For immediate release
Université TÉLUQ professor Dr. Nicolas Bélanger wins research funding to reduce GHG emissions
Quebec City, May 29, 2018 – Dr. Nicolas Bélanger, a professor in Université TÉLUQ Department of Science and Technology, has been awarded $368,104 in funding from a major research partnership program to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. The program is a joint venture by the Government of Quebec’s Green Fund and nature and technology agency Fonds de recherche du Québec – Nature et technologies (FRQNet), and Quebec’s ministry of economics, science and innovation (MESI).
The research funding will enable Dr. Bélanger to create a broad carbon sink in the Chaudière-Appalaches region of the province through the soil reconstruction and afforestation of former asbestos mines. The research will be done in collaboration with Dr. Wassim Bouachir and Dr. Élise Filotas, both professors in Université TÉLUQ Department of Science and Technology, together with Dr. David Rivest and Dr. Jérôme Dupras, of the Department of Natural Sciences at Université du Québec en Outaouais.
“I would like to congratulate our Université TÉLUQ research professors and their colleagues on this research project, which aims to develop new technologies that will promote greenhouse gas sequestration on land that was severely disturbed by human activity,” said Martin Noël, President of TÉLUQ University.
Dr. Bélanger adds that “there are huge ecological restoration challenges surrounding heavily anthropized sites like these, as significant biological and physicochemical obstacles often stand in the way.”
The initial goals of the project, a partnership with local companies Viridis Environnement and Granilake, are to identify the species, origins and cultivars that will act as the greatest carbon sinks and to enhance amendment techniques through the use of fertilizer residuals and mechanical soil preparation in order to foster tree establishment.
Dr. Bélanger and his colleagues are also looking to measure the ecosystem services provided by this redevelopment, gauge the social acceptability of this type of initiative and gather feedback from citizens about the various features of the project.
About the research partnership program to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions
The goal of this program is to build close collaborative ties between the scientific communities served by FRQNet and FRQSC in order to maximize the benefits of an intersectoral research approach to solving a problem as complex as reducing GHG emissions. Tying into the government’s 2013-2020 Climate Change Action Plan, the program supports research projects that will contribute to the achievement of the government’s mid- to long-term targets for reducing GHG emissions.
About Université TÉLUQ
Founded in 1972 with the goal of making knowledge more accessible, TÉLUQ is the only French-language university in North America to offer all its courses via distance education. Every year, nearly 20,000 undergraduate and graduate students obtain their university education from TÉLUQ.
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Source:
Denis Gilbert
Press Officer
Communications and Public Affairs
418 657-2747, ext. 5282
1 800 463-4728, ext. 5282
denis.gilbert@teluq.ca