Technologies Available to License
Novel Carbon Capture & Storage Solutions
Categories: Energy/Cleantech, Physical Sciences, Engineering – Chemical & Process
Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) projects could play a significant role in helping to meet greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions reduction targets. CCS deployment momentum has grown substantially in recent years, with over 500 projects in various stages of development across the value chain.
Economic incentives include Canada’s investment tax credit for CCUS projects; the United States’ Inflation Reduction Act, which includes major increases to the tax credit for CCUS, and the Clean Fuels and Productions Shot; as well as the European Union’s ReFuelEU Aviation initiative and EU Innovation Fund.
Building on experience from major CCS projects like SaskPower’s Boundary Dam in Estevan and utilizing expertise and facilities at the Clean Energy Technology Research Institute (CETRI), URegina has earned a reputation as world leader in solvent-based CCS technologies. Recently, Entropy, a Calgary-based CCS company, signed a contract with Canada’s green-project program guaranteeing up to $1.3 billion for the emissions it sequesters using technology developed by the University of Regina.
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Large source CO2 emitters
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Coal-fired power plants
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Refineries
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Cement manufacturing
Intellectual Property
This is a novel method utilizing a catalyst to separate a component or components of acid gas from a gas stream. The separation may be achieved by any suitable method such as, for example, distillation, absorption, stripping, rectification, desorption, and the like. The method may lead to cost and process improvements and is paramount to the carbon capture process.
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Supports large CO2 emitters reduce emissions
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Stores recovered CO2
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Participation in carbon credit market
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Increases corporate environmental, social and government initiatives
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Patent #: 2552573, United Kingdom |
This novel method and apparatus for recovering a gaseous component from an incoming gas stream utilizes a lean aqueous absorbing medium to recover carbon dioxide and/or hydrogen sulfide, creating a cost-effective component of the carbon capture process.
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Supports large CO2 emitters reduce emissions
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Stores recovered CO2
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Participation in carbon credit market
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Increases corporate environmental, social and government initiatives
| Patent #: PCT/CA2008/001029, Canada Patent #: 8,388,737, USA Patent #: 2008255555, Australia Patent #: 2010-509647, Japan |
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Supports large CO2 emitters reduce emissions
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Stores recovered CO2
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Participation in carbon credit market
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Increases corporate environmental, social and government initiatives
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Supports large CO2 emitters reduce emissions
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Stores recovered CO2
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Participation in carbon credit market
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Increases corporate environmental, social and government initiatives
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Supports large CO2 emitters reduce emissions
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Stores recovered CO2
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Participation in carbon credit market
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Increases corporate environmental, social and government initiatives
| Patent #: 63/451258, USA |
Hydrogen Production
Categories: Energy/Cleantech, Physical Sciences, Engineering – Chemical & Process
Hydrogen, a clean and versatile energy carrier, is a potential solution for addressing the challenges of climate change and energy sustainability. Efficient hydrogen production relies heavily on the development of advanced materials that enable cost effective and sustainable methods. University of Regina researchers are actively exploring innovative materials, including novel catalysts, membrane materials, and nanostructured materials, to improve the reaction efficiency, reduce energy requirements, and enhance the durability of hydrogen production systems.
- Transportation
- Mineral Extraction
- Automotive
- Shipping
- Large Scale Manufacturing
- Waste Management
Intellectual Property
University of Regina researchers at the Clean Energy Technology Research Institute (CETRI), have developed and evaluated a novel series of ternary oxide and quaternary oxide catalysts that can be used to produce hydrogen and/or syngas, which are feedstock flexible and/or process flexible. The feedstock referred to here can come from hydrocarbons or oxygenated hydrocarbons (i.e. fossil and biomass sources). The advantages of these catalysts are feedstock flexibility, process flexibility and sustainability. This makes it possible to easily switch between different feedstocks and processes on site and on demand, without having to change the catalyst.
- Hydrogen gas as an energy carrier, as it carries a high energy per unit mass
- Ability to use multiple feedstocks
- Enables on site and demand H2 production
Due to their high energy-efficiency and very low pollutant emissions, fuel cells are currently undergoing rapid development for both stationary and transportation applications. In the transportation sector, fuel cells could replace the internal combustion (IC) engines in cars, trucks, buses, etc., while meeting the most stringent emission regulations. Because the hydrogen used in fuel cells to produce electricity is not available in nature, a fuel processor is required to convert conventional carbon-bearing fuels into hydrogen. An environmentally sustainable and innovative process for H2 production which satisfies fuel cell requirements is a procedure known as carbon dioxide reforming of natural gas.
This invention from researchers at University of Regina’s Clean Energy Technology Research Institute (CETRI), relates to catalysts for the production of hydrogen using the water gas shift reaction and the carbon dioxide reforming of hydrocarbon-containing fuels. The catalysts are nickel and/or copper on a ceria/zirconia support, where the support is prepared using a surfactant templating method. The invention also includes processes for producing hydrogen, reactors, and hydrogen production systems utilizing these catalysts. Such catalysts reduce energy consumption and minimize operating costs during hydrogen production.
- Increases efficiency in hydrogen production process
- Enables on site and demand H2 production
Antimicrobial Resistance and Infection Control
Categories: Life & Medical Sciences, Immunology, Therapeutics
The World Health Organization has declared antimicrobial resistance (AMR) to be one of the top global public health threats facing humanity. Globally, an estimated 4.95 million deaths in 2019 were associated with antimicrobial-resistant bacterial infections, of which 1.27 million deaths were directly attributable to AMR (Murray 2022). Before the onset of the COVID pandemic, it was estimated that, in 2018, over one-quarter of bacterial infections in Canada were resistant to at least one first-line antimicrobial and that 14,000 Canadian deaths were associated with AMR, with AMR directly responsible for 5,400 of these deaths. The estimated cost to the Canadian health care system in 2018 was $1.4B, with a reduction to Canada’s GDP of $2.0B (CARSS Report 2022).
- Treatment and prevention of antimicrobial resistant bacteria
- Human and animal health
Intellectual Property
New antimicrobial agents/antibiotics address an urgent need for solutions to the antimicrobial resistance (AMR) crisis. Worldwide, bacterial AMR contributed to about 5M deaths in 2019. In Canada, it is estimated that 14,000 Canadians died due to antimicrobial resistance in 2018, and that 400,000 Canadians would die by 2050. Further, AMR costs the Canadian national healthcare system $1.4B and reduces the Canadian GDP by $2B annually. Dr. Omar El-Halfawy has discovered novel molecules related to AMR, which may be furthered developed into a therapeutic solution through drug discovery.
Competitive Advantages- Potential to support drug discovery and drive innovation in the biomedical and AgTech fields
- Recently discovered molecules (covered by the patent) act as antibiotic adjuvants, i.e., potentiate the activity of currently available antibiotics that are no longer active
- Scalable and unique antibiotic market, that lacks competition from large pharmaceutical companies who have abandoned their antibiotic R&D programs
| Patent: Provisional, US, Application No. 63/615,123–Filed: December 27, 2023 |
Autonomous Mobile Robots
Categories: Physical Sciences, Robotics, Engineering – Industrial Systems
Industrial facilities, warehouses, agricultural businesses, and healthcare institutions are looking for new ways to improve operational efficiency, enhance speed, ensure precision, and increase safety. Many are turning to autonomous mobile robots (AMRs) for help.
An AMR is a type of robot that can understand and move through its environment independently. AMRs differ from their predecessors, autonomous guided vehicles (AGVs), which rely on tracks or predefined paths and often require operator oversight. AMRs use a sophisticated set of sensors, artificial intelligence, machine learning, and compute for path planning to interpret and navigate through their environment, untethered from wired power.
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Mining sites
- Oil and gas exploration
- Manufacturing
Intellectual Property
University of Regina researcher, Dr. Mehran Mehrandezh and his team, have invented an adaptable vehicle. The vehicle is autonomous and able to climb objects, such as pipes and ducts, while being able to detect and, in many cases, stop falling. It includes a pair of primary rollers for rolling along a surface on which the vehicle is travelling. At least one of the rollers is rotatably powered. It also includes two sets of linking arms, one of which is coupled to one of the rollers, and the other of which is coupled to the other of the rollers such that moving the sets of linking arms can shift the axes of rotation of the rollers without impeding rotation of the rollers. The sets of linking arms are connected to and rotatable about an actuatable hub. Actuation of the hub causes at least one set of the linking arms to rotate about the hub and shifts the axis of rotation of at least one of the rollers to allow the vehicle to adapt to its surroundings. Such automation can reduce the likelihood that a person will be injured while performing the tasks and can increase productivity by performing the tasks faster than a person could. This technology can be used by a multitude of industries who require vehicle access in hard to reach and dangerous places.
Competitive Advantages:- Increases safety by reducing human risk
- Saves resources on labour
- Reliable
| Patent #: CA 2,825,928, Canada Patent #: US 13/982,769, USA Patent #: AU 2012214062, Australia Patent #: IN 7199/DELNP/2013, India Patent #: 2012106809A1 WIPO (PCT) |
Reservoir Modeling
Categories: Physical Sciences, Engineering – Energy Systems
Reservoir modeling refer to the process of creating a quantitative representation of a reservoir by analyzing and interpreting geological, petrophysical, and engineering data. It includes defining the geological structures, fluid properties, and the physical characteristics of the reservoir. The goal is to understand the reservoir’s characteristics and behaviour. It provides a framework for interpreting data, making decisions about field development, and planning for future drilling and production activities.
Reservoir modeling is a crucial tool for the O&G Industry to maximize hydrocarbon recovery, optimizing field development, managing risks, and making informed decisions that impact the economic and environmental sustainability of a reservoir. The demand for reservoir modeling is strong and growing as the industry faces new challenges and opportunities.
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Petroleum Exploration
- Mining exploration
Intellectual Property
Researchers from the University of Regina have developed a method for providing a three-dimensional model of a reservoir that includes: dividing the reservoir into grid elements, each of the grid elements being delimited by boundary surfaces, storing reservoir properties associated with each of the grid elements in a computer memory, dividing boundary surfaces of each of the grid elements into sub-surfaces, calculating fluxes across each of the sub-surfaces of each of the grid elements, the fluxes being calculated based on a reservoir type and applying the fluxes to each of the grid elements to provide pressure and production status throughout the reservoir. This novel process creates a more detailed and accurate description of the reservoir and the wellbore geometry needed to access the reservoir’s minerals.
- Improves decision making on the development of mineral extraction sites
- Saves valuable resources
Aerospace Technology
Categories: Aerospace, Physical Science, Engineering – Industrial Design
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Human space exploration missions
- Military & Defence
Intellectual Property
University of Regina researcher, Anwit Adhikari, has designed an integrated ventilation system that is organized around a novel compressor invented specifically with constraints of extraterrestrial habitation in mind. The novel system and method for air compression comprises an integrated ventilation system with the capacity to take in air from the Martian atmosphere, treat it along multiple variables, and provide breathable air to astronauts. It is designed to accommodate any additional number of air treatment modules, and can perform under extremes of temperature, pressure, and radiation conditions. Final testing and prototyping of the ventilation system is underway.
- Vertically integrated
- Novel compressor designed for extra terrestrial and extreme environments
- Accommodates any number of air treatment modules
University of Regina researcher, Anwit Adhikari, has pioneered a structural system made of modular components that can be used either in a habitat or an airlock. The structure exhibits collapsibility that is rapid and reversible, without compromising any of the structural requirements of the habitation structure. Final testing and prototyping of the structure is underway. read more
- Collapsibility for interplanetary transport
- Applicable in airlock our outdoor habitat