United States Environmental Protection Agency (“USEPA”) Cooperative Research and Development Agreement (“CRADA”)
Since 2003, there has been with the USEPA a CRADA to develop and commercialize various process intensification including green and sustainable chemistries for numerous chemical, pharmaceutical, food processing, flavor, fragrance and other applications using Four River’s STT® technology.
In March 2003, the USEPA and the original developers of the STT® entered into a CRADA to demonstrate the applicability of the STT® technology in green and sustainable chemistries. This licensing arrangement is structured as a research agreement operating under a government sponsored cooperative research and development agreement. Through the agreement, STT® equipment and know-how is provided to the USEPA Labs in Cincinnati, Ohio to demonstrate green chemistry applications and provide inexpensive testing services for corporations interested in doing bench-top or pilot scale green chemistry evaluations in the STT® system.
The EPA is currently utilizing a bench scale Magellan® STT® system, one pilot scale Innovator® 200 STT® system, and the larger Innovator® 3000 STT® system at the National Risk Management Research Laboratory in Cincinnati, Ohio. The STT® research and trials are part of the EPA’s Sustainable Chemistry Program and under the direction of Michael Gonzalez, Ph.D., Chief, Systems Analysis Branch Office of Research and Development Sustainable Technology Division and James Ciszewski, Ph.D. Dr. Gonzalez has found that the unique mixing pattern of the STT® system can dramatically improve reaction rates, conversions, product selectivity, yields and provide other advantages, while reducing energy consumption, under process intensified conditions. Drs. Gonzalez and Ciszewski have also performed research on commodity scale synthesis of ionic liquids and amines using the STT® reactor.
Companies interested in innovation and application trials using Four River’s STT® technology can do so through the USEPA laboratories for a very modest daily laboratory/testing fee. The equipment, staff and facilities all reside at the USEPA, as well as a variety of pumps, so testing can begin quickly. The EPA labs in Cincinnati, Ohio also have extensive analytical capabilities to be able to monitor the output from the STT® reactor (including NMR, GC, GC-MS, LC, LC-MS, IR and Uv-Vis).
The USEPA’s fee, depending on the testing regime, may include the use of staff, facilities and analytical equipment for testing and demonstration purposes.
The USEPA labs in Cincinnati, Ohio also have excellent analytical capabilities to monitor the output from the STT® reactor (including NMR, GC, GC-MS, LC, LC-MS, IR and Uv-Vis). They also have extensive experience with the STT® reactors in optimizing reactions and conditions. (This experience is evident in the research and testing of ionic liquids which show extremely high conversions in the STT® reactor compared to conventional reactor systems.)
The EPA labs have worked with several major corporations and the work is usually performed under a three-way mutual NDA between Four Rivers, the US EPA, and the customer so that what the customer learns is kept confidential.
For additional information on testing at the USEPA Labs please contact: