Canadian Light Source

09/01/2026

Healthy soil is the foundation of food production, but climate change and growing demand are placing increasing pressure on farmland. Researchers are studying how , a charcoal-like material made from woody biomass harvested along riparian zones, can improve soil health, water and nutrient retention, and crop productivity. Riparian zones are transition areas where land meets water along rivers, lakes, and wetlands.

In this 10-year study on the Canadian prairies, scientists from Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada are using the CLS to investigate how biochar, together with phosphorus , affects , nutrient retention, and crop productivity. Advanced X-ray spectroscopy and imaging will help them determine how stable the soil organic carbon is and identify the chemical forms of legacy phosphorus.

Biochar acts like a sponge in the soil. Its porous structure can help hold water and nutrients, support beneficial microbes, and keep important nutrients such as phosphorus and nitrogen from being washed away. This may allow crops to use fertilizer more efficiently while reducing nutrient losses and environmental impacts.

The research could help farmers improve soil quality and achieve more reliable crop production under changing weather conditions. It also holds the potential to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and create a valuable use for biomass material.

Image 1: AAFC researchers Shayeb Shahariar (left) and Raju Soolanayakanahally set up a sample for imaging at the SGM beamline.

Image 2: At right, woody biomass harvested from riparian zone; at left, biochar pellets produced by heating the biomass in low-oxygen environment.

09/01/2026

Researchers at the USask Engineering are working to improve how protein and starch-rich ingredients are separated from flours such as faba bean, red lentil, and yellow pea. Led by Dr. Obi Agu and Dr. Venkatesh Meda, the team is studying a dry processing technology which can separate flour components without using water or chemicals.

While this tribo-electrostatic separation (TES) process has shown promise for producing high-quality plant-based ingredients, its performance can vary depending on the structure of the flour particles. The researchers want to understand how factors such as particle size, internal pores, clumping, and the distribution of protein and starch within particles influence the separation process.

By identifying the structural factors that affect the dry processing performance, the research could help improve the efficiency and purity of protein-rich ingredients produced from Canadian-grown . The findings may support the development of more food processing methods and help create new opportunities for value-added pulse ingredients used in plant-based foods, beverages, and other products.
This project is funded by Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada and Saskatchewan Pulse Growers.

09/01/2026

The CLS is developing a new strategic plan to guide Canada’s national synchrotron facility through 2032 and beyond. Led by the CLS Board of Directors, with support from CLS Senior Leadership, the plan will build on insights from the Canadian Synchrotron Community Long-Range Plan efforts to establish a clear and ambitious direction for the future.

This is a pivotal time for the CLS, as decisions made over the coming years will shape the future of Canada’s synchrotron facility and its role in advancing research and innovation. Stakeholder engagement is a key part of the process, with input sought from stakeholders including users, funders, staff, and advisory committees to ensure diverse perspectives from across the CLS community help inform the plan.

Input from the user community is a critical component of this process, helping to ensure that the strategic plan reflects the needs, priorities, and aspirations of those who rely on the CLS to advance their research and innovation goals. If you are a current or past member of the CLS user community, we invite you to share your perspectives by completing the Strategic Planning Survey. Your feedback will help identify future opportunities, priorities, and areas of focus for the CLS as it plans for 2032 and beyond.

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09/01/2026

Uranium is part of Canada’s Strategy and has a major role to play in the transition to clean energy alternatives. Researchers at the University of Manitoba / Clayton H. Riddell Faculty of Environment, Earth, and Resources have partnered with Canadian uranium producer Cameco Corporation (Cameco Connects) to study how the large, high-grade deposits located in northern Saskatchewan’s Athabasca Basin originally formed.

The team's goal is to refine and improve the precision of chemical methods used to determine when these mineral deposits formed (called dating). The scientists are using the VESPERS beamline to examine at the atomic level changes in a mineral called uraninite and how lead is held within its structure or moves out of it during radioactive decay. Specifically, they want to know whether lead was lost slowly over time (diffusion) or suddenly during hydrothermal events that occur in the earth’s crust. Hydrothermal events – also called hot fluid events – caused the formation of many of the world's mineral deposits, geothermal fields, and surface features like geysers and hot springs.

If the scientists can figure out when these deposits formed, they will have a better idea of what geological conditions were present at that time. This information could, in turn, help geologists find new uranium deposits more efficiently, guiding exploration in Saskatchewan and across Canada. As well, knowing how uraninite holds or releases radioactive elements could inform development of safer nuclear waste storage.


Image: The project team, from left to right: Ryan Sharpe, PhD student; Fatema Panahi, postdoc student; Mostafa Fayek, professor; Andrew Kaczowka, senior geoscientist, Cameco; Brodie Stroh, senior geoscientist, Cameco; and Sapumal Witharana, PhD student.

09/01/2026

The Canadian Laboratory Consortium Conference for Project Management Professionals will be held on Oct. 7-8. This event will showcase excellence in project management and collaboration while promoting networking between laboratories. Register by Sept. 7: https://bit.ly/4etNkwF

Canadian Nuclear Laboratories SNOLAB TRIUMF

08/31/2026

Processed waste material from mining, called , can contain both useful metals (like copper, nickel, and zinc) and harmful ones (like arsenic, cadmium, and lead). Over time, natural weathering processes driven by rain and air can change how these elements move and spread. Researchers from the University of Saskatchewan / College of Arts and Science - University of Saskatchewan (Geological Sciences) are studying mine tailings on a site near Hanson Lake in northern Saskatchewan. Matt Lindsay and his team are using the CLS to determine where these elements are in the waste and how they are attached to minerals, especially iron and sulfur.

What they’re learning is important because it helps scientists predict when dangerous metals might move into water and harm people and wildlife. It can also help find ways to safely clean up old mine sites. At the same time, the research may help recover valuable metals from this waste, turning a problem into an economic opportunity. This could create jobs, reduce pollution, and support cleaner energy technologies.


Image 1: Legacy tailings near Hanson Lake in northern Saskatchewan.

Image 2: From left to right, members of the research team Ardalan Hayatifar (Postdoc), Petra Squirra (MSc student), Chris Chan (BSc student @ URegina), and Sanaz Hasani (PhD student).

08/31/2026

Most movement deep within the Earth's crust happens slowly over long periods of time, not just during major . However, scientists still do not fully understand exactly how rocks gradually change shape or how fluids move through them underground. A research team led by Dr. Djordje Grujic of Dalhousie Earth and Environmental Sciences Dalhousie University is studying one process that may help explain this slow movement.

The research focuses on quartz-rich from New Zealand's Alpine Fault. The team investigated whether minerals slowly dissolve in areas under high pressure and then re-form in nearby areas, allowing rocks to gradually deform over time. They also examined whether tiny spaces between mineral grains open and close as the grains move, creating temporary pathways that allow fluids to flow through the rock.

They used advanced X-ray techniques to analyze the rocks at a microscopic scale, looking for small chemical differences and changes in the structure of quartz crystals that could reveal how the rocks had deformed. While the chemical differences were smaller than expected, the crystal structure measurements are helping the team determine whether different parts of the rock were affected by different deformation processes.

The findings will improve scientists' understanding of how deep change and how fluids move underground over time. This knowledge could lead to better models of earthquake-generating faults and support research in areas such as geothermal energy, carbon storage, and other underground systems.

08/31/2026

The latest issue of our monthly newsletter is out! Inside you'll find:
📢 Strategic Plan User Survey
🔬 Science highlights
📅 Events
💼 Job postings
📄 Featured papers

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The CLS is developing a new strategic plan to guide Canada’s national synchrotron facility through 2032 and beyond. Led by the CLS Board of Directors, with support from CLS Senior Leadership, the plan will build on insights from the Canadian Synchrotron Community Long-Range Plan efforts to establi...

08/31/2026

Improving is key to powering our future—from electric vehicles to large-scale energy storage—but today’s lithium-ion batteries still face limits on how much energy they can store and deliver. Research conducted by John Ponis, Dr. Sarbajit Banerjee and Dr. Victor Gómez from the PSI Paul Scherrer Institut, focuses on understanding what happens inside battery materials at a very small scale to help overcome those limits.

The team is studying vanadium pentoxide (V₂O₅), a material used in battery cathodes—the part of a battery that receives and stores lithium ions during use—to see how lithium ions move into it and where they settle. By carefully controlling the structure of the material, they can guide where goes and how it interacts with its surroundings.

To explore this in detail, they use advanced soft X-ray spectroscopy to track changes in the material’s electronic structure as lithium is added. This helps reveal how the material stores and transfers .
By connecting atomic structure to battery performance, this work aims to identify smarter design strategies for cathode materials—helping create batteries that last longer, store more energy, and perform better in real-world applications.

Images: Vitor Gomez and George Agbeworvi at the VLS-PGM beamline.