Lassonde Prof works to decontaminate land, safeguarding community safety and the environment

Associate Professor, Magdalena Krol, from the Department of Civil Engineering, has received Alliance funding from the Natural Science and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC) to study the effect of high temperatures on soil and groundwater remediation.

Contaminated sites are a multi-billion-dollar problem in Canada that can lead to health and environmental problems, limiting the redevelopment of brownfield properties in urban areas. This grant will examine novel ways to clean up sites that have been contaminated with things like petroleum fuels, coal tar and chlorinated solvents. The work will be done by researchers at Queen’s University (lead), York University and the University of Toronto, in partnership with a world-leading Canadian remediation technology company.

Known for her work in contaminant hydrogeology, Professor Krol will study the transport and removal of contaminants through the subsurface under heated environments. This work will be done using computational modelling techniques developed by Krol and her team.

“This project will allow us to get a better understanding of thermal remediation strategies currently in use and will provide concrete results that can be applied by the remediation sector. Due to the collaborative nature of this project with other universities and industry, it will provide invaluable training for undergraduate and graduate students,” said Krol.

Potential students (graduate and undergraduate) interested in working on this project should reach out to Prof. Krol for more information.