ULRICH Research Group
About
Welcome to the Ulrich Research Group
Dr. Ania Ulrich is the Principal Investigator of the Ulrich Research Group. She holds a B.Sc. from the University of Alberta and a Ph.D. from the University of Toronto, both in chemical engineering. After working two years as a remediation engineer at Golder Associates Ltd., she joined the University of Alberta in 2008. Dr. Ulrich was the Associate Dean of Outreach, Faculty of Engineering (2017-2020), Acting Associate Vice-President (Research) of the University of Alberta (2020-2021), Interim Chair of Civil and Environmental Engineering Dept., Faculty of Engineering (2021-2022). Now she is the Professor and Associate Dean (Experiential Learning & Professional Education), Faculty of Engineering.
Our lab's research targets one of Alberta's and Canada's most pressing issues in water management as it relates to the oil sands industry. Oil sands processing plants operate under a policy of zero water discharge to the environment. If processes continue at the current rate, over one billion cubic meters of tailings pond water will require reclamation by 2025. Dissolved ions, metals and organics accumulate in the tailings process-affected water making it acutely toxic to many aquatic organisms. Additional contamination occurs through the migration and evolution of tailing pond seepage into underlying or adjacent sandy aquifers. An economical and timely solution is needed since these waters will require reclamation in the near future.
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Our lab's research interests are centered on developing chemical and biological remediation strategies for soil and groundwater systems impacted by oil sand tailings ponds. The majority of our work currently focuses on oil sands tailings reclamation, end pit lake biogeochemical processes and bioremediation of petroleum hydrocarbons. For more detailed information, please refer to the research page.
