[미국] CycloPure, 새로운 화학 흡착 신기술 특허 획득
신기술 혁신의 선도업체인 CycloPure Inc.는 물과 공기로부터 미량의 오염물질을 제거하는 기술이 미국 특허 및 상표국으로부터 특허(제 9,624,314호)를 획득했다고 최근 발표했다.
이번에 특허를 받은 신기술은 CycloPure의 독점적인 사이클로 덱스트린 기반 흡착제와 직물뿐만 아니라 물과 공기의 정화, 직물의 기능화 및 기타 중요한 화학적 분리에 이르기까지 다양한 분야에서 이러한 신소재를 사용하는 방법을 폭넓게 다루고 있다.
본 출원에 명시된 흡수성 재료는 코넬대학에서 공동 창업자이자 2015년 맥아더 연구원인 Will Dichtel 교수에 의해 개발되었으며 CycloPure가 독점 라이센스를 가지고 있다.
CycloPure의 기술은 1억ppb 이하의 미량 농도에서도 오염물질을 분리 제거하는 새로운 종류의 고 흡착성 물질을 기반으로 한다. 고밀도 공극을 갖는 높은 표면적 중합체 네트워크를 생성하는 반복 구조 내에서 특정의 단단한 단량체와 사이클로 덱스트린을 조합하여 물질을 제조한다.
이러한 특성은 흡수를 목표로 하는 오염물질 및 기타 화학물질의 신속한 제거를 가능하게 한다. 기존의 물질은 낮은 농도의 오염물질 제거에 효과적이지 않았다.
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Patent issued for new, chemical adsorption technology
CycloPure Inc., a leader in the innovation of new technologies to remove trace contaminants from water and air, announced that US Patent No. 9,624,314 has been issued by the US Patent and Trademark Office.
The patent provides broad coverage of CycloPure's proprietary cyclodextrin-based absorbent materials and fabrics, as well as methods of using these new materials in applications ranging from purification of water and air, functionalization of fabrics, and other chemical separations of importance. The absorbent materials disclosed in the Application were developed at Cornell University by Professor Will Dichtel, the company's co-founder and a 2015 MacArthur Fellow, and are under exclusive license to CycloPure.
CycloPure's technology is based on a new class of highly-adsorbent materials that separate and remove pollutants, even at trace concentrations, 1 part per billion and below. Materials are prepared by combining cyclodextrins with specific, rigid monomers into repeating structures that create a high surface area polymer network with high affinity pores. These properties enable the rapid removal of contaminants and other chemicals targeted for absorption. Current materials are ineffective in the removal of contaminants in low concentration.
CEO Frank Cassou stated, "Our new technology outperforms current adsorption materials in every metric -- speed of uptake, affinity, effective at trace levels, non-fouling, and regeneration. The applications and industries in need of water treatment are broad and global. With a cost-effective, simple to use and flexible technology, we are excited about our opportunity to provide important solutions to make water safe."
Contamination of water resources by micropollutants is a global health and environmental problem. Advanced analytics have shown that trace organic compounds including industrial chemicals, residuals of pharmaceuticals, and pesticides are persistent in water and retain toxic effect at extremely low concentrations.
CycloPure has developed and is commercializing two lead material formulations, TFN-CDP and DFB-CDP, for the removal of harmful contaminants from water, including the perfluorinated compounds PFOA and PFOS. The company is also applying its technology to functionalize fabrics to remove VOCs and unwanted compounds, enabling the development of innovative textiles and fiber materials, such as odor controlling fabrics, respirators and other protective materials.
[출처 = Water World(www.waterworld.com) / 2017년 4월 21일]