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Andgar Corp.
Ferndale
http://www.andgar.com/
Researcher: Dr. Shulin Chen, WSU Dept. of Biological Systems Engineering
Year project began: 2003
Livestock producers are under increasing pressure, including legal action, to manage manure and process water in a way that controls odors and protects environmental quality. Livestock and livestock products are a $1.5 billion industry in Washington. Anaerobic digesters, also known as biogas recovery systems, are one possible solution to better management of manure and process water.
Anaerobic digesters use bacteria to breakdown the manure in a chamber while capturing methane, one of the by-products that can be used to generate heat or electricity. Andgar Corporation, based in Ferndale, has expertise in fabrication of components and construction of digesters. Andgar is collaborating with Dr. Shulin Chen to refine development of an enzymatic pretreatment to enable smaller, more efficient reaction chambers that put anaerobic digestion within financial reach of more livestock producers.
Labels: District_42, Ferndale, Life_Sciences, Northwest, RTD_Grant_Program_A-K, WSU
Barlean's Organic Oils
Ferndale
http://barleans.com/
Researcher: Norman Lewis, WSU Institute of Biological Chemistry
Year project began: 2000
Numerous scientific studies suggest that there is a connection between cultures that ingest a diet high in plant lignans (phyto-estrogens) and a lower incidence of estrogen-related cancers, including breast, colon, and prostate cancers. Flaxseed and flaxseed meal contain high levels of plant lignans, and have been marketed as health food products for many years.
Barlean's Organic Oils, a leading U.S. manufacturer of health food supplements, has teamed with WSU's Institute of Biological Chemistry to commercialize a proprietary method of extracting plant lignans from flaxseed with a consistent high level of potency. The company intends to market the resulting product as a nutriceutical.
Labels: District_42, Ferndale, Life_Sciences, Northwest, RTD_Grant_Program_A-K, WSU
LumenIQ, Inc.
Bellingham
http://www.lumeniq.com/
Researcher: Dr. David Field, WSU School of Mechanical and Materials Engineering
Year project began: 2004
In order to evaluate the integrity of industrial structures like pipelines and storage tanks, engineers rely on Non-Destructive Examination (NDE), which allows testing without destroying the structure. A significant number of NDE processes use radiography (imaging from penetrating radiation).
Historically, radiographic NDE has been performed by hand measurement of physical X-ray film and is limited by a human's ability to read the image. LumenIQ has developed software tools that "see" grayscale data that the human eye cannot discern, thus enabling better interpretation.
In conjunction with Professor Field, the company is testing its software to evaluate corrosion, determine wall thickness, and locate weld deformities using steel and iron. The result will be a series of mathematical calculations that form the foundation for the addition of a material-thickness measurement feature to LumenIQ's core imaging product. The company anticipates that the addition of this NDE-specific feature will result in an inspection product that will be sold to both NDE equipment manufacturers and smaller NDE consultants.
Labels: Bellingham, District_42, Northwest, RTD_Grant_Program_L-Z, WSU
MicroGREEN Polymers, Inc.
Arlington (located in Stanwood during a WTC affilation)
http://www.microgreeninc.com
RTD Award: Phase I
Research Partner: Vipin Kumar, Ph.D., Mechanical Engineering, University of Washington
Project Began: 2006
Disposable food packaging is an $11 billion market. MicroGREEN Polymers, in partnership with Dr. Vipin Kumar and researchers at the University of Washington's Microcellular Plastics Lab, developed a patented technology used to create and manufacture environmentally-friendly plastic disposable food packaging made from recycled PET. The team received $211,000 in funding from WTC in 2003-2005 for feasibility testing and to develop prototypes. The success of this project led the company to expand its employment base and secure $2.5 million in private funding. In addition to food packaging, MicroGREEN's 100-percent recycled PET foam can be used as packing material for medical devices, electronic parts and other products. The research team is applying this new grant towards developing solid state process parameters for making biodegradable poly lactic acid (PLA) foam. PLA is a renewable, natural starch-based material, which is receiving highly-favorable response from the food packaging industry. Currently, PLA is used to package cold foods. MicroGREEN plans to apply its solid-state microcellular process expertise towards developing heat-resistant PLA products to complement its existing line of environmentally-friendly packaging.
Researcher: Dr. Vipin Kumar, UW Dept. of Mechanical Engineering
Project Began: 2003
Disposable food packaging made from plastics and paper is an $11 billion market. While paper food packaging costs considerably more than conventional plastic foam, it is favored due to environmental and health concerns regarding traditional polystyrene foam.
Conventional foaming processes use fluorocarbon or hydrocarbon fuels. Both have a negative impact on the environment: fluorocarbons deplete the ozone, while hydrocarbons create smog. Out of the 25 worst-polluting plants in the U.S. named by the Sierra Club, 12 are foam plants. Widespread foaming processes also chemically change plastic, thereby rendering it commercially nonrecyclable.
MicroGREEN Polymers is a start-up company commercializing microcellular plastics technology developed with Dr. Kumar at the University of Washington's Microcellular Plastics Lab. The company is developing and testing production of environmentally friendly plastic disposable food packaging, such as cups and trays. MicroGREEN's foamed materials use recycled CO2 gas and 100-percent recycled plastic, and are tougher and stronger than traditional foam plastic. Their foaming process will reduce plastic usage by at least 75 percent, compared with solid plastic packaging.
Labels: Arlington, District_10, Northwest, RTD_Grant_Program_L-Z, UW, WTC_Angel_Network_Funding
Northwest Marine Technology
Anacortes
http://www.nmt.us
Research Partner: Gael Kurath, PhD, U.S. Geological Survey and University of Washington, Pathobiology
Project Description:
Disease in fish can devastate hatchery and aquaculture production causing billions of dollars in financial losses annually. Scientific studies show that the ability to vaccinate fish against disease makes a monumental difference in protecting against these financial losses. Oral vaccines, which are less invasive and require little handling, have exhibited weak results. New DNA-based vaccines have proven highly effective in protecting fish against viral pathogens, especially those delivered by intramuscular injection. However, fisheries resources managers don't have a way to deliver these vaccines in a large-scale, economically-viable manner. Currently, the worldwide aquaculture industry hand vaccinates approximately 1 billion fish per year. This hands-on process is expensive, estimated to cost $300 million a year. It is also labor intensive and requires human handling and anesthetizing the fish. Northwest Marine Technology is working with Dr. Kurath of the U.S.G.S. Western Fisheries Research Center and University of Washington to develop an experimental vaccine delivery device to inoculate fish with DNA-based vaccines that is fully-automated, safe, cost-efficient and effective in preventing disease. The project will involve development and testing of the innovative vaccine delivery device on a laboratory population of rainbow trout at the Western Fisheries Research Center.
Labels: Anacortes, Life_Sciences, Northwest, RTD_Grant_Program_L-Z, UW
Shoreline Industries LLC
Sedro Woolley
Researcher: Dr. Karl Englund, Washington State University Wood Materials and Engineering Lab
Year project began: 2003
Wood plastic composites (WPCs) continue to be an attractive alternative to chemically treated wood and plastic lumber due to their dimensional stability and resistance to biodeterioration. However, current WPCs are heavy, which has prompted the development of hollow-foamed composites to reduce the weight. Dr. Englund and his colleagues at WSU's Wood Materials and Engineering Lab (WMEL) have worked to develop such structural and foamed WPC products. Shoreline Industries, a manufacturer of vinyl-based composite lumber, is using WMEL's resources to develop and test new composites and extrusion methods for PVC/wood flour foamed composites, specifically for the residential decking industry.
Labels: District_39, Northwest, RTD_Grant_Program_L-Z, Sedro_Woolley, WSU
Sonotech, Inc.
Bellingham
http://www.sonotech-inc.com/
Researcher: Buddy Ratner, University of Washington Dept. of Engineered Biomaterials
Year project began: 2001
Founded in 1986, Sonotech is a major supplier of medical and industrial ultrasound couplants in the U.S. The project will develop acoustic couplant materials in gel or thickened liquid form, for use with medical ultrasound imaging probes in surgical and transcutaneous puncture procedures where in vivo biocompatibility and biodegradability are essential to patient health and safety.
Labels: Bellingham, District_42, Life_Sciences, Northwest, RTD_Grant_Program_L-Z, UW
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