Thoughtventions Wins $100,000
Small Business Research Innovation award (SBIR) from NSF for CO2 Conversion Device
April 12, 2008; East Hartford, CT
The CT SBIR Office, an initiative of the Connecticut Center for Advanced Technology, Inc., in partnership with the Office of Workforce Competitiveness, is pleased to announce that Thoughtventions Unlimited, LLC in Glastonbury, CT, a recent SBIR Phase I winner, is teaming up with UConn and Pennsylvania State University to research an optimal means of producing and commercializing a device intended to reduce Connecticut’s carbon footprint. The TvU team believes they have developed technology and a technique that can remove CO2 emissions from power plant exhausts before they go up the smoke stack. Ultimately, it has the potential to create a process that would be the final step in turning oil and coal into a clean energy source.
According to Thoughtventions’ President Stephen Bates, “The NSF panel of scientists evaluating this program noted the potential importance of this research since it centers on the necessity of reducing carbon emissions – something that is critical to safe-guard the environment.”
Cost remains one of the biggest obstacles in the practice of capturing and storing/using CO2. For example, the cost of a 1,000 megawatt power plant capturing and storing CO2 today is extremely expensive. If successful, the solution the Thoughtventions team is developing has the potential to reduce the CO2 conversion cost by a factor of ten, making it far more economical and manageable. In addition, it would produce safe, saleable by-products.
The TvU team has developed particles that absorb the CO2 as they drift through the exhaust stacks. The particles spread throughout the gas and collect at the bottom, cleansed of the CO2. They re-circulate in a continuous cleaning process. The challenge the team must overcome is to ensure the absorption is rapid and substantial enough so that the CO2 can be absorbed thoroughly in the time it takes for the particles to fall through the rapidly moving gas. Test results so far look promising.
Deb Santy, Director of the CT SBIR Office commented, “This novel approach would allow the major producers of CO2 to “go green” inexpensively by eliminating the CO2 released into the atmosphere. We’re very excited that Dr. Bates has gotten high marks so far from NSF and has a good chance of winning a $500,000 Phase II. Our Office is trying to find a manufacturing collaboration partner for Thoughtventions in our Matches for Money ProgramSM. This program allows us to reach out nationally when CT companies need a support partner.”
The next step for Thoughtventions, LLC is to apply to win a $500,000 NSF Phase II SBIR award to develop and test the prototype. They are currently researching potential subcontractors to support their work on the next grant and alliance partners to manufacturer the device.
For more information about the company contact Dr. Stephen C. Bates, President; Thoughtventions Unlimited LLC, PO Box 1310 (40 Nutmeg Lane), Glastonbury, CT 06033; E-mail: thought@tvu.com Web Site: www.tvu.com; Tel: 860-657-9014 Fax: 860-657-2666
The Connecticut Center for Advanced Technology, Inc. is a non-stock, tax exempt corporation that works in partnership with industry, government and academia to strengthen technology led economic competitiveness. The CT SBIR Office, established in late 2004 as an initiative of CCAT, was created with funding from the Office for Workforce Competitiveness to help small businesses in Connecticut capture federal SBIR grants. CCAT is located at 222 Pitkin Street - Suite 101, East Hartford, CT 06108. For more information contact Deb Santy at 860-282-4209, dsanty@ccat.us, or visit: http://ccat.us/sbir.
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