| FPINNOVATIONS Patent applications |
| Patent application number | Title | Published |
|---|
| 20130089683 | FORMULATION OF SURFACE TREATMENT FOR INKJET RECEIVING MEDIA - A surface coating for paper, the paper produced and method for producing the coated paper as described. The paper is made from at least one of a mechanically, or chemically-derived pulp and the coating includes aluminum sulfate to coagulate the inkjet ink at the paper surface and achieve improved print quality, when compared with coatings without aluminum sulfate. | 04-11-2013 |
| 20130089492 | CHIRAL NEMATIC NANOCRYSTALLINE METAL OXIDES - A mesoporous metal oxide materials with a chiral organization; and a method for producing it, in the method a polymerizable metal oxide precursor is condensed inside the pores of chiral nematic mesoporous silica by the so-called “hard templating” method. As a specific example, mesoporous titanium dioxide is formed inside of a chiral nematic silica film templated by nanocrystalline cellulose (NCC). After removing the silica template such as by dissolving the silica in concentrated aqueous base, the resulting product is a mesoporous titania with a high surface area. These mesoporous metal oxide materials with high surface area and chiral nematic structures that lead to photonic properties may be useful for photonic applications as well as enantioselective catalysis, photocatalysis, photovoltaics, UV filters, batteries, and sensors. | 04-11-2013 |
| 20130017394 | HIGH ASPECT RATIO CELLULOSE NANOFILAMENTS AND METHOD FOR THEIR PRODUCTION - A method to produce on a commercial scale, high aspect ratio cellulose nanofilaments (CNF) from natural lignocellulosic fibers comprises a multi-pass high consistency refining (HCR) of chemical or mechanical fibers using combinations of refining intensity and specific energy. The CNF produced represents a mixture of fine filaments with widths in the submicron and lengths from tens of micrometers to few millimeters. The product has a population of free filaments and filaments bound to the fiber core from which they were produced. The proportion of free and bound filaments is governed in large part by total specific energy applied to the pulp in the refiner, and differs from other cellulose fibrillar materials by their higher aspect ratio and the preserved degree of polymerization (DP) of cellulose, and are excellent additives for the reinforcement of paper, tissue, paperboard and the like. They display exceptional strengthening power for never-dried paper webs. | 01-17-2013 |
| 20120211184 | FRACTIONATION OF A WASTE LIQUOR STREAM FROM NANOCRYSTALLINE CELLULOSE PRODUCTION - During nanocrystalline cellulose (NCC) production, a considerable amount of sulphuric acid is used. After the separation of the NCC, the remaining solution contains sugars and residual sulphuric acid. The sugars are in the monomeric and oligomeric forms. To reduce the cost of NCC production and to produce other added-value products, the spent acid stream can be fractionated into sugar oligomers, sugar monomers, and acid. The acid can be recycled to the NCC manufacturing process after concentration. The sugar monomers and sugar oligomers can be used for the manufacturing of other valuable chemicals. Membrane nanofiltration can be used to achieve this objective. A polymeric membrane with a molecular weight cut-off in the range of 200 Dalton was employed. Using this approach, the majority of the acid was recovered in the permeate while the sugars were concentrated in a smaller stream. The sugar level in the separated acid/permeate stream was only about 3% of the original concentration. A second membrane filtration stage can be used to separate the monomeric from the oligomeric sugars. The two sugar streams can be employed in different applications to produce value-added products. | 08-23-2012 |
| 20120138715 | METHOD OF CONTROLLING WOOD PULP PRODUCTION IN A CHIP REFINER - A method has been developed that estimates from the on line measurements of readily available process variables the proportion of the mass of fibre in the refining zone of a chip refiner relative to the mass with a full refining zone. This estimate of the filling factor is used to determine the margin available to load the refiner and the control action needed to avoid abnormal operation. | 06-07-2012 |
| 20120080156 | CELLULOSE-REINFORCED HIGH MINERAL CONTENT PRODUCTS AND METHODS OF MAKING THE SAME - A method to prepare aqueous furnishes useful as feedstock in the manufacture of very high-mineral content products, particularly paper sheets having mineral filler content up to 90% that display the required physical properties for the intended applications; the furnishes comprise fibrillated long fibres/mineral fillers mixed with anionic acrylic binders and co-additives, in presence or absence of cellulose fibrils; the fibrillated long fibres and cellulose fibrils provide high surface area for greater filler fixation and the reinforcement backbone network that ties all of the product components together; the anionic binders allow rapid and strong fixation of filler particles onto the surfaces of fibrils when mixing is conducted at temperatures higher than the glass transition temperature (T | 04-05-2012 |
| 20120041146 | PHENOL-FORMALDEHYDE POLYMER WITH CARBON NANOTUBES, A METHOD OF PRODUCING SAME, AND PRODUCTS DERIVED THEREFROM - The present invention provides methods to functionalize and solubilize WCNT with a phenolic polymer such as a lignin or a PF resin followed by in-situ integration of this functionalized CNT in the presence of formaldehyde and phenol and/or lignin to generate either CNT-reinforced phenol-formaldehyde polymer or CNT-reinforced lignin-phenol-formaldehyde polymer in either liquid or powder form suitable as an adhesive in the manufacture of a lignocellulosic composite material such as OSB and plywood. | 02-16-2012 |
| 20110308750 | HYDROPHOBIC LIGNOCELLULOSIC MATERIAL AND PROCESS THEREFOR - A method is conceived for producing hydrophobic lignocellulosics based on the graft copolymerisation of vinyl-type monomers onto the lignocellulosic backbone initiated by a redox couple initiator in aqueous medium. The green modification process can be carried out on any lignocellulosic material, for example, chemical, chemi-thermomechanical or thermo-mechanical pulps, bleached or unbleached. The technology disclosed in this invention yields individual lignocellulosic entities, for instance, hydrophobic pulp fibres, that can be used in combination with other fibres or polymers to produce nonwoven fibrous materials or composites. A significant aspect of the invention is that the modified lignocellulosic material possesses an efficient hydrophobic barrier and minimum interfacial energy to generate optimum adhesion when introduced to polymer resins. Hydrophobic lignocellulosics can have wide applications in products requiring high dimensional stability and excellent adhesion as in fibre-based packaging, decorative laminates, furniture and non-structural biocomposites. | 12-22-2011 |
| 20110297340 | METHOD FOR SEPARATING LIGNIN FROM BLACK LIQUOR - A method was developed for: a) improving the filterability of acid-precipitated lignin from kraft black liquors, b) increasing the dry solids content of the final lignin product, c) reducing the acid requirements and d) minimizing or eliminating TRS emissions during the acidification of black liquor to produce lignin and/or the subsequent suspension of the lignin in acid and/or the washing of the lignin with acid. No major difference in the chemical composition, MWD and main functional groups was found in the lignin of the present invention compared with lignins produced by conventional methods. | 12-08-2011 |
| 20110293932 | ADHESION WITH NANOCRYSTALLINE CELLULOSE - Nanocrystalline cellulose (NCC) obtained by sulfuric acid hydrolysis is used as an adhesive. Aqueous suspensions of NCC in acid form H-NCC or in a neutralized form in which protons of the acid form are replaced by a monovalent cation such as sodium ion are adhesives. | 12-01-2011 |
| 20110277947 | CELLULOSE NANOFILAMENTS AND METHOD TO PRODUCE SAME - Cellulose nanofilaments from cellulose fibers, a method and a device to produce them are disclosed. The nanofilaments are fine filaments with widths in the sub-micron range and lengths up to a couple of millimeters. These nanofilaments are made from natural fibers from wood and other plants. The surface of the nanofilaments can be modified to carry anionic, cationic, polar, hydrophobic or other functional groups. Addition of these nanofilaments to papermaking furnishes substantially improves the wet-web strength and dry sheet strength much better than existing natural and synthetic polymers. The cellulose nanofilaments produced by the present invention are excellent additives for reinforcement of paper and paperboard products and composite materials, and can be used to produce superabsorbent materials. | 11-17-2011 |
| 20110248214 | INORGANIC MESOPOROUS MATERIALS WITH CHIRAL NEMATIC STRUCTURES AND PREPARATION METHOD THEREOF - The present invention describes a composition and a method for producing mesoporous silica materials with a chiral organization. In the method, a polymerizable inorganic monomer is reacted in the presence of nanocrystalline cellulose (NCC) to give a material of inorganic solid with cellulose nanocrystallites embedded in a chiral nematic organization. The NCC can be removed to give a stable porous structure that retains the chiral organization of the NCC template. The new materials may be obtained as iridescent free-standing films with high surface area. Through control of the reaction conditions, the colour of the films can be varied across the entire visible spectrum. These are the first materials to combine mesoporosity with long-range chiral ordering that leads to photonic properties. Examples of possible applications of the materials are: lightweight reinforcement materials, low k dielectric materials, tunable reflective filters, adsorbents, stationary phases for chromatography of chiral or achiral substances, supports for catalysts (e.g., for asymmetric synthetic transformations), and as a template to generate other new porous materials (e.g., porous carbon or porous metals), preferably with chiral nematic structures. | 10-13-2011 |
| 20110201755 | THERMOPLASTIC NANOCOMPOSITE MATERIAL BASED ON NANOCRYSTALLINE CELLULOSE (NCC) - A green approach for the development of nanocomposite materials comprising nanocrystalline cellulose (NCC) and appropriate vinyl polymers is conceived. The approach deals with the in-situ graft co-polymerization of hydrophobic vinyl monomers, such as vinyl acetate and methyl methacrylate, onto the NCC surface in an aqueous medium. The resulting material is significantly more hydrophobic and thermally stable than the starting NCC. The nanocomposite material can be suspended in appropriate solvents, dried and moulded with other materials using conventional polymer processing techniques to develop yet new materials with new characteristics. These nanocomposites have wide ranging applications from industrial to medical use. | 08-18-2011 |
| 20110196094 | NANOCOMPOSITE BIOMATERIALS OF NANOCRYSTALLINE CELLULOSE (NCC) AND POLYLACTIC ACID (PLA) - A new approach is conceived for the development of sustainable biomaterials comprising nanocrystalline cellulose (NCC) and polylactic acid (PLA) nanocomposites. The invention deals with advancing a method based on in situ ring opening polymerization of L-lactide in the presence of NCC particles to form NCC-PLA supramolecular nanocomposite materials. This material is hydrophobic and compatible with a wide range of synthetic and natural polymers. NCC-PLA nanocomposites have enhanced functionality (e.g. gas barrier), rheological and mechanical performance, as well as dimensional stability (i.e. less hygroexpansivity) relative to PLA. They are made from entirely renewable resources, and are potentially biocompatible as well as recyclable. NCC-PLA supramolecular nanocomposites can be suspended in most organic solvents or dried to form a solid substance. They can be processed using conventional polymer processing techniques to develop 3-dimensional structures, or spun into fibres, yarns or filaments. | 08-11-2011 |
| 20110190424 | FUNGAL MODIFIED CHITOSAN ADHESIVES AND WOOD COMPOSITES MADE FROM THE ADHESIVES - The present invention describes a fungal modified chitosan adhesive for binding a fibrous material and the method of producing the adhesive. The adhesive is produced by providing a chitosan containing raw material; a fungal growing medium; a fungal culture; mixing the raw material, the growing medium and the fungal culture together to produce a suspension; incubating the suspension to produce a broth comprising a modified chitosan solid, an at least partially-consumed medium liquid and a fungal residue; separating the modified chitosan solid from the liquid and the fungal residue, and dissolving the modified chitosan solid to produce the adhesive resin. | 08-04-2011 |
| 20110183141 | DRIED NANOCRYSTALLINE CELLULOSE OF CONTROLLABLE DISPERSIBILITY AND METHOD THEREFOR - Dried nanocrystalline cellulose (NCC), in particular films of NCC, of controlled water dispersibility and a method to control the dispersibility of dried NCC by controlling electrolyte solution ionic strength and ion valency is described. Neutral M-NCC suspensions containing monovalent counterions (e.g., M=Na | 07-28-2011 |
| 20110182990 | NANOCOMPOSITE HYDROGEL AND METHOD FOR PREPARING IT, FOR INDUSTRIAL AND MEDICAL APPLICATIONS - Nanocrystalline cellulose (NCC) is employed as the cross-linker and reinforcement domain for developing nanocomposite hydrogels possessing high strength and improved diffusion property; the resulting nanocomposite hydrogels are shown to have high mechanical properties, reversible swelling ability, and are biodegradable and biocompatible; the approach relies on free radical polymerization to form the hydrogels using a variety of hydrophilic vinyl monomers. These hydrogels are suitable for developing highly absorbent hygiene products, as well as for applications in medicine, engineering materials and sensors. | 07-28-2011 |
| 20100236664 | APPARATUS AND METHODS FOR CONTROLLED DEBARKING OF WOOD - An apparatus for determining one or more optimal operating parameters for debarking wood is provided. The apparatus has a scraper and an actuator configured to adjust the position of the scraper toward a sample portion of the wood to scrape a surface of the sample portion of the wood with a scraping force. The apparatus also has a force sensor operatively associated with the scraper for detecting the scraping force. A light source impinges light on a scraped surface of the sample portion. A light detector detects a light image defined by light from the light source reflected by the scraped surface. A controller is operatively associated with the force sensor and the light detector. The controller has processing means to determine the one or more optimal operating parameters based on signals relating to the scraping force and signals relating to the light image. The one or more optimal operating parameters are relevant to debarking wood proximal to the sample portion. | 09-23-2010 |
| 20090154774 | SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR CHARACTERIZING WOOD FURNISH - A system for determining at least one characteristic of wood furnish from an upstream source. The system includes: an inclined panel comprising a transparent window having a top surface for the wood furnish to slide down; a lighting means adjacent the transparent window for lighting the wood furnish visible through a bottom surface of the window; an image capturing means adjacent the transparent window for capturing an image of the wood furnish visible through the bottom surface of the window; and a processing means in communication with the image capturing means for deriving from the captured images the at least one characteristic of the wood furnish. | 06-18-2009 |
