SOLICITATION NOTICE
A -- Micelles in Supercritical Carbon Dioxide: An Environmentally Benign and Highly Effect Solvent System for Cleaning, Chemical Reactions and Extractions, and Product Recovery
- Notice Date
- 2/13/2002
- Notice Type
- Solicitation Notice
- Contracting Office
- Department of Energy, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory - Battelle (DOE Contractor), PNNL Licensing, PO Box 999, MSIN K9-89, Richland, WA, 99352
- ZIP Code
- 99352
- Solicitation Number
- Reference-Number-10474
- Response Due
- 4/1/2002
- Archive Date
- 4/16/2002
- Point of Contact
- Connie Mitzel-Faulk, Licensing Staff, Phone (509) 375-6401, Fax (509) 375-6731, - Connie Mitzel-Faulk, Licensing Staff, Phone (509) 375-6401, Fax (509) 375-6731,
- E-Mail Address
-
technology@pnl.gov, technology@pnl.gov
- Description
- Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL), operated by Battelle Memorial Institute under contract to the U.S. Department of Energy, solicits interest from companies interested in obtaining license rights to commercialize, manufacture and market the following technology. License rights may be issued on an exclusive or nonexclusive basis and may include specific fields of use. PNNL may also be available to licensee(s) to assist in further research and development of the technology under a sponsored research agreement or CRADA program. The Technology: Formation of reverse micelle phases in supercritical fluids is well known, along with their unique useful properties. These include: (1) the ability to effect a change of phase behavior of the reverse micelle system by variation of the density with changes in pressure or temperature; (2) the ability to effect a change in micelle size or micelle cluster size by variation of the density; (3) the high diffusivities of solutes and micelles in near critical and supercritical fluids; (4) the ability to control selectivity for a specific solute by variation of density. There are a number of important potential applications of a micellar phase in supercritical fluids which utilize the unique properties of the supercritical fluid phase. Many advantages are also obtained for near-critical fluid continuous phase reverse micelle systems. For example, reverse micelles in supercritical carbon dioxide (CO2) is well documented, and in commercial use, as an environmentally benign and highly effective cleaning system. The application of these systems in chromatography and for protein separations or extractions are known. In addition, chemical reactions can be carried out in such systems Further applications are also envisioned, for instance, polar catalysts or enzymes could be molecularly dispersed in a nonpolar gas phase via micelles, opening a new class of gas phase reactions. Since diffusivities of reactants or products are much greater in the supercritical fluid continuous phases compared with liquids, high transport rates to and from active sites in the catalyst-containing micelle may increase reaction rates for those reactions which are diffusion limited. The recovery of product or catalyst from the micelle core may be simplified since the micelle size, and even the existence of a reverse micelle phase, is dependent on fluid pressure. This is in contrast to liquid systems where pressure has little effect on phase behavior at up to 1000 bar. This invention has a wide range of applications, generally including a variety of chemical reactions and extraction and separation processes. It has a number of advantages over conventional liquid reverse micelle and microemulsion systems, including: (1) Faster separation, extraction and reaction rates because of the enhanced mass transport properties of supercritical and near-critical fluids. Diffusivities of solutes and micelles can be 5-100 times higher in near critical liquids and supercritical fluids than they are in liquids; and (2) The ability to manipulate reaction pathways (i.e., selectivity) or rates by varying system pressure. Please see US Patent No. 5,158,704, and 5,266,205. Note: THIS IS NOT A PROCUREMENT. Any company interested in licensing this technology must respond with a letter of interest (may be submitted by e-mail) no later than 30 days from the publication date of this Notice summarizing the company?s business and technical expertise and motivation for pursuing this opportunity. Companies deemed appropriate will be provided with further information on the technology. Such information may require an executed Nondisclosure Agreement. Respondents wishing to enter into negotiations for a commercial license will be required to submit a business plan for the commercialization of the technology prior to licensee(s) selection and negotiations. Please send letters of interest to the attention of the POC identified within this Notice.
- Record
- SN00026092-W 20020215/020213213100 (fbodaily.com)
- Source
-
FedBizOpps.gov Link to This Notice
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