I-Corps: Environmentally-Acceptable BioLubricants

I-Corps：环境可接受的生物润滑剂

• 批准号: 1849117
• 负责人: Basudeb Saha
• 金额: $ 5万
• 依托单位: University of Delaware
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2018
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2018-10-01 至 2020-09-30
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=1849117&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Corps; Environmentally; Acceptable; BioLubricants

The broader impact/commercial potential of this I-Corps project is the development of an enabling technology for the cost-competitive production of biolubricant base-oils with better performance using 100% renewable carbon to meet growing customer pressure for sustainable products. The produced environmentally-acceptable products have a total over $60 billion global market and applications in industrial machinery, commercial and consumer automotives, grease, personal care products, turbines, transformers, aviation engines and machinery, marine vessels, hydropower production machinery, and others. Successful commercialization of this technology and products will bring multiple societal and commercial benefits. First, the designer biolubricants, guided by molecular simulation modeling, will bring market transformation for efficient and durable products. Second, the technology will bring feedstock flexibility for new and "greener" products innovation by utilizing the nation's abundant carbon neutral feedstocks; thus, addressing environmental eco-system concerns. Third, it will improve rural economies by utilizing the feedstocks and resources that are available in those areas. Fourth, educational benefits are an integral element of our proposed work, as it will provide opportunities to train technicians and early career researchers.This I-Corps project will gather customers' feedback and establish the commercial feasibility of this patent-pending technology on energy-efficient and atom-economic production of biolubricant base-oils with tailored molecular architectures and tunable specifications. Initial specifications, techno-economic analysis, and customer's feedback suggest that the products are cost-competitive and suitable for current high performance applications. Bio-degradability, and tunable specifications of the products will offer significant competitive advantages to the market. We will gather more customers' feedback through the proposed I-Corps National program to gain more market insight for products. Especially, we will (1) evaluate market gaps and customers' desire for next generation products, (2) validate the market entry strategy, (3) analyze competitions and competitive advantages for our products, (4) analyze and validate value-propositions and their fit to the market need, and (5) analyze the market price of competitors' products. The outcome of this market research will significantly advance the commercialization of our products and technology.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.

该 I-Corps 项目更广泛的影响/商业潜力是开发一种使能技术，使用 100% 可再生碳以具有成本竞争力的方式生产具有更好性能的生物润滑油基础油，以满足客户对可持续产品日益增长的压力。生产的环保产品在全球市场总价值超过600亿美元，应用领域包括工业机械、商用和消费汽车、润滑脂、个人护理产品、涡轮机、变压器、航空发动机和机械、船舶、水电生产机械等。该技术和产品的成功商业化将带来多重社会和商业效益。首先，以分子模拟模型为指导的设计师生物润滑剂将为高效耐用的产品带来市场转型。 其次，该技术将利用国家丰富的碳中和原料，为新的“绿色”产品创新带来原料灵活性；从而解决环境生态系统问题。第三，它将利用这些地区现有的原料和资源来改善农村经济。第四，教育效益是我们拟议工作的一个组成部分，因为它将提供培训技术人员和早期职业研究人员的机会。这个 I-Corps 项目将收集客户的反馈，并确定这项正在申请专利的能源技术的商业可行性。具有定制分子结构和可调规格的生物润滑油基础油的高效和原子经济生产。初始规格、技术经济分析和客户反馈表明，这些产品具有成本竞争力，并且适合当前的高性能应用。产品的生物降解性和可调规格将为市场提供显着的竞争优势。我们将通过拟议的 I-Corps National 计划收集更多客户的反馈，以获得更多的产品市场洞察力。特别是，我们将（1）评估市场差距和客户对下一代产品的需求，（2）验证市场进入策略，（3）分析我们产品的竞争和竞争优势，（4）分析和验证价值主张和（5）分析竞争对手产品的市场价格。这项市场研究的结果将显着推进我们产品和技术的商业化。该奖项反映了 NSF 的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。