News
Oswaldo Luiz Alves, professor of Unicamp Chemical Institute and the Contech’s coordinator of biodegradable products, Odair Pastor Ferreira, received an award of Noble Mention in the Researcher category by the Brazilian Association of Chemical Industry. The award was received by them due to the research realized by Alves and Ferreira. The result was a new material able to absorb pigments which was reason of patent asked by Unicamp, and it was licensed to Contech in 2007 by Inova Agency of Unicamp Innovation.
The researches explain that the material is made of nanoparticles of synthetic loam and once in contact with liquid parts of the coloring process of fabric or paper, they work as a sponge that absorbs the pigments. They say that in the end of the process, the water is clean again and it can be returned to nature not having any risk to contaminate the rivers and it can be also reused in the industrial process. The award was given to them last December 4, in the Annual Meeting of the Chemical Industry, in São Paulo.
From the labs to the shelf
The interaction between the universities and companies is essential to guarantee the practice application of the knowledge produced.
When the scientific research begins with the first risks in the theory and the first ideas in the head, there is a goal to be reached: the proof of a theory or the fail of the other.
But for the result found in the lab to get in the practice application, it´s necessary to have an interaction between the university and the company.
This was the way found by a group of researchers of the Institute of Millennium of Complex Materials (IM²C), coordinated by the researcher Fernando Galembeck, from State University of Campinas (UNICAMP), while certifying a partnership with the multinational Bunge to the development of the new white pigment to inks bases in water, made from nanoparticle of aluminum created at Unicamp and presented to the market as Biphor brand.
Nowadays the white pigment used by ink factories and covering is the titanium dioxide which manufacturing produces aggressive residue to the environment.
The new pigment is formed by nanoparticle of aluminum phosphate and generates white inks that last more and reflect more light than the others. Besides that,it´s not pollutant.
Having the registered patent, the University, the Chemistry Institute and the researchers involved will have the rights of 1,5% of the part of the fluid invoicing of the product, when it´s commercialized, of royalties. Being esteemed today the inks market, covering and similar moves a value around U$ 5 million.
Besides the research the resulted in Biphor patent, the researchers of IM²C are considered examples to the other Brazilian research groups, mainly for reaching a high level scientific production, as much quantitatively as qualitatively, essential factor to get an effective interaction with the companies.
“ This Millennium Institute overcame the hurdle that has never conquered by Brazilian science, creating a new standard of knowledge generation and its changing to wealth”, asserts Fernando Galembeck, coordinator of the first moment of the Institute that in the end of 2006 it already did accounting 29 patents requests, besides the other negotiations going on.
National Research Method
The Milênio Complex Materials is a new project which objective is to create and applicate new complex materials that are necessary for many kinds of human activities.
The mission is to offer a scientific development, centered in searches and exploration of experimental strategies and theory in supramolecular, nanotechnology and materials.
It is situated inside of Complex Sciences context, it participates of the development of applications and also generates a public domination content.
There is a virtual meeting with many researchers, with their groups of students and doctors of sciences that study complex materials, to develop activities of cooperation of companies’ researchers, able to explore the project results.
Approved in 2001, under Galembeck’s coordination, IM²C is part of the program of Milênio Institutes, made by the Nation Council of Scientific and Technology Development (CNPq), with an initiative of the Science and Technology Ministry (MCT), to expand the options of projects financing more relevant of scientific research and technology development.
The program provides the formation of research methods in all national territory, globing institutions of different regions, looking for scientific and technological excellency and in any other knowledge area, so as prioritized areas by MCT.
In 2005, the IM²C project had its second edition, which will count on CNPq until 2009, with coordination of researchers Henrique Eisi Toma and Paulo Sergio Santos.
Other Patents
The first patents were the multinational Bunge and Orbys, which develops nanoparticles of latex of natural rubber and loam. Other 27 requests were asked in Brazil and abroad.
Those patentes had a decisive role to establish a relationship and projects of IM²C’s researchers with various companies. Those companies allowed the developments of new projects.
Among other companies are Oxiteno, Bunge, Chemical Industries Taubaté, Radicci Fibras, Orbys, Carol Chemical, Companhia Nitroquímica Brasileira (Votorantim Group), Libbs Farmacêutica, Companhia Brasileira de Metalurgia e Mineração, Indústria Globo, Cristália Chemical and Pharmacy Products, COIM do Brasil and Fotônica.
There are still some negotiations in development, such as Integrated Systems of Valinhos (SP), which objective is to license the patent for remediation of effluents of fabric industries, researched by the Institute.
Partnership
Among the successful partnership that Complex Materials Milenio Institute owns, the project of cationic latex is one of the most important. It has many applications in the civil constructions, asphalt, paintings, with Taubaté Chemical Industries S/A
The Project stimulated a patent and published a scientific article. The coordinator of the project, Galembeck, says that the product has already been launched in the market successfully.
Other Project developed acrylic fibers to the production of carbonic fibers, together with Radicci Fibers and Marinha of Brazil. As a result, it has already achieved an adequate acrylic fiber for the high quality in the production of carbon fibers.
After this accomplishment, the carbon fiber production of high quality can be done in Brazil. It is all vertically, produced from basic petrochemicals raw material.
There is also an example of the Project about polymeric latexes, with Oxiteno, where were developed many new processes of different latex obtaining, transferred to Oxiteno.
Besides that, it was firmed a contract of Consulting between Oxiteno and Galembech, that participate of the Technological and Scientific Council of the company and cooperates in many of its projects. The Chemical Lab of Solid States (LQES), coordinated by professor Oswaldo Luiz Alves, also integrates the Institute. With 12 registered patents, the Lab keep intensive interaction with the productive sector.
Together with Libbs Pharmacist, Globo Industry, Cristália Chemical Pharmacist Products, Coim Brazil and Fotônica, it is developing many proceeding and platform of chemical-physics analyses of solid material, inside a perspective called “polimorph screening”, evaluating the existent relation between the characteristics of structure of every material with its bioavailability.
Other activity also in partnership with companies is the development os specific methods to analyse diferent kids of medicines.
Success in the Academic Area
The scientific results achieved by IM²C’s researchers are also very meaningful. The contribution for formation of human resources in the area of the project was 22 doctorates and 14 master degree concluded. Those new researchers were introduced with the mechanisms of protection and intellectual properties.
More than 356 scientific articles were published, with many different Works invited to international conferences and publications with impact and recognition by the international scientific community.
Between the received premiations, there’s a highlight for the award Almirante Alvaro Alberto to the science and technology in 2006, of CNPq, the award SBQ of Innovation and also in 2006, and the Abiquim award of Innovation of 2005, received by Fernando Galembeck, and the Fritz Feigl award 2005, to Oswaldo Alves. In 2006, Henrique Toma received the awards Medalha JBCS, Abrafati-Petrobras, Nanoeurope Award and Grã-Cruz of National Order of Scientific Merit.
(Social Assessor ship Communication of CNPq)
FONT: Internet
Unicamp transfers 1st Register Patent
Unicamp realized for the first time, the transference of a patent as its registered brand. It is about a technology of a chemical agent with the Fentox and Fentox TPH brand, developed at Unicamp and licensed by the production and commercialization by Contech’s biodegradable products, company of the São Paulo country side. The process reduces the effect of pigments in the environment.
SOURCE: Internet
Awarded Patents
Unicamp awards professors and researchers which studies resulted in patents requirements.
Universidade Estadual de Campinas (Unicamp) delivered, last Friday (5/21), the Inventors Award dedicated to researchers and institutes which researches promoted discoveries that were patented and brought some benefits to the society.
In its Third edition, the award organized by Inova Unicamp contemplated three categories. The professor Wilson Jardim from Chemistry Institute (IQ), got the "Award Inventor with Product Incorporated to the market”, for the tecnology Fentox, commercialized by the company Contech, and the professor Fernando Galembeck, also from IQ, for the use of the technology Imbrik, commercialized by the company Orbys.
The IQ and the Chemistry Engineering Course (FEQ) were the winner in the category "Award Highlight in Protection to the Intellectual Propriety". The IQ was chosen by being the unit with the biggest number of patents request during 2008/2009, with 30 patents requested. The FEQ was indicated by having the greatest growth number of patents request.
The third category, "Commendation by Technology Licensed", promoted 24 researchers and professors in six units and a research center of Unicamp with licensed technologies in 2004, 2005, 2006 and 2009.
Search more: www.unicamp.br/unicamp
No toxic Residue
Industries effluent treatments are created by patents.
Dinorah Ereno writes to the “Fapesp Research” magazine:
Two technologies of environment purification, one for the treatment of the industrial effluets and other for the elimination of toxic residues in the ground, developed by Campinas University (Unicamp) researchers and licensed to Contech. Those technologies are ready to be launch in the market.
“We started with a little balloon of 50 milliliters inside the lab and today we produce batches of 500 kilos.” Says the Chemistry Odair Ferreira, who started to work in the development of a product for the effluent treatment textile in 1999 in his master degree final work, and currently He continuous his research as the company’s employee.
The product base to clean effluents created in the lab of the Chemical university Institute are nanoparticles of synthetic loam and once in contact with liquid parts of the coloring process of fabric or paper, they work as a sponge that absorbs the pigments. They say that in the end of the process, the water is clean again and it can be returned to nature not having any risk to contaminate the rivers and it can be also reused in the industrial process.
“From the mineral foam is made a nanostructured synthetic loam with specific properties.” Ferreira explains. The reduced size of the particles, around 100 nanometers – to compare the effect, the DNA molecule which keeps the genetic material of the cells, is around two nanometers of thickness -, makes bigger the contact area of the product with the effluent and so its remediation efficiency.
The synthetic loam, in power, is put in contact with the colored effluent in a shaking system. The quantity depends of the nature and concentration of the chemical substance presented in each effluent. “in the coloring processes, Most of times, it is used more colorant than the fiber is able to absorb to have a accented color.” , says Ferreira.
Adsorb and Absorb are completely different processes. A sponge absorbs water, but the liquid comes out easily when the sponge is pinched. In the adsorption of molecules or ions, it is hold by chemical or physic processes. The producers of pigments are creating substances more resistant. “ The blue reactive pigment 19, is very used in the textile industry and when poured in rivers, it remains for 50 years”.
The product can also be used in the treatment of result substances of the production of colored papers and cellulose, and effluents of petrochemical and metalworking industry.
“The active coal, used in the same circumstance, can eliminate only 50% of the effluent colors, comparing with 95% of the synthetic loam” says professor Oswaldo Luiz Alves, coordinator of the Chemical lab of the solid state of Unicamp Chemical Institute, who orients Ferreira and also the research which provided him the Unesco-Orcyt award of final master degree work, in academic institutes of Mercosul, in the Chemical sector.
Another advantage of the material developed in the university is that in the end of the process it can be recycled and reused in a new discoloration of effluents. This reprocessing can be done at least for 5 times, which means less use of raw material. In the end of the useful cycle of the foam as an adsorbent, it can still be used as a raw material of other industrial processes, substituting pigments and mineral load.
Industrial Effluents
Since March of 2005, when the National Council of Environment promulgated the resolution 357, that entrenches pattern of launches for effluents, such as limits for pigment emission in rivers, companies started to look for solutions to fit in those environment guidelines. Contech was consulted by a client at this time. He was looking for an efficient treatment for his industrial effluents.
The coordinator of Research of the Technology and Development Center of the company, Ricardo de Lima Barreto who studied master degree at Unicamp, knew that a patent of Inova group, The university innovation agency, could solve his client’s problem and improve Contech’s performing area. The company was created in Brazil in the decade of 1990, performing in Europe and in South America. Its main objective is provide systems and chemical products applied mainly in the paper and cellulose sector.
The technology license was set in September 2007, two years after the negotiation process with Unicamp started. The pilot phase of the project counts on the Study and Project Financial (FINEP) inside the program of subvention to innovation in 2007 in nanotechnology area. After this phase, the company will start to produce in pre-industrial scale with some clients and current is launching the technology in the market with the registered brand Dept.
Three months after the license, in December same year, Contech and Unicamp signed another transference of technology, developed in the Environment Chemical lab of Chemical Institute by professor Wilson Jardim counting on the researcher Juliano de Almeida Andrade. This time, besides a chemical substance for the contaminated area remediation, the registered brands Fentox and Fentox TPH were also licensed.
The difference between the products is que Fentox is recommended to the decontamination of liquid substances, while Fentox TPH is use in the ground. “The product turns the destructive power of peroxide of hydrogen bigger, most known as hydrogen peroxide, substance created to destruct the toxic substances” says Barreto.
The technic called advanced oxidative process put the reaction product formed by the chemical reagent in contact and peroxide de hydrogen with the contaminator of water and ground, that are destructed and transformed in water and carbonic gas. Among those contaminants are persistent organic pollutants, such as pesticides like DDT, aromatic composts like benzene and other pigment sectors.
“The most recent research of Environment Sanitation Technology Company (Cetesb) shows nearly 2.500 contaminated areas in São Paulo state”, says Barreto. There are mainly leakages of gas stations and inactive industries. They infiltrate in the groundwater, discharge in the water and damage the population that live around the rivers.
In the case of contamination by petrol derivative, the main problem is the leakage of underground tanks of gas stations. When the tanks are old they suffer corrosion and they contaminate the aquifers.
The idea of calling the product Fentox, appeared during the lab researchers as a way to homage the chemical Henry Horstman Fenton, author of the firsts works with oxidant technologies in 1894 with the use of peroxide of hydrogen and catalyzed by iron. Almost 50 years later, in the decade of 1980, his formulas were used to eliminate toxic substances in Europe, USA and Canada.
SOURCE: Revista Pesquisa Fapesp nº 155
Companies and Researchers receive Abiquim Award of Technology
The premiation was annouced during the 14th Annual Meeting of the Chemical Industry, realized on December 4th in São Paulo, and it was made by the Brazilian Chemical Industry Association (ABIQUIM).
Rhodia was the winner in the company category, with the project “Development of the Emana wire”. The companies Innova and Quattor received honored mention for their projects. In the growing company category, Verti Ecotechnologias won the prize. It was created in UFMG, with the project “ New ways to transform glycerin, biodiesel dismissed, into products for technology application and aggregated value.
The Project “ Process of purification and transformation of blonde glycerin into more aggregated value products”, was created by the analysts of technological process of the Nation Service of Industrial Learning of Bahia, Rogério da Conceição Rodrigues and Alexandre dos Santos Machado. It was the winner of the research category.
Two projects had honored mentions. One of them was introduced by the Professor of the Inorganic Chemical Department of Unicamp, Oswaldo Luiz Alvez, with the Contech’s coordinator researcher of Biodegradable Products, Odair Pastor Ferreira. The other project was introduced by two researchers of Unicamp, Rafael Cossiello and Teresa Atvars.
Launched in 2001, the Abiquim award of Technology wishes to identify projects of innovation and technology in the chemical sector developed by industries, researchers, and growing industries, and also provide the research and innovation in the area to Brazil.
SOURCE: Informações do Portal da Abiquim
Contech and Valinhos City Hall take underfunded kids to play at Hopi Hari amusement Park
This action is part of a Project of relationship with the community.
Kids who are treated by social Projects of the Social development office, enjoyed a very funny day at Hopi Hari last Friday 17. This project was a partnership between Contech and the city hall.
This day, which was called “Happy Hari Day” mobilized all Contech’s team. Every one of the 65 kids had a responsible person with them who was a Contech’s employee. The company hired three buses to take the kids and provided food to the participants during all day.
“Besides to provide a good day, Our objective was to join the company through our employees with Valinhos community. This project makes part of the social responsibility policy adopt by Contech”, said the Marketing manager of the company, Carolina Carvalho.
For the second consecutive year Contech participate of the action that also mobilized the employees of the city administration. The event was celebrated by the director of division and Support for Kids and teenagers of Valinhos city hall. “ The Happy Hari Day was a very funny day for the kids, they were very happy to have the opportunity to know the amusement park and they loved the attention that they received from Contech’s employees. Attitudes like those, give value to the human relationships and ennoble people who participate.
SOURCE: Marketing Contech
