The St. FX FluxLab: taking research to the front lines of climate

From the Springboard Content Lab

To know a problem, you must measure it. And if that problem is as critical as climate change, it better be measured accurately.

St. F.X. researcher Dr. David Risk is on the frontlines of greenhouse gases with the work emerging from his FluxLab and companies that have spun out from research in the Antigonish lab.

A ground breaker in greenhouse gas measurement

FluxLab - largest gas emissions research centre in Canada - is changing our understanding and management of climate change by detecting, measuring and mapping air pollution and greenhouse gases.

The Lab and its spinoff companies Eosense and Arolytics dispatch scientists, students and technicians to industrial and landfill sites across Canada to measure and manage data on greenhouse gases such as methane.

Arolytics Inc.– is an emissions management platform that helps companies manage emissions data. The company helps clients reduce costs by optimizing emission programs, detecting gas leaks, supporting Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) goals and developing strategies to reduce emissions.

Eosence Inc. - is a company built by scientists who understand the value of good data. They develop gas monitoring instruments that enable scientists and engineers to measure environmental gas flux and concentration - wherever their field sites may be.

Working around the world

They have also travelled to the North to record the emission of climate change-causing gases to melting permafrost plains.

Teams have conducted large-scale field campaigns to identify ways to reduce greenhouse emissions at sites across Canada.

FluxLab works with regulators and international agencies developing policies to reduce emissions. They also promote a healthier environment and drive change.

From lab to patents to business

The Lab was born in the halls of academia, but Risk has parlayed his research into international patents and businesses that help clients in energy and waste sectors reduce emissions of methane and other gases.

Risk and his FluxLab colleagues created two start-up companies to commercialize these gas technologies.

Eosense Inc. - builds gas-monitoring instruments and sensors to measure gas emissions in the field and at industrial sites. Eosence technologies are used in locations such as the rainforests of Puerto Rico and the dry valleys of Antarctica.

The gas leak detection technology helps energy companies meet environmental regulations, avoid pollution and minimize resource loss by detecting and measuring leaks in equipment.

Together FluxLab and its spinoff companies employ more than 50 highly skilled scientists, technicians and students.

Risk leading research looking into “COntinuous MEthane mapping in Western Canadian oil and gas Towns (COMET)

The COMET project is helping three Canadian communities achieve Net Zero by 2050 by managing urban methane emissions.

Risk's FluxLab is working with Eosense and the National Research Council, to equip three towns with cost-effective mobile methane sensors that were developed in Canada.

“Sensors will be mounted on municipal vehicles to continuously collect measurements and map the area. We will analyze and compare our data against methane inventory estimates from all sources, like local airsheds and federal models, to understand impact and identify opportunities for reduction." - Dr. David Risk, Brian Mulroney Institute of Government Research Chair in Climate Science and Policy.

This project will generate data and insights for policy makers and municipal governments to help them reduce emissions. It will and create market opportunities for valuable Canadian-developed sensors.

Most successful Springboard project at St.FX

The FluxLab and its two spinout companies are the single most successful Springboard project at St. Francis Xavier University.

Andrew Kendall, manager of the St.FX office Industry Liaison and Knowledge Transfer, worked closely with Risk and his various inventions, all supported with awards from the Springboard Innovation Mobilization Fund. As the applications for his innovations and research became better known, so too did the list of partner companies, governments, universities, and other agencies, all interested in his work with greenhouse gas emissions.

“Without Springboard, I think my career may have taken a different path. It's hard to imagine spinoff companies and technology commercialization without all these early lessons and mentorship. They were so formative. Without them, I just wouldn't have had the awareness to follow through. The value proposition of Springboard is in learning and encouragement and developing new awarenesses and capabilities. It's ACOA's best work. Dr. David Risk