Two research projects in water-related domains have been awarded a combined $390,000 from the BC Innovation Council (BCIC). One project addresses small-scale UV purification for small, rural, and marginalized communities. The other is focused on removing agricultural pollutants from the water cycle.

The Innovation Council is a Crown agency that drives innovation development and adoption in British Columbia. Today, the Council announced the winners of its fourth BCIC Ignite Awards and awarded a record total of $990,000 to four BC research projects.

The four projects were awarded due to their demonstrated ability to succeed in diverse fields, including environmental engineering, biotechnology, and agriculture. Award criteria is based on commercial and technical viability as well as the ability to be market ready within three years. Eligible research projects are required to address an industry problem with the potential for significant benefit to British Columbia and be realized by a group of academic and industry members.

The cleantech and agriculture awards were given to:

  • Manoj Singh, CEO of Acuva Technologies, and Dr. Fariborz Taghipour of UBC were awarded $300,000 to develop a new, cost-efficient and maintenance-free ultraviolet water purification device that’s capable of off-the-grid operation, that can benefit small, rural and marginalized communities.
  • Dr. Rob Stephenson, CTO of Muddy River Technologies, and Kelly Sveinson of Langara College were awarded $90,000 to develop a simple and inexpensive solution to remove phosphorus and nitrogen from animal manures using a magnesium electrocoagulation process to help combat the issue of soil degradation and water contamination from nutrient overload in the agricultural sector.
Water winners stand at the left (Muddy River Technologies and Langara College) and third from the left (Acuva Technolgies and UBC). In total, $990,000 awarded to four BC research projects at BCIC Ignite Awards. Image Credit: BC Innovation Council.

“The BCIC Ignite Program helps turn cutting-edge research into ground-breaking, innovative technology that will significantly benefit British Columbia,” says Shirley Vickers, president and CEO of the BC Innovation Council.

Last year, David Harvey of Axine Water Technologies was a winner of an Ignite award for his work in developing an electro-catalyst material to enhance ammonia removal in Axine’s industrial wastewater treatment systems.

Other 2018 project winners can be found on the BCIC website.

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