Cheyne Industries Inc, a Fort Nelson based small business formed in 2020 to further study natural clay deposits located within the NRRM, was recently awarded a Mitacs Elevate grant in partnership with University of Northern British Columbia (UNBC) for a two-year research project (2022-2024).

Robert Cheyne, founder and CEO of Cheyne Industries Inc, has been researching local natural clay deposits since 2017. Several potential products are being developed one of which includes an adsorbent for nutrient removal from water bodies. A previous Mitacs Accelerate project was conducted from 2018-2020 with UNBC to research the various clay deposits and their characteristics in hopes of finding commercial applications.

A continuation of the research involves refining the manufacturing process and further developing a working prototype of a natural adsorbent specifically for Phosphorus removal. Mitacs empowers Canadian innovation through effective partnerships that deliver solutions to our most pressing problems. Mitacs Elevate was uniquely suited for this continued research, offering full-time employment for a postdoctoral researcher for a two-year term who would be matched to solve the company’s requirements to complete the development of their product and the process to manufacture it affordably.

Northern Analytical Lab Services-NALS  (Recently established as the Northern BC’s Environmental and Climate Solutions Innovation Hub) on the UNBC campus in Prince George offers testing and research services using state of the art instrumentation and up-to-date standards that address pollutants in water, air, plants, and soil. Dr. Hossein Kazemian, Head of NALS and specializing in research of clays and zeolites, has been the project lead for both research projects. UNBC recruited

Dr. Mohammad Kavand as a recent postdoctoral graduate (Laval University) to lead the new Elevate project and operate out of NALS in Prince George, BC.