System Development/Field Test/ Commercialization

Water treatment system designed to control corrosion, deposition, and biological fouling without "bleed-off." Significant reduction in water usage compared to conventional methods because this system does not require makeup water in cooling systems. Bleed-off is the process of flushing water with high mineral concentrations down the drain and diluting the system water mineral concentrations with fresh water to prevent precipitation. From current data in Philadelphia, treating 30,000 tons of cooling water with this system saved about 132 million gallons of water.

Sustainable textiles additive that creates biodegradable spots in the matrix of plastic by combining it with polyester and nylon at the beginning of the fiber-making process. The biodegradation process is non-toxic to marine life. Process is easy to implement in existing manufacturing. Integrity, durability, and performance of fibers are maintained. Fibers and yarns are traceable through the CiCLO® Certificate of Authenticity program. CiCLO® is only activated in conditions where biodegradation can naturally occur.

Fluorine-free and APEO-free water repellent textile finishing agents based on proprietary dendrimer technology. Highly efficient and durable performance with low application. Does not affect fabric quality and appearance. Free of fluorine and APEO.

Plant-based leather from banana crop waste. In the leather industry, 10,000 liters of water are required to produced one leather bag. Traditional synthetic vegan leather is made from petrochemical sources. Banofi is short for Banana Fibre Leather. It is produced by upcycling banana crop waste that looks, feels, and smells like traditional leather. Using banana waste addrsses the 80 million tons of banana waste generated annually. Banofi consists of 50% banana stem waste, 30% natural additives, and 20% polymers primarily recycled.

Sulfonated polymer membrane technology for cheaper and less energy-intensive water desalination. This technology can withstand higher pressures, allowing for higher water flux and transport rates. These higher rates increase efficiency while lowering costs. The membrane's structure gives it ion selectivity, low electrical resistance, wet and dry mechanical strength, and good dimensional stability in wet and dry conditions. The membrane's resistance to chlorine also makes it a better option than conventional materials that lack chlorine resistance because it avoids the pretreatment process.

Large-scale anaerobic biotreatment system. Asarco's biotreatment system consists of a settling basin and two anaerobic bioreactors discharged into a rock filter polishing cell that are followed by a final aeration polishing pond. Heavy metal pollution occurs when excavated rocks or exposed underground mines get into water. The West Fork Biotreatment plant does not require conventional chemicals often associated with sludge formation nor constant human monitoring and frequent sludge disposal.

Biodegradable sorbent that captures nutrients in water. Phosphorus and nitrogen are nutrients in water that act as fertilizers for aquatic plants. Eutrophication occurs when there is an overabundance of these nutrients. Nutrient pollution occurs when eutrophication produces an excessive amount of algae. These algae disrupt ecosystems by lowering the amount of dissolved oxygen in water, reducing water quality, turning the water green, causing a foul smell, blocking sunlight, and harming animals and humans who consume it.

Kalion, Inc., and MIT have developed a microbial fermentation process for the production of glucaric acid. Using a novel biosynthetic pathway, Kalion converts myo-inositol to glucaric acid at nearly 100% yield. Conventional production of glucaric acid is harsh, toxic, and non-selective. Glucaric acid can potentially replace environmentally polluting chemicals, such as phosphate, as a biodegradable, non-toxic, and sugar-derived alternative. This fermentation process produces high-purity, low-cost glucaric acid.