Catalytica Awarded $2 Million Advanced Technology Program Grant From U.S. Dept. of Commerce.MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Nov. 18, 1994-- Catalytica Inc. (Nasdaq:CTAL CTAL Confederacion de Trabajadores de America Latina (Confederation of Latin American Workers) CTAL Canadian Tire Acceptance Limited CTAL Computer Technology Application Lab, Inc. CTAL Confidentially Typed Assembly Language ), announced Friday that it has been awarded a $2 million grant from the Advanced Technology Program (ATP ATP: see adenosine triphosphate. ATP in full adenosine triphosphate Organic compound, substrate in many enzyme-catalyzed reactions (see catalysis) in the cells of animals, plants, and microorganisms. ) of the U.S. Department of Commerce's National Institute of Standards and Technology National Institute of Standards and Technology, governmental agency within the U.S. Dept. of Commerce with the mission of "working with industry to develop and apply technology, measurements, and standards" in the national interest. . The award was granted to Catalytica and Microfluidics International Corp. (Nasdaq:MFIC MFIC Malaysian Furniture Industry Council MFIC Microfluidics International Corp. MFIC Military Flight Information Center MFIC Missionary Franciscan of the Immaculate Conception (religious order) ) to develop and demonstrate the manufacturability of nanoscale (one-billionth of a meter) catalysts with enhanced performance for use in the chemical and petroleum refining industries. Nanotechnology has the potential to significantly lower manufacturing costs and reduce byproduct by·prod·uct or by-prod·uct n. 1. Something produced in the making of something else. 2. A secondary result; a side effect. Noun 1. waste by improving catalyst activity and selectivity. The $2 million award will fund about half the cost of the three-year project. The first year of the project will demonstrate technical aspects such as synthesis techniques and catalyst performance, followed by catalyst development in year two and scale-up for prototype batches and customer evaluation in year three. The project will target three types of nanoscale catalysts: nanocrystalline zeolites, colloidal colloidal of the nature of a colloid. colloidal bath a bath containing gelatin, bran, starch or similar substances, to relieve skin irritation and pruritus. catalysts, and mixed metal oxides. Zeolites are used for petroleum upgrading and petrochemical production. Colloidal catalysts are an emerging market for the processing of residual feedstocks in the petroleum refining industry. Metal oxide catalysts are used for partial oxidations in chemical manufacturing. The ATP is designed to fund research and development on enabling technologies with the potential for new and improved products, manufacturing processes and services. Grant awards are expected to leverage an equal expenditure by industry. The Commerce Department has reported that they will commit up to $137 million over five years on new projects. The Catalytica-Microfluidics project is one of 32 projects in the areas of industrial chemistry, electronics, materials, manufacturing, biotechnology, medicine and software selected from 397 proposals received in the ATP's 1994 general competition. The ATP will fund approximately $85 million for these 32 projects. Catalytica and Microfluidics are seeking other companies to work with to facilitate the development and commercialization of the nanoscale materials. The two companies began collaborating in November 1993 to develop and commercialize technology using the patented Microfluidizer(TM) device. In April 1994, Catalytica signed a cooperative research and development agreement “CRADA” redirects here. For other uses, see CRADA (disambiguation). A Cooperative Research and Development Agreement (CRADA) is an agreement between a government agency and a private company to work together. with the Naval Research Laboratory Noun 1. Naval Research Laboratory - the United States Navy's defense laboratory that conducts basic and applied research for the Navy in a variety of scientific and technical disciplines NRL in Washington, D.C., to synthesize and evaluate nanoscale materials for a wide range of applications such as superconductivity superconductivity, abnormally high electrical conductivity of certain substances. The phenomenon was discovered in 1911 by Kamerlingh Onnes, who found that the resistance of mercury dropped suddenly to zero at a temperature of about 4.2°K;. , piezoelectric The property of certain crystals that causes them to produce voltage when a mechanical pressure is applied to them such as sound vibrations. This technique is used to build crystal microphones, phonograph cartridges and strain gauges, all of which turn mechanical movement into voltage. materials, ceramics and metals. Microfluidics, located in Newton, Mass., provides patented, proprietary Microfluidizer fluid processing systems for high-energy mixing applications in the chemical processing, pharmaceutical, biotechnology, cosmetic and food industries. Catalytica is focused on catalytic products and processes for the economical prevention of pollution. The company's nanotechnology program has the potential to significantly lower manufacturing costs and reduce byproduct waste. The program could also provide novel catalysts for the company's activities in the refining, combustion, and fine chemicals industries. CONTACT: Catalytica Inc.
Alice Galloway, 415/940-6382
Microfluidics International Corp., Newton
Mike Lento, 617/969-5452
National Institute of Standards and Technology
U.S. Dept. of Commerce
Michael Baum, 301/975-2762
|
|
||||||||||||||
Printer friendly
Cite/link
Email
Feedback
Reader Opinion