The second annual research team meeting for the ORF-RE11 project, “Commercialization of compostable and soil biodegradable, single-use coffee capsules,” was held on April 21, 2026. A total of 38 researchers, trainees, industry partners, and government representatives attended to share progress and discuss project activities. The meeting brought together stakeholders across the value chain to support coordination on the development and commercialization of biochar and compostable coffee pods. Thank you to the three keynote speakers who presented: Jordan Hatton (Director of Economic Development, Bingwi Neyaashi Anishinaabek Nation), Atul Bali (CEO, Competitive Green Technologies), and Julia Ramos (Vice-President of Innovation, Club Coffee). Trainees from the University of Guelph delivered oral and poster presentations. ...
News
Congratulations to Blessing Itabana and all co-authors on their article being recognized as one of the journal's top 10 most-cited papers published in 2024. The article "Poly (Butylene Adipate‐Co‐Terephthalate)(PBAT)–Based Biocomposites: A Comprehensive Review," was published in the journal "Macromolecular Materials and Engineering." The article is authored by Blessing Itabana and co-authored by Amar K. Mohanty, Phil Dick, Mohini Sain, Atul Bali, Mike Tiessen, Loong-Tak Lim, and Manjusri Misra.To read the article, please visit this link......
Congratulations to Fatemeh Jahangiri, a BDDC PhD student who, on March 24, 2026, completed her thesis defense titled, "High-Barrier Coatings and Plasticized Cellulose Acetate-Based Composites for Sustainable Biodegradable Packaging."Her thesis investigates "material- and process-level solutions for biodegradable packaging, with a focus on high-barrier coatings for plastic and paper substrates, as well as plasticized cellulose acetate composites. Through various complementary studies employing reactive extrusion, film casting, injection molding, and coating technologies, the work addresses key challenges related to barrier performance, mechanical properties, processability, and thermal stability in bio-based materials. The biomaterials developed in this thesis exhibit enhanced performance and represent promising alternatives to conventional petroleum-based packaging materials."""...
The BDDC participated in the University of Guelph's 101st annual College Royal open house on March 15 and 16, 2025. The College Royal is a campus-wide open house that provides a chance for people to see what professors and students have been working on and explore the campus.The BDDC had an interactive booth with biodegradable material and automotive parts samples and a 3D printing demo. BDDC volunteers spoke with over 300 students, parents, children, and other visitors about their research.For more information about the college royal, please visit this link. ...
On March 17, 2026, members of the BDDC attended the Ontario Biomass Producers Co-operative Annual General Meeting in Elora, ON. This event, hosted by the Ontario Biomass Producers Co-operative, brought together Ontario farmers, producers, and researchers to discuss the latest research and market updates.The Ontario Biomass Producers Co-operative is an organization of Ontario farmers working toward the sustainable production and marketing of biomass products. Current areas being addressed are marketing opportunities, production of purpose-grown biomass crops, harvesting of crop byproducts, transportation, and storage issues, among others.For more information about the event, please visit this link......
Profs. Misra and Mohanty presented at the SPE ANTEC 2026 Conference, held from March 9-12, in Pittsburgh, USA. The conference brought together scientists and researchers, business leaders, decision makers, and engineers to discuss the latest breakthroughs in plastics technology, advanced polymer research, and next-generation processing solutions.Prof. Mohanty gave a presentation on March 11, titled, "Processing of Biodegradable Plastics and their Bio-Composites for Single-use Plastic Alternatives and 3D printed Products."Prof. Mohanty gave a second presentation on March 11, titled, "An Affordable Cost-Competitive Innovation in Rigid Packaging: Home Compostable and Soil Biodegradable Thermoformed Packaging as an Alternative to Polystyrene Tray."Prof. Misra gave a presentation on March 12 titled "Innovations in Biocarbon Reinforced Thermoplastic Composites for Light-weight Automotive: Sustainable Composites for Electric Vehicle Parts."For more information about SPE ANTEC 2026, please visit this link......
Congratulations to Manjusri Misra for being recognized in the International Women’s Day 2026 Green Chemistry Special Collection. The article "Recent advances in biodegradable polymer blends and their biocomposites: a comprehensive review" has been chosen for the Royal Society of Chemistry's themed collection "Celebrating International Women’s Day 2026: Women in green chemistry." The article is authored by Kehinde Olonisakin and co-authored by Amar K. Mohanty, Mahendra Thimmanagari, and Manjusri Misra.To read the featured article, please visit this link.More from the themed collection: Celebrating International Women’s Day 2026: Women in green chemistry......
The Second Annual Research Team Meeting for the ORF-RE11-003 Automotive project was held on Friday, March 6, 2026, at the Honey Bee Research Centre, University of Guelph. The Automotive project titled, "Lightweight-safer-sustainable electric vehicles using automotive waste streams - a game changing circularity model to commercialize innovative composites" is funded by the Ontario Ministry of Colleges and Universities.There were 32 attendees, including researchers, trainees, provincial government representatives, and guests. The keynote speaker was Dr. Graham Taylor, Professor and Canada Research Chair in Machine Learning, Computer Engineering, University of Guelph. HQP trainees from the University of Guelph, Western University, University of Toronto, and McMaster University gave oral and poster presentations......
Profs. Misra and Mohanty participated in the Second Canadian Science Symposium on Plastics on February 24-25, 2026. This was a national, virtual event to bring together Canadian scientists, researchers, and policy practitioners. The goal of the symposium was to inform future priorities and updates to Canada’s Plastics Science Agenda (CaPSA) using insights and recommendations from experts in the field.Profs. Misra and Mohanty were panelists in a session titled "Design, Innovation & Circular Solutions". The panel discussed materials design, product innovation, and circular solutions, focusing on scientific evidence to reduce environmental risks from plastics. Speakers examined how materials and product design choices influence environmental performance, exposure pathways, and end-of-life outcomes, as well as key uncertainties and evidence gaps related to materials innovation, safe-by-design approaches, and emerging alternatives. The session explored the challenge of assessing new solutions for design and innovation in complex systems, balancing performance, environmental tradeoffs, and unintended consequences......
Gregory Wootton, Chief Administrative Officer / Assistant Deputy Minister, and Douglas Reddick, Director of the Research and Innovation Branch at OMAFA, toured the BDDC on February 4, 2026. The tour was led by Profs. Misra and Mohanty, and was part of a larger visit to the University of Guelph's College of Engineering. The OMAFA leadership was introduced to the work the BDDC does in bio-carbon and sustainable materials, and provided with an understanding of the Agri-Food Innovation Alliance's Impact on research at the University of Guelph......
519 824 4120 EXT 53398
519 763 8933