May 15, 2007
Contact: Jana Smith
405.744.5827
jana.smith@okstate.edu
OSU technologies show signs of success
Stillwater , Okla . --OSU's Technology Business Assessment Group will fund four faculty research projects with the potential for commercial success. The group identified these projects from a number of high-level proposals submitted in response to a solicitation this spring. TBAG Director Steve Price says, “The program continues to grow as faculty look for that hard to find funding to take their research to the next level.”
The group identifies research projects that have the potential for commercial application when fully developed, and then helps move those projects forward by funding early stages of development. Hopefully, these initial steps lead to a startup company or joint venture with an interested company. TBAG was formed in 2005 to further engage research faculty pursuing new technology development opportunities.
TBAG includes private sector partners experienced in new product identification and new technology evaluation, early-stage capital investors, representatives from i2E, the OSU Center for Innovation and Economic Development, the OSU-Okmulgee Economic Development and Training Center, the OSU VP for Research and Technology Transfer and the OSU Assistant VP for Technology Development.
OSU faculty research projects selected to receive a total of $100K from TBAG include:
Dr. Michael Davis, “Gastroprotective Effect of a Novel Salt Supplement for Horses,” Department of Physiological Sciences. Davis and his team have developed an engineered salt supplement for horses that is designed to avoid causing gastric ulcers (a problem with current supplements). The team proposes to test this hypothesis by administering commercial or the new engineered supplements to normal horses, and then comparing the effects of these supplements on gastric tissue. Demonstrating the gastroprotective nature of the engineered supplement will provide a compelling market claim unique to the product, thus improving its marketability.
The developer of the product has executed a Mutual Confidentiality Agreement with AthleTech of Stillwater, OK—a joint venture formed by OSU students and faculty—for purposes of developing the U.S. market for the engineered salt product, as well as future products, including two already under development. AthleTech's business plan calls for an initial capital investment of $550,000 based on the marketing claim of effective replacement of salt following exercise.
Dr. Hongbing Lu, “High-Performance Body Armors Incorporating Strong Light-Weight X-Aerogels,” School of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering. X-aerogels are a new class of nanoporous materials made by encapsulating a three-dimensional assembly of silica nanoparticles with polymers. The X-aerogel technology was developed by Nicholas Leventis, University of Missouri-Rolla and NASA Glenn Research and has won several awards, including a Nano 50 Award. Lu received a grant from NASA Glenn Research and recent results from his collaboration with Leventis indicate X-aerogels have specific energy absorption higher than any other existing materials.
X-aerogels have a hard phase (silica) and soft phase (polymers). The hard phase is highly abrasive and resists penetration by projectiles such as bullets and bomb fragments, and the soft phase provides ductility so that X-aerogels can deform without fragmenting. These properties make X-aerogels appealing for use as lightweight body armor material. The Army and armor companies are interested in X-aerogels. Lu plans to develop body armor prototypes for shooting tests to demonstrate the superiority of X-aerogels as body and vehicle armor material. Armor panels will provide protection for the chest, back, arms and legs, and will have application in vehicle armors. Lu and Leventis will form a company and manufacture the body armor in Oklahoma .
Dr. Niels Maness, “Extraction Alternatives for Agricultural and Industrial Substrates,” Department of Horticulture and Landscape Architecture. Ambient temperature extraction of lipid-soluble substances may be accomplished with various extractants, but the most common are propane, butane and carbon dioxide. The extraction of oils and fats from agricultural feedstocks using ATE solvents at speeds which are commercially viable at low temperature and at sub-critical pressure has not yet been accomplished and is the essence of the technology being commercialized. Because extraction temperatures never exceed 20ºC, ATE oils and raffinates retain a flavor, color, aroma and protein profile representative of a products fresh state. Consumer demand in this area is enormous, and ATE products will provide end users a better way to meet existing demand.
Collaborating with Ambient Temperature Extraction Partners and Food Mech, a Stillwater-based engineering company, a commercial extraction system rated at 100 tons per day oilseed throughput has recently completed the preliminary engineering phase. The system was designed for soy, but canola is a more important oilseed crop in Oklahoma and would require less pre-processing handling steps than soybeans. Thus, proof-of-concept will be completed with canola. A pilot unit will provide the critical documentation needed for company operation of commercial ATE installations. Such an installation at OSU would provide a one of a kind research tool.
Drs. Nick Materer and Allen Apblett, “Commercialization of a Chlorine Dioxide Sensor,” Department of Chemistry. Chlorine dioxide, ClO 2 , is a highly efficient disinfecting agent that is very useful for destruction of microorganisms, mold and odorants in “sick” buildings. The treatment of a building or room requires that a desired concentration of ClO 2 be maintained for a specified period of time. This reactive and toxic gas must be generated at the time of use and is rapidly consumed during the fumigation process. Real time monitoring with feedback to the generation process at multiple locations within a building is critical for successful fumigation.
Apblett and Materer have been working with Deep Reach Oxidation, an Oklahoma company with the only EPA registered protocol for ClO 2 fumigating in the U.S. , to develop sensor technology that monitors and controls gas generation. The current sensor system used by Deep Reach Oxidation is expensive, physically large and damaged by high concentrations of ClO 2 gas. Apblett and Materer have developed an optical sensor capable of measuring the gas concentration required for fumigation purposes. The sensor is low-cost, reliable and is not damaged by high ClO 2 concentrations. The technology combined with Deep Reach Oxidation EPA registered processes will revolutionize the traditionally low-tech mold remediation industry by providing sophisticated gas monitoring and control capabilities.
Funds for faculty research and development are generated from OSU royalty income which reached $1M in FY 2006—a major milestone for the university. TBAG funds projects to strengthen copyright/patent status; new faculty startup companies; projects that have not yet yielded any intellectual property and require feasibility tests; and projects with Oklahoma companies that have an interest in co-sponsoring and/or commercializing a technology.
For more information about TBAG or the faculty projects mentioned here, please contact TBAG Director Steve Price, OSU Office of Intellectual Property Management, Stillwater, OK 405-744-8920.
