Technip Energies and LanzaTech Global, Inc. were selected by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Clean Energy Demonstrations to begin award negotiations for up to $200 million in Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) funding as part of the Industrial Demonstrations Program (IDP).

The project SECURE – standing for Sustainable Ethylene from CO2 Utilization with Renewable Energy – aims to develop a transformational technology to produce sustainable ethylene from captured carbon dioxide (CO2). Technip Energies and LanzaTech announced their Joint Collaboration Agreement to create this new pathway to sustainable ethylene at commercial scale in July 2023.

Estimated to reach a $200 billion market by 2030 and with a global demand of over 231 million tons per year, ethylene is the key building block for thousands of chemicals and materials and is often called the “world’s most important chemical”. This new joint technology will be developed in the U.S. for integration directly into existing commercial ethylene crackers, whereby it will capture CO2 emissions from the process and convert them into sustainable ethylene.

To read the entire press release, click here.

Dr. Jennifer Holmgren, CEO of LanzaTech, said: “The DOE’s Industrial Demonstrations Program is climate leadership in action. We look forward to developing a replicable, breakthrough solution with Technip Energies that creates high-quality jobs and supports local communities for a just energy transition.”

Arnaud Pieton, CEO at Technip Energies, stated: “We are extremely proud to have been selected by the DOE for this significant award consideration. Together with LanzaTech, our plan is to fully test and develop this breakthrough technology, at scale, in an actual plant, which can then be replicated in other facilities. Carbon utilization and the ability to decarbonize ethylene will have a significant impact on the chemicals industry’s emissions abatement, which is a benefit to us all.”

Nanotechnology pioneer Chad Mirkin has been issued his 400th patent, a milestone that places him at the forefront of a field described as “the next industrial revolution.” 

As a professor, scientist, inventor, and entrepreneur, Mirkin has successfully taken ideas from the lab and translated them to the marketplace. Fittingly, the 400th patent describes a method and apparatus for 3D printing that was invented by Mirkin and his research group at Northwestern University and has been licensed by Azul3D, a rapidly growing startup that has established major partnerships, including one with DuPont.

“Nanotechnology is transforming fields like medicine, energy, and manufacturing, and new possibilities appear every day,” said Mirkin, the George B. Rathmann Professor of Chemistry in Northwestern’s Weinberg College of Arts & Sciences and the founding director of the International Institute for Nanotechnology. “The exceptional students, faculty, and administration at Northwestern make it possible to capitalize on these opportunities and turn them into products that solve big problems.”

“As a multidisciplinary, entrepreneurial leader in the sciences, Chad Mirkin has pioneered transformative advances, including at the intersection of engineering and medicine,” said Eric J. Perreault, Northwestern’s vice president for research. “His ability to translate fundamental research into high-impact innovation continues to shape numerous fields and provide breakthroughs that benefit individuals and society."

For more about IIN and this announcement, click here.

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The boon of biotech valuations that marked the end of 2023 has continued into the start of 2024.

One of the more recent examples is Cour Pharmaceuticals, a Chicago-based biotech focused on tackling autoimmune diseases, that closed a $105 million funding round to support its medicines.

The primary focus for Cour is treating autoimmune disorders. CEO John Puisis said he believes the technology, in which a particle with an antigen and a negative charge mimics apoptotic debris so that the immune system picks it up in the bloodstream, could be effective across various disease states. 

Puisis recently spoke with MM+M about the funding raise, the condition of the autoimmune treatment space and the potential of Chicago’s ascendant biotech scene. 

To read the entire article, click here.

Puisis noted, "We came out of the gate in August of 2021, we had a lot of excitement about our product because when we had done well in celiac disease, we had multiple products in the clinic and a good platform that came out of Northwestern University."

Art Stender was recently recognized for his 50 years at ISTP. April 4, 2024 was proclaimed "Art Stender Day" by George Van Dusen, Mayor of the Village of Skokie.

As a Senior Engineer, Art has superior troubleshooting skills in control systems and has delivered exceptional customer service to all tenants and associates to insure that all of ISTP building systems run smoothly. Additionally, Art has been a supportive team member and a leader training all of the operations staff on site with his extensive experience.

For more about ISTP, click here.