List of participants

New nanostructured material for the adsorption of organic pollutants in water

CSIC has patented a new material based on a highcharged synthetic mica, unique for its organophilic properties. The material is very interesting for applications in wastewater treatment for its capability of removing organic pollutants in a wide range of industrial wastes. The process can be optimized for each specific waste. Accurate control of the adsorption of organic molecules in the material is interesting for other applications, e.g. controlled dosage medicaments and selective filters.

Industrial partners are sought interested in a license for exploitation, or in further development of the technology for its optimization in the treatment of a specific waste.

• Commercial cooperation

Geologic storage of soluble gases: A sustainable and capture-free solution

CSIC and the Fundación CIUDEN have developed a method to store soluble gases –in particular, those with greenhouse effect- in permeable geological formations. The system can be applied to any source of combustion gases, is energetically very efficient and significantly reduces the risks of leakages. Compared to the conventional methods of CO2 geological storage the advantages of the method are:
1 High flexibility: In some cases, it does not require a previous capture of CO2.
2 Low energy cost. The recovered energy from the non-soluble gases balances the energy necessary for the injection.
3 Very low risk of leakage,
4 Overpressure is prevented: The volume of injected liquid is similar to the volume extracted.
5 Optimized operations to enhance the solubility of gases

Industrial partners of sectors with high emissions of greenhouse gases are being sought to patent license agreement.
The interested companies should be able to collaborate to reach a further development of the technology in order to adapt it to specific applications.

• Technical cooperation
• Commercial cooperation
• R&D cooperation

Electrochemical system with redox electrolytes

CSIC has patented an electrochemical device for energy storage which combines a supercapacitor and a reversible redox system. This system represents a significant advance in the development of portable energy sources for electronic equipment, since it combines the advantages offered by both batteries and supercapacitors (simultaneous high power and energy density) without employing other components than those included in standard electrochemical cells. The reactive cycle is up to 100 times more reproducible than that of conventional batteries. Additionally, an additive included in the solution keeps the electrodes unaltered.

Partners interested in a patent license.

• Commercial cooperation

Wasted tyres disposal by distillation and gasification

A collaboration between CSIC and ENRECO 2000 S.L. (SME) has developed a process for the succesive distillation and gasification of wasted tyres that maximizes the extraction of fuel oil, carbon black and gasses capable of generating electricity, obtaining as much energy stored in the tyre as it is possible with the minimum emission of polluting gasses.

Special reactors designed for this new technology allow obtaining the maximum caloric power of granulated tyres, while minimizing the reactions that may decrease the quality of the products of the transformation of tyres’ elastomers, especially the chemical composition of the fuel oils and the volatile fraction of the char.

Partners interested in licensing the patent are being sought.

• Commercial cooperation

High efficiency water-lithium bromide absorption machine of single and double effect for climatization of static and mobile installations

CSIC has developed two air-cooled water-lithium bromide absorption prototypes that don’t exist on the market yet: a double-effect machine and a single-double effect one in an only unit. Their development will contribute to replacement of HCFC and HFC in building refrigeration since they are as efficient as electrical machines. They can be driven by fuel, renewable energies or by residual heat. They are suitable for static or mobile uses.
The design of the absorber-evaporator makes able to work as a refrigeration system reaching very high absorption-condensing temperatures (55ºC).
•They can be used as water-cooled heat pump for hot water or space heating.
•The small-sized and easy manufacturing
• They are not harmful for the ozone layer, have no direct warming power

Companies for developing and licensing the technology are sought.
Domain of application:
Air conditioning for buildings, greenhouses, buses, coaches, trains, yachts, ships, refrigerator lorries up to 10ºC, lorry cabs, tractors, etc.
Industry sector: Cooling machines
Area of activity: cooling technology, boilermaking and automatic control

• Technical cooperation
• Commercial cooperation

Instant synthesis of nanosized alpha-Ni(OH)2 from ammonia solution, for use in Nickel batteries

CSIC has developed an economic method for the quick synthesis of nanosized alpha nickel hydroxide in ammonia solution. The synthesis is realized at 20-30ºC, by the addition of nickel nitrate salts powder in aqueous ammonia solution, causing the direct alpha phase precipitation in less than 60 sg. Eventually, the synthesis can be carried out with the employment of ultrasound.
Nanosized alpha nickel hydroxide is employed for Ni-Cd and Ni-MH rechargeable batteries.
Advantages of the technology proposed:
•The economy, because the synthesis offered is performed under regular conditions of pressure and temperature. Only the alternative of ultrasound will require of specific equipment, but easy to install or to use.
•The rapidity, because the process is almost instant.
•The environmental friendship, because the process is carried out in an aqueous media with ammonia.

Companies for development and commercialization of the technology are sought.
Domain of application:Ni-Cd and Ni-MH rechargeable batteries.
Solar cells and Photocatalytic devices
Industry sector: Chemistry, Energy
Area of activity: Power supplies and storage. Manufacturer of batteries.

• Commercial cooperation
• R&D cooperation

Thermally activated paper residual sludge reused as limestone filler for self- levelling matrices

Three Spanish public research organizations have developed a new self-levelling mortar mix, composed of cement, limestone sand, limestone filler, additives and thermally activated paper residual sludge.The reuse of these wastes allows the preparation of mortar and concrete with improved physical and mechanical properties.
•Recycled industrial waste as raw material is a better alternative than the consumption of natural resources from an environmentally friendly point of view.
•The new mortar presents:
-lower embodied energy due to the incorporation of thermally activated paper sludge;
-higher compressive and flexural strengths
-bonding strengths 30% greater than ordinary commercial self-levelling mortars.
-More dense and compact mortar with a pore size reduction around 50%.

Manufacturers of self-levelling mortar and concrete interested in develop and commercialise this technology are sought.
Sector: Construction

• Commercial cooperation
• R&D cooperation

Recycling phosphorus from wastestreams as struvite for agriculture fertilizer

CSIC has developed a procedure to recover the phosphorus from wastestreams as struvite and recycle those nutrients into agriculture as fertilizer. The method has been tested and implemented in a municipal waste water treatment plant in Madrid.
It is based on the use of a precipitation reactive, a subproduct from the preparation of MgO by magnetite calcinations.

The main advantages of this process compare to conventional ones are:
•Higher yields for phosphorus recovering as struvite
•The use of the subproduct from the preparation of MgO by magnetite calcination avoid the use of the conventional reactives (Cl2Mg or Mg(OH)2) decreasing the costs of the process.
•The obtained product with 80% of struvite has got good nutriciant properties and can be used as agriculture fertilizer.

Partner for commercializing the technology

• Commercial cooperation

Innovative high efficiency electrocatalyst for low temperature fuel cells

CSIC has patented an electrocatalyst supported on an ordered mesoporous carbon material treated at high temperatures (gCMK-3) that presents an electrical conductivity 850 times higher than materials obtained without any thermal treatment. This improves the energy efficiency of polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cells obtained with these materials.

Unlike other similar materials, this electrocatalyst supported on gCMK-3 has the following simultaneous advantages:
-High increase in electrical conductivity
-Low ohmic losts in fuel cell
-High efficiency of fuel cell

Industrial partners interested in a license agreement for the exploitation of this material in industrial processes for manufacturing of fuel cells and / or its components

• Technical cooperation
• Commercial cooperation
• R&D cooperation

Method to obtain a flexible graphene paper with an electrical conductivity five orders of magnitude higher

CSIC has developed a method to obtain flexible conductive graphene paper from graphene oxide paper. This method improves the electrical conductivity of
original paper in five orders of magnitude. Moreover, it allows maintaining the structural integrity and
mechanical flexibility of the parent graphene oxide. This method sets the base for an easy, cost-effective
and environmentally friendly fabrication route for flexible conducting graphene paper, with great applications as flexible electrodes in fields, such as supercapacitors, batteries and sensors.

Industrial partners interested in R+D agreement for the scaled of this method in industrial processes are sought.

• Technical cooperation
• Commercial cooperation
• R&D cooperation

Biomimetic polyester

CSIC and the University of Málaga have patented a new procedure for the synthesis of polyaleurate polyester, a mimetic polymer of plant cutin, and its use as a biodegradable packaging material for food or active ingredients. It consists of a non-toxic plastic polymer which can be obtained from raw materials coming from vegetable wastes. The new procedure uses neither solvents nor catalysts, saving in raw materials, reduction of waste and the production of a higher purity biodegradable material which can be thrown away without
risk of contamination. It is also possible to give the desired form to the material, using different casts in the process. Due to the simplicity of the manufacturing process, its implementation on an industrial scale would not involve any additional effort.

Partners interested in a patent license.

• Technical cooperation
• Commercial cooperation
• R&D cooperation

CO2 and SO2 sequestration using industrial waste at room temperature

A collaboration of CSIC with the Universities of Sevilla and Cádiz has developed a process that allows mineral sequestration of CO2 and SO2. The process reuses calcium-rich industrial waste produced by many types of industries, mines or quarries without prior treatment at room temperature, making it easier, cheaper and more energy-efficient.

- The products obtained can be used e.g. to manufacture detergents (Na2SO4), calcite (CaCO3) or gypsum (CaSO4). The process can be adapted to the desired product.
- No cycles of calcination and carbonation are used.
- No mining, further processing or transport of material is required. The procedure is a closed loop that avoids additional energy consumption and pollution.
- Capture of gasses in different phases, allowing a separate extraction.

Companies interested in a patent license are being sought.

• Technical cooperation
• Commercial cooperation

Effective material to capture elemental mercury from fluid gas

CSIC has developed a material based on gold nanoparticles supported on a structured carbon monolith. This material captures gaseous elemental mercury effectively (75-84%), and can be easily regenerated during multiple cycles capture-regeneration, without loss of its efficiency in mercury capture. The monolithic structure of this material allows a high area/volume ratio (>25 cm-1), a low pressure drop and no particle entrainment.

- No production of toxic wastes during preparation
- Low cost (gold amount < 0,2% weight)
- Allows mercury confinement in liquid state
- High degree of gold use (captured mercury mg / gold g > 7 mg/g)
- Low energy consumption because of low regeneration temperature
(220ºC)
- Low pressure drop and no particle entrainment

Industrial partners interested in a license agreement for the exploitation of this material are sought.

• Technical cooperation
• Commercial cooperation
• R&D cooperation

Device to measure the concentration of biomass of the environment

CSIC and the Universidad Autónoma de Barcelona University have developed a device for measuring low concentrations of biomass of the environment by means of impedance measurements. The device is fast, simple, versatile and very reliable, capable of measuring concentrations up to 100 cfu•cm-3 at very short exposure times, surpassing the techniques traditionally used.

Main advantages and applications:
- Reliable and fast detection of very low concentrations of biomass
- Allows measurements in very small sample volumes
- The addition of one or more sensors to measure different parameters increases the versatility of the device
- The electrodes can be made of conductors or semiconductors. In the last case, the device is especially suited to minimize the corrosion of certain environments

Partners are being sought to exploit the existing know-how through a patent license agreement.

• Technical cooperation
• Commercial cooperation
• R&D cooperation

Tool for plant sampling

A research group from CSIC has developed a cutting tool for plant sampling. This tool can be used manually or automated. The tool can be connected to a robot arm, and used for obtaining vegetable samples pushed out of the tool and collected in a sampling element.

Main applications and advantages:
- The tool performs the cutting and removal of the plant sample.
- The tool can be installed on articulated arm of a robot.
- The automated tool can be used outside the laboratory.

Industrial partners of sectors interested in a patent license are being sought.

• Technical cooperation
• Commercial cooperation
• R&D cooperation

Process for the preparation of a material with hydrophobic and/or oleophobic properties

developed a process for preparing a material having
hydrophobic and/or oleophobic propierties. Catecols derivates can generate in alkaline solution a catecol dereived material that allow provide a hydrophobic and/or oleophobic surface on the selected objects, by simple inmersion in this invention material. This technology is useful for industrial processes that include surface treatments.

Companies interested in a patent licence are being sought.

• Technical cooperation
• Commercial cooperation
• R&D cooperation

Nanostructured and self-organized strontium titanate (STO) surfaces as three-dimensional islands/rings for heterogeneous integration of III-V semiconductors on Si substrate

CSIC has developed a method to obtain selforganized nanostructured strontium titanate (STO) surfaces as three-dimensional islands or rings, or as ultrathin films, deposited on silicon (Si) using a MOD deposition technique. These nanostructures can be used for heterogeneous integration of III-V semiconductors on Si substrates for the manufacture of semiconductors, superconductors and catalysts.

Companies interested in a patent license are being sought.

• Technical cooperation
• Commercial cooperation
• R&D cooperation

Actived carbons obtained from solid wastes from the tanning industry for adsorption of greenhouse gases

CSIC has developed activated carbons through chemical activation from degrassed and dehydrated untanned bovine skin, and from vegetable-tanned solid wastes.
The obtained adsorbents are:
-high nitrogen content and chrome free
-have a high adsorption capacity at high pressure,
-easy to regenerate
-good mechanical properties remain stable after cycles of adsorption / desorption.
The activated carbons adsorbents are useful for adsorption of greenhouse gases as CO2, and purification of mixtures of CO2/H2 with a significant decrease in operation cost and energy consumption, compared to currently used technologies.

Industrial partners for development and commercialise this technology are sought.

• Technical cooperation
• Commercial cooperation