October 2, 2006 Source: :
http://www.smu.ca/newsreleases/2006/10-02-2006.html Successful Project for Early
Stage Commercialization
Funding Saint Mary’s
Industry Liaison Office collaborated with Dr. Robert Singer (Chemistry
Department) earlier this year in preparing an application for an early stage
commercial fund provided by Nova Scotia’s Office for Economic Development
and InNOVAcorp Inc. The teamwork paid off as Dr. Singer was awarded $22,000 to purchase new
Cyclic Voltammetry (C-V) instrumentation, in addition to $5,000 toward
patent protection in the United States. The C-V unveiling was delayed until
this month following the completion of laboratory renovations in the Science
Building. "This new fund is very much focused on early stage discoveries developed in
University laboratories" says Gina Funicelli, Industry Liaison Officer who
hopes to leverage more of this type of funding for Saint Mary’s University
in the future. The C-V will be used to enhance the department’s research capacity in Green
Chemistry, an emerging field of research in Canada as well as
internationally. At Saint Mary’s, a primary focus of its green chemistry research is
‘designer ionic liquids’ as ‘green solvents’. Such liquids have the potential of chelating (removing) metals from aqueous
solutions including contaminated water based waste streams. The C-V is vital
to further characterizing the electrochemical properties of these green
solvents to better understand their industrial applications. "We are actively involved in an area of chemical research, ionic liquids,
that is very competitive on a global scale. With the assistance of the ILO,
we were successful in acquiring a critical piece of electrochemical
instrumentation to enable us to more aggressively compete in our research
field." Dr. Singer reported. Various industry sectors including the mining sector, pharmaceuticals, and
chemical production are interested in the development of these compounds,
given their potential benefits. Once commercialized, the new compounds could
bring significant reductions in traditional industrial solvent use, reduce
harmful emissions to the environment, and offer savings in production and
operation costs to companies. The C-V electrochemical studies will get underway this fall. The results
will be important to advance the prototype along the commercialization path.
The partnership between Dr. Singer and the ILO is firmly established and
together, they will seek interest with potential private sector partners
that will invest in advancing this technology further at Saint Mary’s
University. Saint Mary's University is known for its community outreach projects, both
in Canada and around the world. Saint Mary's, founded in 1802, is home to
one of Canada's leading business schools, a Science Faculty widely known for
its cutting-edge research, a comprehensive and innovative Arts Faculty and a
vibrant Faculty of Graduate Studies and Research. -30- For More Information: Paul Fitzgerald
Public Affairs Officer
Saint Mary's University, Public Affairs
(902) 420.5514
E-mail: paul.fitzgerald@smu.ca
www.smu.ca
| 