Annick Anctil

Annick Anctil

Annick Anctil

Associate Professor

Biography

Recent Research

  • Environmental impact of solar technologies (scarcity, toxicity and energy payback)
  • End-of life management of photovoltaic wastes
  • Solar potential in the Southeast United States
  • Battery Environmental Impact Characterization
  • Process design and life cycle modeling of wastewater treatment
  • Life cycle assessment in metallurgy sector
  • An Educational Simulation Tool for Integrated Coastal Tourism Development in Developing Countries (UN-DESA)

Research Interests

Research focus in pollution prevention has shifted from treatment and control to design for the environment, which uses a holistic approach to ensure that all stages of the life cycle of a product or system are environmentally, economically and socially sustainable. Dr Anctil uses proactive sustainability assessment to reduce the environmental impact of new technologies. Process based life-cycle assessment (LCA) is used to identify critical steps in current technologies and guide greener alternatives by combining theoretical environmental assessment and experimental work. Evaluating the environmental impact of photovoltaics technologies constitutes the core of her research. To ensure the long-term success of the photovoltaic industry, the potential negative impacts associated with current and future systems must me minimized throughout all stages from material extraction to end-of-life disposal. In addition to solar, she currently works on projects related to battery storage, nanomaterial synthesis and wastewater treatment.   

Awards
Best student presentation: 35th IEEE Photovoltaics Specialists Conference (2010)
Fonds québécois de la recherche sur la nature et les technologies (FQRNT) Doctoral research scholarship (2007-2010)
Excellence in Science National Grand Prize (2004)
American Society for Materials (ASM) school chapter annual prize (2004)
Education
Rochester Institute of Technology: Ph.D. Sustainability
Publications
Steele M, Anctil A, Ladner D. “Integrating algaculture into small wastewater treatment plants: Process flow options and life cycle impacts”, Environmental Science: Processes & Impacts 16 (6), 1387-1399 (2014)
Yilmaz O, Anctil A, Karanfil T, “LCA as a Decision Support Tool for Evaluation of Best Available Techniques (BATs) for Cleaner Production”, Journal of Cleaner Production, In Press (2014)
Ganter MJ, Landi BJ, Babbitt CW, Anctil A, Gaustad G, “Refunctionalization as a Lithium Ion Battery Recycling Alternative”, Journal of Power Sources, 256, 274-280 (2014)
Anctil A, Fthenakis V, “Critical metals in strategic photovoltaic technologies: abundance versus recyclability”, Progress in Photovoltaics: Research and Applications, 21 (6), 1253-1259(2013).
Anctil A, Fthenakis V, “Critical metals in strategic photovoltaic technologies: abundance versus recyclability”, Progress in Photovoltaics: Research and Applications, 21 (6), 1253-1259(2013).