A group from the University of Calgary led by Prof. Nashaat N. Nassar focuses on nanoparticle technology for applications of oil sands, wastewater treatment, solid waste treatment, inhibition of formation damage, oil spillage clean-up, natural gas, and other applications. The group provides various technologies for wastewater treatment and heavy hydrocarbon waste. They develop tailor-made solutions designed specifically to target problematic issues with oil sands process-affected water starting from enhancing the settling of fine solids particles that remain suspended for decades to the removal of targeted contaminants in the water. The solutions are efficient, cost-effective, and above all environmentally friendly. As for the heavy hydrocarbon waste remediation, the group developed a new method for the demineralization of petcoke and asphaltenes converting them into commodity products. Also, the group employed the nanoparticle technology for inhibition of formation damage caused by asphaltene precipitation, and enhanced oil recovery by altering the wettability and asphaltene disaggregation using tailored made nanoparticles.