Commercialization
So far, EC has issued six licenses to the following companies:
Pronatex, Quebec (processing of natural products - Canada only)
CWT-TRAN International, Ontario (worldwide—processing of natural
products—focus on China, South Korea and Japan)
SAIREM, France (support for large-scale industrial applications)
Hewlett-Packard, USA (worldwide—analytical chemistry applications)
CEM Corporation, USA (worldwide—liquid-phase analytical chemistry applications)
Prolabo, France (worldwide—liquid-phase analytical chemistry applications).
More applications are in the works.
|
|
|
|
...and into the lab. EC's Microwave-Assisted Processes (MAP) Division is trying to
restore microwaves to their fundamental place.
"Our microwaves at home use physical devices to effect uniform heating, but that's
not the best use of microwave technology," explains Dr. Jocelyn Par�, Chief of the
MAP Division at the Environmental Technology Centre (ETC) and inventor of the first two
elements of the MAP family of technologies. "At ETC, we're attempting to use
microwaves for what they do best, non-uniform heating."
The MAP technologies use microwaves to assist in physical or chemical processes. The
publicly available elements use microwaves to heat some substances more than others. In
the first application, the MAP Division used microwave-transparent solvents to extract
samples. The latest applications deal with extraction in the absence of solvents.
It may look small, but this little microwave packs
quite a punch... Photo: Jim Haskill.
Over the last five years, MAP has been used extensively in and outside the Department.
It's an Official Mark in Canada and a trademark elsewhere. MAP is also quickly becoming
standard scientific jargon, especially in the area of extraction, where the MAP
technologies were first used commercially.
Green technology
MAP can be used in a wide range of industrial sectors and at various scales of
operation. A clean technology, MAP fits perfectly into the strategy for sustainable
development because it:
- prevents pollution by reducing solvent use by a potential 90%. Laboratory use alone
currently consumes an estimated 100 million litres annually worldwide;
- reduces toxic releases by using lower-toxicity solvents in significantly smaller
volumes, and may soon be solvent-free;
- reduces energy use by up to 70% and consequently, greenhouse gas emissions, with
selective heating of only target substances and rapid processing;
- creates jobs and growth, thanks to its successful technology transfer;
- promotes eco-efficiency, a business- and environment-friendly concept that means to
create value for society, and for the company, by doing more with less over a life cycle;
- helps Canada meet global environmental commitments, through Canadian and international
partnerships;
- increases knowledge and innovation; and
- improves public health by reducing toxic wastes and consequential exposure for the
workforce and for the public.
MAP: furthering science and helping industry
MAP is used extensively in the laboratory, by EC and other Canadian and international
labs. Analytical applications to date include: environmental sample preparation including
contaminated soil, water and air; biological samples preparation including plant and
animal tissues and biomass; industrial quality control/product verification of
pharmaceuticals or food products; and forensics. Soon it will be approved as a standard
reference method for the Environmental Protection Agency in the U.S., which should
increase market opportunities.
In addition, a number of industrial applications are close to implementation in the
fields of agriculture, biomedicine, environmental extracts and bench-, pilot- and
commercial-scale systems.
Information: Dr. Jocelyn Pare
(613) 990-9122
Excerpt taken from Let's Talk Green
|
|
|
Dr. Jocelyn Par� demonstrates MAP technology and some of its
applications.
|
