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2019-226 – Researchers at the University of Minnesota have developed a new method for increasing chemical reaction rates by dynamically varying the electronic properties of a catalyst. Specifically, this method involves perturbation of catalyst properties as a function of time to vary the binding energy of one or more of the surface species. By varying the binding energy of... Read More
2020-126 – Photon upconversion is a process in which low energy photons are converted into higher energy photons. Potential applications include solar energy harvesting as well as other applications such as photodynamic therapy, thermal management, and deep-tissue imaging. Most state-of-the-art photon conversion materials (such as lanthanides and non-linear crystals) require... Read More
2021-011 – Human noroviruses (HuNoVs) are a leading cause of acute gastroenteritis resulting in 21 million cases of vomiting and diarrhea illnesses each year in the US alone. One of the common ways in which norovirus spreads and infects humans is through contaminated foods such as leafy greens (such as lettuce), fresh fruits, and shellfish (such as oysters). Currently, following... Read More
2019-366 – Fertilizers applied to land dissolve quickly resulting in a spike in the fertilizer concentration and subsequently, runoff into water bodies. Fertilizer leaching and runoff results in fertilizer waste, fertilizer burn of plants due to overfertilization, increased cost, and serious environmental issues due to contamination of water bodies. A viable solution to this issue is to... Read More
2020-226 – Pressure sensitive adhesives (PSAs) are widely used in many applications such as sticky notes, labels, tape, and stamps due to their facile adhesion to substrates with a minimal applied force. Most commercial pressure sensitive adhesive (PSA) materials are derived from fossil resources which are not sustainable. These materials are often poorly degradable and result in... Read More
2020-065 – Current methods to measure tensile strength of brittle materials suffer from a few key drawbacks. Direct tensile tests often result in undesired bending and twisting of the specimen, and therefore require carefully designed loading fixtures to reduce eccentricity. On the other hand, indirect tensile testing methods such as three-/four-point bending and Brazilian... Read More
2019-025 – Several million tons of lactose and lactose-rich milk permeate is produced as byproducts every year. To utilize these waste products, few methods to prepare lactose-containing polymers have been proposed. Of those methods, many rely on multistep synthesis of monomers often involving protecting group chemistry and organic solvents. Applying green chemistry principles,... Read More
2019-263 – Prof. Jian-Ping Wang’s group at the University of Minnesota has developed a number of methods to prepare a new soft magnetic material called Minnealloy. Minnealloys are compounds of Fe-Z-N (Z=C,B,O) with attractive soft magnetic properties, such as high saturation flux density, low magnetic anisotropy and low coercivity. These soft magnetic materials have the... Read More
2020-068 – Each year, ~20-40% of agricultural crops are lost to diseases, contributing significantly to global food insecurity and financial loss to farmers. Owing to its antibacterial and antifungal properties, chitosan-based materials are being used as biopesticides and insecticides. More recently, foliar sprays with silica nanoparticles are being applied to crops to boost... Read More
2019-068 – High-efficiency organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs) are of interest for display and lighting applications. While current OLED technologies exhibit near 100% internal quantum efficiency, practical external quantum efficiencies remain between 25-30%. This is largely due to the low light outcoupling (the proportion of photons generated by the organic layer that escapes the device) as a... Read More
2019-174 – Driven by growing consumer demand, there is an increasing call for natural pigments and dyes by a variety of industries. To date, much of the effort in obtaining these colors has been placed on how to extract them from nature. However, this approach limits the quality and purity of pigment that’s attainable depending on the properties of the source material. One color... Read More
2019-244-2020-030 – Microbial contamination of grains, powdered food ingredients and read-to-eat food products can result in serious illness upon consumption. Therefore, food manufacturers are required to implement pasteurization procedures to decontaminate their products before packaging. In addition, recalls of food are expensive and can damage manufacturers’ reputations. Using... Read More
20160278a – More than $300 Billion is lost from the US economy every year due to metal corrosion. Where metal structures are submerged underwater, bacteria drastically speed up corrosion through the formation of complex microbial communities called biofilms. Multiple approaches have been attempted to combat biocorrosion, including the use of biocidal compounds, which show low efficacy against... Read More
2019-222 – The Haber-Bosch process, the standard synthesis technology to make ammonia, reacts nitrogen gas and hydrogen gas at high pressures and temperatures over an iron-based catalyst and then separates the ammonia from the reaction mixture by condensation. Major drawbacks of Haber-Bosch are the low yield of ammonia requiring recirculation of reaction gases, hazards, and cost of high pressure... Read More
20180156 – This technology is a new method to cost effectively make biofuel briquettes/pellets from torrefied woody biomass using less than 5% binding material. Charcoal briquettes/pellets made using this technology are highly moisture resistant and these briquettes/pellets do not disintegrate or turn mushy when exposed to water. Flavoring ingredients can be added after briquetting or pelleting,... Read More
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2019-233 – This technology is a new multiblock copolymer compatibilizer that improves the recyclability of mixed plastic waste streams such as PET-PE (poly(ethylene terephthalate) - polyethylene). New methods are used to synthesize novel PET-PE multiblock copolymers that exhibit compatibility and mechanical strength in polyester/polyolefin multilayer films and blends. The method couples oligomers... Read More
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 – Whole cell biocatalysts offer several advantages over purified enzymes; The main advantage is the elimination of costly enzyme purification steps. However, whole cell biocatalysts suffer from inherent disadvantage of low reaction rates due to transport resistance imposed by the cell membrane. In addition, limited working conditions, predation, and difficulties in separation of... 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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
