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Contract Opportunity

TECHNOLOGY LICENSING OPPORTUNITY

Novel Non-Destructive Characterization of Multi-Layered Plastics

An innovative, non-destructive characterization technology that enables the identification and separation of layered plastics for a more sustainable future.

Opportunity: Idaho National Laboratory (INL), managed and operated by Battelle Energy Alliance, LLC (BEA), offers the opportunity to enter into a license and/or collaborative research agreement to commercialize this new process for the fabrication of complex microchannels using co-sintering. This technology transfer opportunity is part of a dedicated effort to convert government-funded research into job opportunities, businesses, and, ultimately, an improved way of life for the American people.

Background: Current methods for rapidly and non-destructively characterizing layered plastics need to be improved, resulting in these materials being deemed non-recyclable and landfilled. Near-IR spectroscopy can identify the outermost layer but needs to analyze the inner layers. Our breakthrough technology combines spectral information from two or more sensors to identify specific additives or formulations used on the plastic surface layer, enabling the identification of multi-layered plastics from various manufacturers, processes, or applications.

Description: By leveraging the unique inorganic fingerprint of each polymer, our technology fuses data from Near-IR and XRF detectors to create a model that can differentiate and characterize mono and multi-layer plastics. This innovative solution allows for the rapid and non-destructive analysis of layered plastics, opening up possibilities for recycling and waste-to-energy applications that were previously inaccessible.

Benefits:

• Enables recycling and waste-to-energy applications for previously non-recyclable multi-layered plastics.


• Reduces landfill costs, estimated at $50-80 per ton for landfilled materials.


• Supports the transition towards a circular economy.


• Provides a unique, non-destructive method to analyze and differentiate mono and multi-layer plastics.

Applications:

• Waste sorting industry


• Recycling industry


• Plastic manufacturers and processors

Development Status: TRL 2: concept phase.

IP Status: Provisional Patent Application No. 63/480,210, “Non-Destructive Classification and Characterization of Multilayered Plastics and Related Systems and Methods,” BEA Docket No. BA-1234.

INL seeks to license the above intellectual property to a company with a demonstrated ability to bring such inventions to the market. Exclusive rights in defined fields of use may be available. Added value is placed on relationships with small businesses, start-up companies, and general entrepreneurship opportunities.

Please visit Technology Deployment’s website at https://inl.gov/inl-initiatives/technology-deployment for more information on working with INL and the industrial partnering and technology transfer process.

Companies interested in learning more about this licensing opportunity should contact Andrew Rankin at td@inl.gov.

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