The project involves the commercialization of a technological breakthrough in the field of zeolites. Delaminated zeolites developed in the proposed work at UC-Berkeley provide a new technology platform that is potentially disruptive to conventional zeolite catalysts used in alkylation reactions. Delaminated zeolites are a new class of materials that are formed via exfoliation of conventional zeolites. This new class of materials has been demonstrated to be catalytically more active than their three dimensional counterparts. The goal of this project is to commercialize delaminated zeolites as catalysts for alkylation of aromatics.
The proposed delaminated zeolite catalysts have been shown to be up to four times more active for aromatic alkylation when compared with conventional non-delaminated catalysts, and up to twice as active when compared with other industrial catalysts such as MCM-22. The improvement of catalyst performance when using the proposed delaminated zeolotic materials is projected to reduce energy consumption and, therefore, reduce costs of molecular precursors, such as ethylbenzene, which is used for synthesizing polymers.
An award was given to Team Catalysis to investigate the commercialization potential of a new class of materials that was invented at University of California Berkeley. The purpose of the award was to enable the team to directly interact with customers "outside of the building" and to refine an initially drafted business model. In addition to customer interviews, the award enabled the participation of the team at seminars held by I-Corps instructors and presentations given by the teams, which prepared the team further for the interviews and business-model development and refinement. Project outcomes I) A business plan was established that reflected data from over 100 customer interviews as well as from over 28 instructor presentations. The team made contact with potential customers and learned what their needs and problems are, and how much a solution would be worth to each customer. The team learned furthermore how to determine the market size for their products. II) Based on data at hand, the decision was made to proceed further with the commercialization project. This decision was made based on data acquired from interactions with potential customers who at the same time would be willing to partner with the team. III) Deeper understanding of translation of academic research findings into commercialization. Our team learned that it is crucial to fully understand the needs and problems of the potential customer segment in order to conduct targeted research more efficiently.
