Peiman Azarsa

The rapid pace of urbanization and industrialization poses an ongoing challenge to the sustainable development of our society, significantly impacting precious natural resources like water, land, and vegetation. Climate change plays a pivotal role in exacerbating these issues, leading to increased uncertainty, intensity, and frequency of challenges faced.

To address the impact of urbanization on stormwater runoff, the Continuous Defective Separator (CDS) technology has been introduced. This innovative swirl concentrator hybrid system utilizes continuous deflective separation, combining swirl concentration and indirect screening. By doing so, it effectively screens, separates, and traps debris, sediment, and hydrocarbons from stormwater, thus protecting the environment.

The CDS system boasts an impressive capability of achieving 100% removal of floatable and neutrally buoyant material debris of 2.4mm or larger, without any risk of binding. Moreover, it retains all captured pollutants, even during high flow rates, while remaining easily accessible for maintenance.

However, as climate change continues to unfold, the CDS system may encounter challenges such as hydraulic overloading due to overflow during peak hours or intense rainfall events. To address this, one of the objectives of this project is to enhance the system's productivity by implementing a new screening mechanism.

Currently, each CDS unit is constructed using precast normal-strength concrete reinforced with conventional steel bars. However, adhering to Canada's sustainable development goals necessitates the use of eco-friendly materials like cement-less concrete. Therefore, the compatibility of various green concretes and materials will be rigorously assessed, considering both normal and harsh conditions, including those encountered in freezing areas.

Furthermore, this research initiative aims to develop robust methodologies to evaluate the seismic performance of the new eco-friendly concrete both experimentally and numerically. By doing so, the project seeks to ensure the viability and resilience of the new system in various environmental scenarios.