Method for Impregnating Wood Products with Metallic Elements

THIS IS NOT A PROCUREMENT BA-660 Idaho National Laboratory (INL), operated by the Battelle Energy Alliance, LLC (BEA) under contract with the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), is offering the opportunity to license, further develop, and commercialize a unique method to impregnate metal into wood products. The technology is a possible replacement for other commercially available wood treatment processes, such as Chromated Copper Arsenate (CCA), which have known health and environmental hazards. License rights may be issued on an exclusive or nonexclusive basis and may include specific fields of use. INL may also be available to assist in further research and development of this technology under a sponsored research agreement. Potential Applications: This unique treatment process has been developed primarily for use in conjunction with the treatment of natural and engineered wood products to protect against fungi and bacterial decay. Benefits: This promising technology will potentially: - improve fungal and bacterial resistance of exterior and marine wood products - be a cost competitive alternative to traditional biocide wood treatment technologies - require relatively low working capital investment as chemical precursors are commercially available in quantity at low cost - be compatible with existing waste treatment technologies commonly deployed by participants in the wood treatment industry - address environmental and toxicity challenges commonly encountered with other biocide treatment technologies Development Status Proof of principal has been demonstrated with small coupon wood samples. Additional development will be required to develop pilot scale process. A substantial investment will be required to complete commercial scale process design and construction. Intellectual Property: U.S. Patent Application is being explored. Foreign patent protection may be available. Commercial Opportunity: INL is seeking industry partners to continue to develop and commercialize this unique technology. The ideal partner would have some or all of the following capabilities either independently or through teaming arrangements with third parties: - experience in the manufacture of wood treatment chemical products and/or equipment for the processing of such chemicals - experience in the development and commercialization of new of wood treatment technologies - financial resources sufficient to make an investment in the development of a commercial chemical manufacturing process - an interest in performing and funding cooperative research at INL if necessary - substantial manufacturing and research operations in the United States Companies interested in commercializing this resin technology should provide a written statement of interest by e-mail to the Commercialization Manager (below) no later than 30 days from the publication date of this notice. The statement of interest should include the following information: 1. An overview of the entity including name, physical address of headquarters and major facilities, phone number and e-mail address of a representative who can be contacted regarding the expression of interest. 2. A description of the entity's technical expertise relevant to commercializing this technology. 3. A description of the entity's business plan for pursuing this opportunity. Suitable partners will be provided with further information on the technology. Such information may require execution of a nondisclosure agreement. Respondents wishing to enter into negotiations for a commercial license will be required to submit a business plan for the commercialization of the technology. INL seeks to license this technology to the best qualified candidate to ensure the successful commercialization of the technology. If multiple parties are interested in licensing the technology for overlapping fields of use, INL will use business judgment to select a single candidate or may license the technology on a non-exclusive basis. INL may consider inquiries made prior to the release of this notice and inquiries that are made through other channels (e.g. INL's website, email, phone). Although interested parties are encouraged to respond before the date provided, inquiries made after the deadline may be considered prior to a formal selection. Concerns about INL's selection process, if not resolved directly with INL's technology deployment office, may be raised with INL's Technology Transfer Ombudsman, Name, phone number. INL Contacts: David Anderson, Senior Commercialization Manager, Telephone: 208-526-0837, E-mail: David.Anderson@inl.gov Ryan Bills, Commercialization Manager, Telephone: 208-526-1896, E-mail: Ryan.Bills@inl.gov Key Words: Manufacturing, Wood Products, Wood Treatment, Building Materials, Wood Preservative