Auckland Uniservices Limited

University of Doha for Science & Technology

Illinois Institute of Technology

Qatar University

Vertichem Corporation

College of the North Atlantic-Qatar

Mohammed Farid

Jamal Kurdi

James Douglas Watson

Said Al-Hallaj

Ross L Prestidge

Tony James Lough

Shaheen Al-Muhtaseb

Helene Belanger

Jia-Long Yao

Clare Elton

John Jj Chen

Refat Al Shannaq

Alan MacFarlane

A method of mercury-free photochemical micro-/nano-encapsulation of an active material is a process for obtaining micro-/nano-capsules by means of curing by UV LED radiation at ambient or even cold temperatures. A stirrer photo-reactor made from glass or transparent plastics can be used but mixed flow reactor could be also employed. Appropriate mixing is sufficient to expose all droplets, which contain an active material surrounded by curable-shell materials in the emulsion to the LED radiation. Using the optimum light intensities and reactions' times is critical for encapsulating the active material with a high efficiency and producing a high quality micro-/nano-capsules, Solar monochromator device can also be used as long as it generate the same radiation with a narrow/single wavelengths as the LED device. Light emitted diode (LED) is a mercury-free UV radiation source with a long operating life time and an instant ON-Off. it has a high efficiency, a very low cooling requirements and cost-efficient in photochemical encapsulation. It reduces the time of microencapsulation from 6 hours to a less than 5 minutes. It has a significant decrease in manufacturing cost, waste-water, unconverted monomers, and leftover active phase change material (PCM) compared to other methods. Conversion of more than 90% of monomers can be achieved, and encapsulation efficiency can reach 100% at optimum conditions. This is in addition to the ability of this invented technology for encapsulate volatile and heat sensitive active materials at ambient as well as low temperatures. Normal glass or transparent plastics can be used as a reactor material. Only the matched useful wavelength radiation is emitted by LED without having other wavelengths which might have a bad impact on the encapsulation process.

Rapid mercury-free photochemical microencapsulation/nanoencapsulation at ambient conditions

A method of mercury-free photochemical micro-/nano-encapsulation of an active material is a process for obtaining Micro-/nano-capsules by means of curing by UV LED radiation at ambient or even cold temperatures. A stirrer photo-reactor made from glass or transparent plastics can be used but mixed flow reactor could be also employed. Appropriate mixing is sufficient to expose all droplets, which contain an active material surrounded by curable-shell materials in the emulsion to the LED radiation. Using the optimum light intensities and reactions' times is critical for encapsulating the active material with a high efficiency and producing a high quality micro-/nano-capsules, Solar monochromator device can also be used as long as it generate the same radiation with a narrow/single wavelengths as the LED device. Light emitted diode (LED) is a mercury-free UV radiation source with a long operating life time and an instant ON-Off, it has a high efficiency, a very low cooling requirements and cost-efficient in photochemical encapsulation. It reduces the time of microencapsulation from 6 hours to a less than 5 minutes. It has a significant decrease in manufacturing cost, waste-water, unconverted monomers, and leftover active phase change material (PCM) compared to other methods. Conversion of more than 90% of monomers can be achieved, and encapsulation efficiency can reach 100% at optimum conditions. This is in addition to the ability of this invented technology for encapsulate volatile and heat sensitive active materials at ambient as well as low temperatures. Normal glass or transparent plastics can be used as a reactor material. Only the matched useful wavelength radiation is emitted by LED without having other wavelengths which might have a bad impact on the encapsulation process.

The method for low temperature microencapsulation of phase change materials or other components includes the following steps: (a) preparing a phase change emulsion including droplets of at least one active phase-change material in water with a surfactant; (b) adding a monomer of at least one encapsulating agent; (c) introducing the phase change emulsion into a UV reactor while stirring the emulsion; and (d) initiating the photo polymerization of monomers using at least one UV lamp inside the UV reactor for photo polymerization until the phase change material is encapsulated within a polymeric shell to form microcapsules. The microcapsules obtained by this process may have a diameter between about 0.5 to about 2 &#x3bc;m. Other sizes can also be obtained by changing stirring speed of the emulsion.

Method for low temperature microencapsulation of phase change materials

In one aspect, a process for treating woody plant material is provided, the process involving contacting the plant material with a continuous flow of an aqueous ethanol solution at elevated temperature and pressure under conditions that promote extraction of ethanol-soluble lignin from the plant material and retention of hemicellulose sugars, xylose and cellulose in the treated plant material solids. In another aspect, a process for extracting hemicellulose sugars from lignin-depleted plant material solids is provided, the process involving contacting lignin-depleted plant material with water at elevated temperature and pressure under conditions that promote extraction of hemicellulose sugars from the plant material; and recovering hemicellulose sugars from the liquid mixture.

Recovery of lignin and water soluble sugars from plant materials

A microchannel cooler containing a slurry having a particulate liquid/solid phase change material is provided balancing the interdependent factors of microencapsulated particle size with microchannel size and shape and flow conditions for the removal of high heat flux with low space and low power requirements.

Microchannel heat exchanger with micro-encapsulated phase change material for high flux cooling

Growing community of inventors

Auckland, New Zealand

Mohammed Farid