLICE at Sask Polytech is embarking on a groundbreaking applied research project focused on digitizing information and developing data management tools for community-based, sustainable resource management. This project will help position Indigenous communities in Saskatchewan and the Philippines to contribute to environmental policy and program initiatives at regional, national and international levels. This is the first college/polytechnic project funded through Canada’s Tri-Agency New Frontiers in Research Fund (NFRF).

Leveraging Sask Polytech's expertise in remote sensing, remotely piloted aircraft systems, GIS and natural resource management, the team will digitize and develop data management tools for community-identified priorities in land and water stewardship. This could include mapping of traditional ecological knowledge related to hunting, trapping, sacred areas, and watershed biodiversity and restoration according to community needs. The team will also draw on open-source geospatial data for mapping environmental parameters of interest.

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Project lead: Ravi Jassar, PhD, P.Eng.

In collaboration with Red River College and Northern Alberta Institute of Technology (NAIT), Saskatchewan Polytechnic is investigating charging infrastructure concerns that act as an impediment to adoption of zero-emissions vehicles (ZEVs).

Sask Polytech project technical lead Ravi Jassar explains, “Workplace charging has received relatively little attention, despite its importance. It is second in importance only to home-based charging, as outlined in well-known charging pyramids defined by parties like General Motors and others.” This project will address that deficiency by investigating current infrastructure and establishing demonstration sites with promotional materials  at colleges and polytechnics across the prairie provinces. This project is made possible by a financial contribution from Natural Resources Canada.

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In partnership with NWC Wild Rice Company and with support from Gabriel Dumont Institute, Sask Polytech is leading a collaborative project with multi-year funding support from PrairiesCan’s Community Economic Development and Diversification (CEDD) program and Canadian Colleges for a Resilient Recovery (C2R2). The multi-faceted project will help with both the equipment used in wild rice harvesting and in training needed to maintain the specialized equipment.

NWC Wild Rice Company, an Indigenous-owned northern enterprise, approached Sask Polytech seeking a solution to a common problem faced by harvesters. Wild rice harvester boats are typically small airboats with motors that can maneuver in the tall the grass-like wild rice fields growing along northern lake shores. Current harvester boat propulsion systems use components made for the recreational industry. These regularly fail, quickly become obsolete and are extremely expensive. This project aims to design and build a new, modernized boat with a more economical and easily repairable propulsion system.

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Project lead: Tim Muench, M.Sc., P.Eng.

Working with LightLeaf Solar, a company specializing in custom contoured solar panels for RVs, boats, trucks and other vehicles, Sask Polytech’s Research in Additive Manufacturing and Prototyping (RAMP) facility helped to solve a manufacturing assembly process problem with funding support from NSERC and National Research Council (NRC). 

LightLeaf’s assembly of solar cells into strings required monotonous work by skilled and experienced employees. RAMP and LightLeaf developed 3D printed fixtures to precisely locate the solar cells and the delicate electrical connectors that have to be soldered to them. This allowed the company to expand the capacity and size of strings for their production.

Following the success of the 3D printed fixturing project, the applied research partnership was expanded to investigate automation of the process. Equipment is available to assemble solar panels, but it is primarily for flat panels, and is nearly a million-dollar investment to set up and produce flat panels using this equipment. Funded research resulted in a collaboration to develop an ultra-low-cost system to produce these strings of cells. The project involved mechatronic systems, which is the integrated development of mechanical design, electronics and computer systems. The development of the system also involved a number of innovative applications of 3D printing (multi-material plastic, and metal), as well as precision waterjet cutting. The machine prototype was demonstrated and delivered to LightLeaf. They are in the process of commissioning and fine-tuning its operation.

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Sask Polytech and Big River First Nation are partnering to improve forestry management planning processes using technologies such as LiDAR sensors in tandem with First Nation land knowledge. SLICE is using drone technology to scan (through the tree canopies) the forested areas identified by Elders as culturally significant. Over this three-year project, the team anticipates locating historical heritage sites, artifacts, traditional footpaths and much more.

The project will help identify and document heritage sites in the boreal forest that are difficult to locate with traditional ground-based survey methods. This knowledge will support community decision-making and forest management practices that that are economically sound while also respectful of cultural heritage sites.

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We acknowledge the support of the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC).

Nous remercions le Conseil de recherches en sciences naturelles et en génie du Canada (CRSNG) de son soutien.

Project lead: Blake Weiseth, M.Sc., P.Ag.

Beneficial Management Practices (BMPs) are often used by farmers to maintain or increase crop yield while limiting potential adverse impacts. These BMPs may be particularly useful in optimizing nutrient and water use efficiency to encourage use by the crop and prevent nutrient losses in runoff water. However, while local soil and landscape characteristics are important in controlling how water moves in the soil and across the landscape, these factors are often over-looked in the site-specific prescription of BMPs. With phase II project support from SaskWheat and SaskCanola, and continued support from the Water Security Agency and Glacier FarmMedia, a multi-year field study was initiated near Langham, Saskatchewan to evaluate various BMPs for their ability to influence water use efficiency across variable landscapes. BMPs evaluated include variable-rate fertilizer application, post-harvest crop residue management, and annual forage production.

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Project lead: Satya Panigrahi, PhD, P.Eng., FEC

In 2018, Titan Carbon Smart Technologies (Titan) worked with Sask Polytech’s Innovative Manufacturing Centre (IMC) to develop a biocarbon masterbatch that could replace traditional carbon black. Carbon black is formed by the incomplete combustion or thermal decomposition of hydrocarbon fuel or natural gas. It is used in everything from tires to paint and plastic, and because it is fossil fuel-based the production of carbon black has some of highest carbon emissions of any chemical. Titan was already producing biocarbon from waste biomass such as construction wood waste, sawdust and agricultural residues for four carbon products used in animal feed, odour elimination, fertilizer and health and beauty care. With funding from NSERC, ReMAP and the Government of Saskatchewan’s Agricultural Development Fund (ADF), the applied research partnership has explored how a carbon black alternative could be produced with biocarbon from waste such as plastics and straw. The project will end in 2022 with a patent for the product forthcoming. Commercialization of the biocarbon product is expected for moulding and grain containers first, and then onto other applications.

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