[news 2007-2008]

Queen's-developed decontamination system for chemical warfare agents issued U.S. patent

Solar collector, epilepsy diagnostic among 15 technologies awarded patents this year

May 28, 2007

KINGSTON, ON – A non-toxic method discovered at Queen's University for decomposing chemical warfare agents has been issued a U.S. patent.

Patent number 7,214,836 was issued May 8, 2007 for Method of Decomposing Organophosphorus Compounds, invented by Dr. Stan Brown , Dr. Alexei Neverov and Dr. Josephine Tsang of Queen's Department of Chemistry.

The technology provides a fast-acting method for rendering highly toxic chemical warfare agents, as well as pesticides and insecticides, into benign compounds by using alcohol and trace amounts of metal catalysts to deactivate the harmful agents.

Only minuscule amounts of the catalysts are needed to provide fast and efficient decomposition. The method occurs under mild, neutral conditions and forms non-toxic, easily disposed-of byproducts, making it an attractive alternative to existing decomposition methods, which rely on harsh agents and produce large volumes of caustic wastewater.

“This technology shows great promise because it fills the need for an inexpensive and rapid decontamination method that is also safe to use on both humans and the environment,” says Davis Hill, Manager of Commercial Development at Queen's University's PARTEQ Innovations, which is managing the commercialization of Dr. Brown's technology.

A solar collector with internal stagnation control, invented by Dr. Stephen Harrison of Queen's Department of Mechanical Engineering and his research team of Dr. Qin Lin, Lucio Mesquita and David Valletta, was issued its first U.S. patent this year. The stagnation control mechanism prevents the panel from overheating, a major technological advance in the solar collector industry.

A related technology, a passive back-flushing thermal system, also invented by Dr. Harrison, was issued three patents, in Hong Kong, China and Mexico, over the past year. Together the two technologies, which have been issued a total of six patents, form the basis of a solar hot-water heating system now being sold across North America by EnerWorks, Inc., a London, ON-based alternative energy company.

Also issued this year was a U.S. patent for a diagnostic method for determining susceptibility to epilepsy, developed by Dr. Donald Weaver, formerly of Queen's Department of Chemistry, and his research team. The technology uses a simple urine test to detect an imbalance of certain metabolites. Such imbalance, particularly when combined with traumatic brain injury, has been correlated with a predisposition for developing epilepsy. Currently there is no predictive clinical test to indicate whether a victim of head trauma is predisposed to developing seizures.

U.S. patents were also issued for two related technologies, Isolated DC-to-DC Converters and Non-Isolated DC-to-DC Converters, developed by Dr. Yan-Fei Liu of Queen's Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering. The technologies meet the need for high-efficiency, fast power supplies for next-generation microprocessors.

In all, 15 patents were issued for Queen's-generated technologies over the past year.

“The issuance of patents is a significant step in advancing to market innovative solutions to immediate, real-world problems,” says John Molloy, President and CEO of PARTEQ. “It is also an indicator of the high quality of work being conducted by our researchers at Queen's.”

Contact:
John Molloy
President & CEO
PARTEQ Innovations
P: 613. 533. 2342
E: jmolloy@parteqinnovations.com