Green light for green patent…

Mohammad Taherzadeh and his research team at the School of Engineering have attracted considerable attention in recent years for having succeeded in producing ethanol and biogas from different kinds of waste.

“Many different materials have been used in the process, but we have chosen to focus on a small segment of the field, specifically citrus waste,” explains Daniel Yar Hamidi, CEO of Inicia, as the university calls its holding company.

Inicia's goal is to support entrepreneurship and the commercialization of the university's research findings. Mohammad Taherzadeh's research findings are the first to result in a patent application.

The objective is to be able to commercialize the method of producing four products out of citrus waste: limon (an antibacterial agent), pectin, biogas, and ethanol. Citrus waste is not suitable for burning since it contains too much moisture. Nor is it good for putrefaction or composting due to the antibacterial substance.

“We want to protect our knowledge under a patent, but at the same time we also hope we will be able to share our know-how via sales of facilities or licensing the process,” says Mohammad Taherzadeh.

Since 2005 he has been working with orange peels as a raw material. The project has been funded by the Föreningssparbanken Sjuhärad Foundation, the Swedish Industrial Design Foundation in Sjuhärad, and Brämhults Juice AB, making it possible for four doctoral candidates and a number of master's theses to develop the process.

Both Mohammad Taherzadeh and Daniel Yar Hamidi are convinced that it will be possible to sell this type of knowledge abroad, especially in countries with a warm climate and citrus cultivation.

“In such places there is an even greater need for this type of facility. In Borås we have about 10,000 tones of citrus waste per year,” says Mohammad Taherzadeh. He adds that much work remains to be done when it comes to managing waste.

“We need to be even better than we are today in Sweden. If we do it in the right way, we can sell our knowledge as an export and at the same time improve the global environment,” he continues.

Contact:
Daniel Yar Hamidi, VD Inicia AB, e-mail: daniel.yar@hb.se, phone: +46 (0)33-435 59 83 or mobile: +46 (0)733-613253

Mohammad Taherzadeh, professor, School of Engineering, University of Borås, e-mail: mohammad.taherzadeh@hb.se , phone: +46 (0)33-435 59 08 or mobile: +46 (0)707-1710 32

Pressofficer Annie Andréasson;ann-christine.andreasson@hb.se;+46-708 174122

Media Contact

Ingemar Björklund idw

More Information:

http://www.vr.se

All latest news from the category: Life Sciences and Chemistry

Articles and reports from the Life Sciences and chemistry area deal with applied and basic research into modern biology, chemistry and human medicine.

Valuable information can be found on a range of life sciences fields including bacteriology, biochemistry, bionics, bioinformatics, biophysics, biotechnology, genetics, geobotany, human biology, marine biology, microbiology, molecular biology, cellular biology, zoology, bioinorganic chemistry, microchemistry and environmental chemistry.

Back to home

Comments (0)

Write a comment

Newest articles

Lighting up the future

New multidisciplinary research from the University of St Andrews could lead to more efficient televisions, computer screens and lighting. Researchers at the Organic Semiconductor Centre in the School of Physics and…

Researchers crack sugarcane’s complex genetic code

Sweet success: Scientists created a highly accurate reference genome for one of the most important modern crops and found a rare example of how genes confer disease resistance in plants….

Evolution of the most powerful ocean current on Earth

The Antarctic Circumpolar Current plays an important part in global overturning circulation, the exchange of heat and CO2 between the ocean and atmosphere, and the stability of Antarctica’s ice sheets….

Partners & Sponsors