Minnesota Researchers Develop Groundbreaking Process

petrochemical industries.

A groundbreaking one-step, crystal growth process for making ultra-thin layers of material with molecular-sized pores, has been developed by a team of researchers at the University of Minnesota. Researchers demonstrated the use of the material, called zeolite nano-sheets, by making ultra-selective membranes for chemical separations.

This new discovery could  improve the energy-efficiency of chemical separation methods used to make everything from fuels to chemicals and pharmaceuticals.

“Overall, we’ve developed a process for zeolite nano-sheet crystal growth that is faster, simpler, and yields better quality nano-sheets than ever before,” said Michael Tsapatsis, the lead researcher on the study. “Our discovery is another step towards improved energy efficiency in the chemical and petrochemical industries.”

Today, most chemical and petrochemical purification processes are based on heat-driven processes like distillation. These processes are very energy-intensive. For example, chemical separations based on distillation represent nearly 5 percent of the total energy consumption in the United States.

Several companies and researchers are developing more energy-efficient separations based on membranes that can separate molecules based on size and shape. One class of these membranes is based on zeolites, which are silicate crystals that have pores of molecular dimensions. However, the multi-step processes for manufacturing these membranes are costly and difficult to scale up, and commercial production remains a challenge.

The researchers at the University of Minnesota have developed the first-ever, bottom-up process for direct growth of zeolite nano-sheets, which can be used to make high quality molecular sieve membranes. The new material, is only about five nano-meters in thickness, and several micrometers wide. The new nano-sheets also grow in a uniform shape making it much easier to make the membranes used in chemical purification.

Mi Young Jeon, the first author of the study describes the new material as being like tiling a floor with large, uniform tiles compared to small, irregular chips of tile. Jeon explains that uniform-shaped zeolite nano-sheets also make a much higher-quality membrane with surprisingly high separation values that can sieve-out impurities.

The research findings are a big step forward and researchers are looking forward to the future changes the discoveries will make to energy efficiency in chemical and petrochemical industries.

To find out more about R&D or to determine whether you may be eligible for an R&D Tax Credit  Contact a Swanson Reed specialist to see if you qualify.

R&D creates a new form of boating docks…

leaves and v dock 2 750xx882 496 0 32

Forest Lake-based R&D Manufacturing Inc. has made a name for itself in Minnesota and Wisconsin for its easy-to-install, lightweight V-Dock boating docks and accessories. R&D manufacturing sells an average of three miles of decking per year, the equivalent of 15,840 feet. Docks made by the company, which employs only six people, range from 32 to 300 feet.

The company’s Roll-in and Roll-n-Float portable docks allow consumers to roll docks into the water ‘as is,’ with no further assembly other than connecting the self-locking pieces together using a steel pins. If water levels rise or fall, the dock can be raised or lowered by using a cordless drill or a handle provided by R&D Manufacturing.

Most docks on the market require owners to remove decking tiles before rolling it into or out of the water. Simplifying the installation process has led to R&D Manufacturing’s growing popularity.

Three years ago, the company ramped up its online marketing and expanded its consumer base by shipping its portable docks to other destinations in the U.S. Some of their most recent shipments went to Texas and Alaska. The move has resulted in two consecutive record years for the company.

In 2016, the company saw sales growth of 35 percent, marking the company’s most profitable year, said co-owner Rick Johnson. All docks are sold and shipped directly to customers.

The company was founded in 1982 by Johnson’s father, Dick Johnson, who wanted to create a more sturdy and easy-to-install boating dock for Minnesotans. A trained welder, Johnson created his own brand of docks using V-shaped beams located under the dock for better support and to better absorb impact and movement. Johnson designed his own tools and machinery to make the docks and in 1982 started R&D Manufacturing. The company has since produced five patented designs.

“The customers we get are not first-time home buyers,” Johnson said. “The kids are out of the house. They need a simple way of installing the dock. They don’t want to go in the water to put posts in. They want to put it in and out.”

To find out more about R&D or to determine whether you may be eligible for an R&D Tax Credit  Contact a Swanson Reed specialist to see if you qualify.

Could human gene therapy be the next cancer cure?

dna 163466 960 720 1

Perry Hackett, a researcher at the University of Minnesota, had a significant breakthrough in using DNA to fight cancer. Hackett received significant research and development funding due to his form of cancer treatment using viruses like no other treatments do.

Hackett has invented the Sleeping Beauty Transposon system, which is a basis for many cancer-fighting immunotherapies. Transposons are DNA that are not uniform throughout an organism, a concept which is easily seen throughout Indian corn, where the kernels are multicolored because a DNA element is hopping around the corn genome. It is named Sleeping Beauty because it was a gene that was active 13 million years ago, however went extinct.

Hackett began his research journey almost 40 years ago when he first started genetically engineering larger fish, however now his more recent work can reprogram a person’s immune system to fight cancer. Hackett explains that an immune system has memory, and it can target specific things that are bad for your body by targeting virus-infected cells. His breakthrough was introducing a gene into a cell that will recognize such foreign cells in the body.

Hackett’s virus differs from others in that traditional viruses are expensive to make and take a long time, however, the Sleeping Beauty Transposon is simple enough for an undergraduate student to make.

Hackett calls his research, “One of the grandest Minnesota fishing stories ever,” as initially he was working to find a way to improve the lives of fishermen by genetically engineering fish and eventually this research lead him to immunotherapy and finding a cutting-edge tool to treat cancer.

In addition to treating cancer, Hackett’s research has also lead to further understanding into how cancer progresses and how to correct genetic diseases that people inherit. In the future, therapies based on Hackett’s Transposon system could eliminate  or correct the symptoms of inherited diseases.

The university will continue working on this research, as a cancer treatment like this can provide 80% of people who use it with complete recovery or remission of cancer.

As a result of R&D grants, such as the one Perry Hackett received, innovative thinking and research can be rewarded, continue to progress and ultimately save millions of lives.

If your company is undertaking certain R&D activities, you may be eligible to claim the state and federal R&D tax credit, which can then be reinvested into the business. To find out whether your business qualifies, contact Swanson Reed R&D Tax Advisers.