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NewsThis section will keep you updated on important business news stories in the Windsor-Essex Region, named Best Small City for Investment by FDI Magazine. $1.3 Million for Clean Diesel ResearchSaturday, Feb. 6, 2010
Ground-breaking research at the University of Windsor received a boost Friday when the provincial government announced $1.3 million for research into the development of more fuel-efficient, low-emission engines. Ming Zheng, lead researcher in the Centre for High Efficiency Clean Diesel and Hybrid Powertrain Research, said the funding will "help us develop greener technologies, reduce our dependence on regular gasoline engines and improve the already high efficiency of diesel engines." Zheng, who received the funding from the Ministry of Research and Innovation, was also the recipient of $1.4 million in funding last June from the Canada Foundation for Innovation. "The funding is critical to our research efforts and will allow us to see into the future when cleaner, more efficient diesel engines begin replacing regular gasoline engines," said Zheng. "Clean diesel is the wave of the future for the North American automotive industry because they are much more efficient and have a smaller carbon footprint than gasoline engines. "In the future, we can expect diesel engines to run on bio-fuels developed from soya bean oil, food oils and recycled animal fats that will reduce our use of fossil fuels." Zheng said that one engine block in his lab at the Centre for Automotive Research and Education can cost as much as $1 million "so this funding is very welcome." Zheng's research is funded jointly by the university, government agencies and ministries, as well as by industrial partners. "This funding will enable our researchers, in particular here at the University of Windsor, to help improve our manufacturing competitiveness in a global market," said Minister of Economic Development and Trade Sandra Pupatello. "This centre is conducting automotive research that rivals anything being done anywhere else in the world," said Pupatello, accompanied by Finance Minister Dwight Duncan and MPP Bruce Crozier. In addition to researching clean diesel engine technology, Zheng's team also studies aftertreatment methods, innovative engine design and diesel-based hybrid electric drive-train configurations in a small lab at the university's automotive research centre. Overall, $1.6 million in funding announced Friday will support the work of about 60 researchers at the university which has now received about $9 million in research funding from the same ministry. Among them are Narayan Kar, who is receiving about $180,000 to help create next generation hybrid auto technologies with the goal of reducing the industry's dependence on fossil fuels. Others receiving funding include Sreekanta Das for research into the lifespan of steel under extreme conditions and Zhuo Wang for research into advanced materials such as polymers. "This is a day which celebrates research and we have an obligation to make the most of the opportunities this government is extending to us with this funding," said university president Alan Wildeman. Article Credit: |
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