February 24, 2010
Kingston, ON – GreenCentre Canada has reached another key milestone with today’s announcement of funding for two Canadian researchers whose Green Chemistry breakthroughs are seen as having strong potential for industrial application.
Dr. Andrew Grant of Mount Allison University and Dr. Robert Singer of St. Mary’s University will each receive $25,000 in proof-of-principle (POP) funding to further advance their research.
Organic super conducting polymer
Dr. Grant is developing organic super conducting polymers with the potential to operate efficiently at temperatures of greater than or equal to -298C (liquid nitrogen temperatures). To date, these so-called “high-temperature” superconducting materials have been made from inorganic superconducting materials have been made from inorganic materials with limited utility due to their brittleness.
Dr. Grant’s organic-based technology uses polymeric materials that are more durable, less brittle, and more easily processed than conventional inorganic superconductors without forfeiting the energy efficiency associated with high temperature process. While conventional superconducting materials become functional at extremely low temperatures (i.e. cooled by liquid helium), these “high temperature” superconductors can function at slightly higher (-196C) temperatures, achievable with liquid nitrogen cooling. Importantly, liquid nitrogen is less expensive and energy-intensive to produce than liquid helium.
Potential uses of the new technology include medical imaging equipment, highly efficient electric transmission lines, and superconducting magnets used in low-friction train lines.
New generation of ionic liquids
Elimination of harmful metals from industrial wastewater streams continues to be a challenge using today’s remediation technologies. Current methods often require large amounts of energy and chemicals that are themselves toxic. Dr. Singer’s work advances a novel method of removing metal ions from wastewater using what are known as “ionic liquids”. These specialized compounds can effectively remove a wide variety of metals from wastewater using less energy and without the risk of releasing toxic chemicals in the process.
GreenCentre is supporting Dr. Singer in his development of next generation ionic liquids specifically designed for large-scale water purification.
“It is extremely gratifying to have reached the point in our operations where we are now able to begin putting real support behind some of the highly promising green technologies that have come to us from Canada’s universities,” says Dr. Rui Resendes, GreenCentre’s Executive Director. “We are experiencing strong momentum in our work of helping to advance Canada’s innovation agenda through the transformation of breakthrough research into economic opportunities and environmental benefits.”
GreenCentre brings together leading Green Chemistry researchers from universities across Canada, national and international industry partners, and commercialization experts in a common goal of identifying and developing clean, less energy-intensive alternatives to traditional chemical products and manufacturing processes. Its collaborative commercialization approach includes everything from technology assessment, scale-up and testing to intellectual property protection, business management and financial resources.
GreenCentre expects to award up to 30 POP funding grants annually in support of technologies that have strong commercialization potential but require further basic research or testing before they can be reassessed for its market value.
“This funding from GreenCentre Canada is critical and welcome assistance in our quest for a more sustainable future through our research efforts in Green Chemistry,” says Dr. Singer. “Such funding will hopefully enable us to develop our research to the point where it is viable enough to warrant further development through collaboration with potential industrial partners.”
“The GreenCentre funding will strengthen Mount Allison University’s emerging Green Chemistry research cluster,” says Dean of Science Dr. Jeff Ollerhead. “Not only will it contribute to the development of an important new environmental technology, it will also contribute to training a new generation of green chemists.”
Formed less than a year ago, GreenCentre has been enthusiastically received by both the academic and industrial sectors. It has already received about 90 technology disclosures from Canadian universities and is now negotiating a number of license agreements to bring technologies into the centre for further development.
Funded by the Government of Ontario’s Ministry of Research and Innovation and by the Government of Canada as a national Centre of Excellence for Commercialization and Research, GreenCentre is scheduled to move into its new state-of-the-art lab and scale-up facility by late spring.
