By David Reed contributing editor
MONTREAL-Alcar Chemicals Group Inc, which has spent the last decade developing methods for converting biomass to useful industrial products, has filed its first patent application for the proprietary technology it has developed. This can be used to make materials used in the fabrication of polyethylene, PET (polyethylene terephthalate), polyester and polyurethane resins and more, a statement from the firm explained.
ACMG's proprietary technology for converting forestry and agricultural wastes as well as non-food crops and other biomass sources is "today's most economical and advanced manufacturing process for plastic raw materials, ethanol and bio-diesel," said Alexander Cavasin, the firm's CEO, in the announcement.
The process yields cost savings of up to 40 percent over current production methods, the statement added.
"Our strategy to protect our technology has been through provisional patents, which allowed us to keep several details secret while insuring our priority to file," Cavasin explained in the announcement.
"This is now our first worldwide patent with applications filed in Canada, the USA, Europe, Asia and South America," he continued, adding that it will be followed by an additional two patents presently being finalised.
The process represents "a significant market opportunity due to a serious worldwide supply shortage of raw materials for polymers as well as an increased requirement for ethanol and biodiesel," the ACMG statement said.
"By moving beyond this important milestone, ACMG reached a new phase in commercialising this innovative technology-a phase that will allow us to become a lot more forthcoming on public disclosure, providing an essential tool for negotiating licensing agreements and enabling us to better communicate our ongoing progress," Cavasin's statement concluded."
