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2019-023 – A new catalyst and process efficiently converts methane to aromatic hydrocarbons. The catalyst is pre-treated molybdenum (Mo) carbide with added zirconium (Zr) metal particles which can be easily regenerated. Compared to the molybdenum (Mo) carbide catalyst alone, the addition of the Zr metal particles resulted in a greater than 2x increase in methane conversion and increases in benzene,... Read More
20180127 – A new process enhances non-native biocatalysis of a bacterial cell. Encapsulating bacteria in an inorganic shell prevents the membrane from being disrupted by forces such as heat or detergents. The layer by layer process creates an inorganic exoskeleton using silica and Poly(diallyldimethylammonium chloride) (PDADMAC). The shell permeabilizes the cell membrane while keeping it intact,... Read More
20180221-20180239 – Combining torrefied wood with biomass-based binders creates water-resistant and durable high-energy-density pellets or briquettes with improved fuel composition. This new method extracts a mixture of fatty acids from either cranberry pomace or birch bark to use as a binder in new torrefied woods. The binders, produced from abundant biomass waste, have a neutral pH and therefore produce... Read More
20160338 – A new biosynthetic pathway leads to synthesis of serofendic acid, a potent neuroprotectant compound. The process begins by using a Streptomyces host bacteria to synthesize ent-atiserenoic acid (EAA), a precursor molecule in synthesizing serofendic acid with high yields. Serofendic acid has been shown to be an effective neuroprotectant that protects various cell types (neurons,... Read More
20180423 – A self-optimization process for preparing ion battery electrodes significantly reduces the volume change of silicon (Si) anode materials during full charging and discharging cycles. The self-optimization process, realized by lithiation and delithiation under optimized bias voltages and cycling speed, generates internal voids within active materials resulting in a minimum volume change.... Read More
20180323 – Polylactose, a novel dietary fiber, shows great promise as a prebiotic additive to human food products or supplement. Created by polymerizing lactose (a component of dairy whey), polylactose is highly fermentable, and had a profoundly positive effect on the colonic microflora. Preclinical studies showed significantly reduced body fat, lowered plasma leptin concentrations, improved blood... Read More
2019-011 – A cost effective, new two-stage chemical process manufactures methyl-ε-caprolactone (MCL) from cresol, a fossil or bio-renewable feedstock. Details for designing a process optimized for net present value (including unit operation design of two reactors, distillation and integrated heat transfer) were determined via process simulation. The two-reaction process first hydrogenates cresol to... Read More
20180064 – A nanocomposite membrane showing excellent propylene/propane separation consists of propylene-selective coordination compounds uniquely embedded inside a mesoporous oxide matrix. The mesopores of the matrix are deposited with zinc oxide (ZnO) via atomic layer deposition technique (ALD), and the pores are plugged with a zeolitic imidazolate framework (ZIF) created by an expansive,... Read More
20180226 – Isotactic polypropylene is the most common form of polypropylene. It is used in many large volume applications such as fibers and automotive. This new technology toughens isotactic polypropylene (iPP) by blending low concentrations of poly(ethylene-alt-propylene)-b-poly(ethylene-ran-ethyl ethylene) (PEP-PEEE) diblock copolymers in iPP. The copolymer toughening agents are hydrogenated... Read More
20180117 – Microwave-assisted pyrolysis (MAP) maximizes yields by recovering methyl ester from biodiesel vacuum distillation bottoms (VDBs). The technology is a MAP reactor with a fixed-bed heat susceptor silicon carbide (SiC) catalyst that absorbs microwave radiation and quickly achieves a high temperature. The process rapidly heats VDBs, thus avoiding further dimerization and derivatization. After... Read More
20180205 – A new method produces an acrylamide monomer that allows chemical modification of its corresponding polymer under mild conditions. Electronic activation of acrylamide via introduction of tert-butyloxycarbamate (Boc) groups followed by radical polymerization enables the synthesis of a new class of activated polyacrylamide. Transamidation of poly(di-Boc acrylamide) (PDBAm) may proceed under... Read More
20180106 – A new, sustainable method synthesizes acrylic acid and acrylate esters starting from alkyl lactates. The method reacts alkyl lactate with carbon monoxide and ethylene in presence of a palladium catalyst, resulting in catalytic hydroesterification of the alkyl lactates yields alkyl 2-(propionyloxy)propanoates. Pyrolysis of the alkyl 2-(propionyloxy)propanoates yields acrylate esters and... Read More
20150113 – A new waste remediation process converts scum from waste water treatment plants (WWTPs) into ASTM compliant biodiesel. The six-step method begins with a filtration step that separates water/oil/solid while converting soap to free fatty acid (FFA). A combination of acid washing and acid catalyzed esterification with glycerin removes soap and impurities while converting FFA to glycerol... Read More
20180070 – A corn stover-based hydrochar material shows superior ammonia sorption ability under ambient temperature and pressure. The hydrochar is produced by processing corn stover and vegetable oil using hydrothermal carbonization. The resulting product is expected to remediate ammonia generation in horse barns and could therefore have valuable applications as horse bedding. The technology also... Read More
20180113 – Stable ammonia absorbents are used to efficiently separate hydrogen/nitrogen from ammonia, thereby improving the manufacturing efficiency of ammonia. These absorbents are simple to make and are comprised of chloride salts carried on various supports. By adsorbing ammonia at reactor temperatures, these absorbents allow the reactor to achieve up to 100% nitrogen/hydrogen conversion to... Read More
20180047 – A method for upgrading ferro-metallic ores via selective carbothermic reduction and smelting (SCRS) process is useful for concentrating and extracting metals from ore containing iron and other metals. The method beneficiates low grade metallic ores that contain iron and one or more metals (such as manganese (Mn), silicon (Si), calcium (Ca), aluminum (Al), barium (Ba), magnesium (Mg),... Read More
20130048 – A nanocomposite material comprised of polyhydroxalkanoate (PHA) biopolymers blended with graphene nanoparticles offers enhanced strength and elastic modulus for renewable and biodegradable plastics, rubbers and flexible packaging materials. Graphene adds strength to the materials while PHA adds desirable properties such as biodegradability, biocompatibility for medical applications, and... Read More
z09111 – A lightweight, biodegradable oil absorbent material created from corn stover shows desirable oil sorbency characteristics, making it an effective alternative to clay-based sorbents. Dust-free corn stover agglomerates are produced by a gentle agglomeration and rolling action using a novel, two part bonding system that forms a web onto which additional particles adhere and roll upon. The... Read More
20170174 – A new absorbent technology simultaneously sorbs phosphate and phosphate-containing herbicides and pesticides (organophosphates, such as glyphosate-based herbicides) present in low concentrations typically found in agricultural runoff water. The technology is formed through hydrothermal carbonization of agricultural residues (e.g., corn stover), which results in a biomass-based hydrochar... Read More
20170385 – A growth approach for synthesizing lanthanum (La) doped barium tin oxide (BSO) shows high room-temperature conductivity and mobility. The synthesis method, called radical-based hybrid chemical beam approach, uses a chemical precursor for tin as a substitute for the solid tin source in a hybrid molecular beam epitaxy approach. The method produces highly transparent, highly reproducible and... Read More
20170402 – An innovative protein-based scaffold optimizes the spatial connections among multiple enzymes in biocatalytic reactions. This technology uses a new type of self-assembling protein to form the scaffold and a better tagging system for attaching enzymes on the scaffold. This combination significantly improves biosynthetic efficiency with a robust and modular self-assembling protein scaffold... Read More
20170306 – A microfluidic channel structure limits capillary flow to one direction, offering an effective method to control capillary flow in microfluidic channels. This structure is very versatile since unidirectional flow is independent of liquid contact angle and surface tension. Connected small and large channels are designed so a fluid will not flow beyond the joint of the channels (it... Read More
20140165 – A new method produces a high permeance silica (quartz) based support for membranes. The high permeance silica fiber support features superior mechanical strength and is the only silica support with the potential to withstand industrial operating conditions. The silica supports also exhibit low stress in the membrane during thermal treatment and epitaxial growth of zeolite film on silica... Read More
20160397-z07107-z03212 – Three cost effective technologies for creating nanocrystals via a gas-plasma, non-aqueous process are available to license. Gas phase production of these nanocrystals is faster, higher yield and more cost efficient than current processes. The technologies can be optioned for a six month trial period for a $10,000 Try fee to enable testing of the commercial viability of this process to... Read More
20170075 – A newly developed direct synthesis method creates zeolite nanosheets with nanometer thicknesses and a high aspect ratio. The process creates zeolite nanosheets with enhanced mass transport properties within their nanopores, favorable to applications such as catalysis and separation. The nanosheets feature many desirable characteristics: predominant thickness of 5nm (2.5 unit cells), 0.6... Read More
20170087 – A new technique manufactures conductive polymer composites (CPCs) using co-continuous polymer blends with interfacial graphene as the conductive filler. This technology combines two current CPC manufacturing methods with an innovative approach to create CPCs with superior electrical properties. The approach uses polylactic acid (PLA) and polystyrene (PS) co-continuous polymer blends as... Read More
20160286 – An effective and economical electrochemical oxidation process for aqueous and gaseous sulfide removal can remove hydrogen sulfide (HS) directly from aqueous environments. The technology uses an electrode system where anodic oxidation directly or indirectly oxidizes sulfide or scavenges sulfide by anodically generated ferrous. By removing HS directly from both liquid (aqueous) and gas... Read More
20170023 – An environmentally friendly process has been developed for the synthesis of isoprenecarboxylic esters and their corresponding polymers from a fermentation product of glucose: mevalonolactone. In this method, bio-renewable mevalonate is used to synthesize mevalonolactone, which can then be converted to anhydromevalonolactone. An eliminative opening of anhydromevalonolactone using a base... Read More
20160097 – A newly discovered xylose operon converts xylose from lignocellulosic biomass into TCA compounds, which can then be further converted to 1,4-butanediol (BDO). A new synthetic pathway in E. coli produces 1,4-butanediol in only six steps, making it more efficient than previous pathways used in current industrial methods (which require 20 steps). The technology combines previous pathways,... Read More
20170037-1 – A new process uses a novel catalyst to synthesize butadiene in high yields from biomass-derived tetrahydrofuran (THF). Butadiene is made by contacting THF (or a THF derivative or combination thereof) with a heterogeneous acid catalyst to yield a diene. This new P-based heterogeneous catalyst, which is highly efficient at converting furans to dienes, performs dehydro-decyclization of... Read More
20170148 – A new series of phosphorous-containing solid catalysts produces ultra-high yields of p-xylene by suppressing competing side reactions. Among them, phosphorous-containing BEA zeolite (P-BEA) with 12 membered-ring (12 MR) structures and phosphorous-containing self-pillared pentasil (P-SPP) zeolite nanosheets with 10 MR exhibit exceptional activities up to 97% yield of p-xylene at 99%... Read More
20170037 – A new process uses a novel catalyst to synthesize isoprene in high yields. Isoprene is made by contacting 3-methyltetrahydrofuran (3-MTHF) with a heterogeneous acid catalyst (other than alumina, or Al2O3). This catalytic process dehydrates MTHF to isoprene via several combinations of temperatures, pressures, and space velocities (reactant volumetric flow rate per volume of catalyst) and... Read More
20160418 – A novel method synthesizes low-cost, polymeric valerolactones with tunable mechanical properties and low glass transition temperatures. Chemically crosslinked poly(β-methyl-δ-valerolactone) (PMVL) elastomers are created from high molar mass PMVL homopolymers that can be chemically converted back to recover the monomer in high purity. In addition, the crosslinked PMVL materials are highly... Read More
20160397 – An innovative gas-phase method uses a modified plasma reactor to generate core/shell nanocrystals in nonthermal plasmas by afterglow PECVD shell growth. The technology uses afterglow to react a secondary shell onto a primary (core) particle to synthesize group IV nanocrystals that could be used in a variety of applications such as biological imaging, photovoltaics, and energy... Read More
20160119 – A method of preparing zeolite nanosheets creates nanosheets with open pores, free from organic surface contaminants. This method has successfully prepared large lateral sized zeolite nanosheets with organic molecules removed from the pores. Organic molecules were removed from the micropores by using a piranha solution (sulfuric acid and hydrogen peroxide) as a strong oxidizing solution.... Read More
20160100 – A genetically engineered microbe can be used as a process control strain to accurately determine concentrations of common pathogenic microbes in a water sample. This method begins by adding known amount of a process control strain of genetically-modified, non-pathogenic Pseudogulbenkiania bacteria to an environmental (e.g., water) or clinical sample. Primers and probe sequences are also... Read More
20150123 – An easy, scalable method extracts high yields of purified, marketable phytate from ethanol waste streams. Phytate, a coproduct of ethanol production that is not digestible by many livestock, increases phosphate pollution from livestock waste. The efficient phytate extraction process is selective and improves livestock feed properties of dry distillers grains (DDGS) by removing... Read More
20140254 – A new generation of lignin plastics feature very high lignin content and exhibit comparable—or even superior—properties compared to conventional PMMA and polystyrene. These innovative polymeric materials contain at least 80% lignin and are predominantly comprised of methylated or non-methylated ligninsulfonate. These plastics show promising tensile strength, and plasticizers or other... Read More
20160238 – Biobased and chemically recyclable polyurethane (PU) offers a greener alternative to petroleum derived polyols used in the synthesis of thermoplastic polyurethanes, flexible foams and elastomers. A new technique uses renewable and degradable β-methyl-δ-valerolactone (MVL), to create a bio-based PMVL (poly β-methyl-δ-valerolactone) polyol with similar mechanical properties and performance... Read More
20160256 – A new reaction path has been discovered to make metastable lactone acid in high yield (94%) by simple mixing of a 1:1 blend of corn-based chemicals - itaconic anhydride and furfuryl alcohol – at room temperature. In addition, multiple reaction pathways have also been demonstrated for conversion of itaconic anhydride and furans into derivatives amenable to novel polymer or chemical... Read More
20160392 – Colloid imprinted mesoporous (CIM) carbon offers many benefits as an interlayer to interface the ion-selective layer to the underlying electron conductor. In this technology, the electrochemical sensor is prepared by interfacing the ion-sensing layer to a CIM carbon modified with a redox buffer, which could also be developed into a printable ink. The explicit use of well-defined redox... Read More
20150106 – A next generation HIV integrase strand transfer (INST) inhibitor selectively targets and potently inhibits HIV integrase. The drug features a distinct pharmacophore and shows great promise in reducing resistance. Biochemical testing and molecular modeling strongly corroborate the inhibition of INST as the antiviral mechanism of action. Furthermore, selected antiviral analogues also... Read More
20160343 – A new process synthesizes multifunctional alcohols from bio-derived carboxylic acids. Starting with itaconic acid or mesoconic acid, this high-yield, two-step process uses heterogeneous catalysts in aqueous media as an efficient method of producing of lactones, diols and triols, where resulting alcohols such as 2-methyl butanediol and 3-methyl-1,5-pentanediol can be used to prepare... Read More
20160139 – An AC-powered liquid-plasma process offers sustainable biodiesel production from a feedstock mixture of oils/fats and alcohol. This continuous process uses recycled waste cooking oils and/or animal fats and is fast, cost effective and does not require catalysts or high temperatures. The high voltage energy associated with electric discharge in the feedstock mixture breaks down chemical... Read More
20150306 – A monomer has been created that can be used to synthesize hydroxy-telechelic poly(ethylene-co-isobutylene) (PEIB) and is an alternative to polyisobutylene (PIB) in thermoplastic polyurethanes. PIB offers advantageous traits such as chemical resistance, low permeability and excellent stability, and is biocompatible and approved for use in biomedical applications. However, PIB has been a... Read More
20150326-1 – Selenium nanospheres are synthesized quickly and inexpensively by combining aqueous solutions of selenous acid and a reducing agent in the presence of a surface capable of providing nucleation sites under conditions effective to form selenium nanomaterials. The process produces selenium particles that are either bound or unbound, and the properties of the selenium layer can be modified... Read More
20150326 – A regular, store-bought sponge coated with a nanolayer of selenium can remove over 99.9 percent of mercury from lakes, rivers, storm water ponds, wetlands and wastewater. The selenium nanomaterials are permanently bound to the sponge surface via a unique process. Treating mercury-contaminated water with the sponge binds the mercury into permanent biologically inert, non-toxic complexes,... Read More
z07107 – A novel gas phase method and apparatus effectively grafts organic molecules onto silicon nanocrystals to form a passivation layer. The process produces grafted Group IV nanoparticles quickly, at room temperature and with minimal particle aggregation and diffusional losses. The plasma-treated particles are readily soluble in various nonpolar solvents. In the first step of the... Read More
z03212 – A single-step continuous flow non-thermal plasma process produces luminescent silicon nanocrystals. The nanocrystals, which range between 2 and 8 nm, can be produced within milliseconds. The process involves passing an argon-silane (SiH) precursor gas mixture through a quartz reactor tube upon which radio-frequency power is applied through copper ring electrodes, generating a... Read More
20150314 – A series of new, powerful thiourea catalysts show significant improvement in activity over Schreiner’s thiourea, the industry standard, in carrying out organic transformations. Higher activity allows for lower catalyst loadings, lower reaction temperatures, higher selectivities and the ability to induce transformations that less reactive catalysts cannot. These metal-free mono-charged... Read More
