Chicago – Intellectual property law firm Brinks Hofer Gilson & Lione is pleased to announce the five finalists for its 3rd Annual Brinks Innovation Competition, a leading Midwest competition for entrepreneurs in clean and green technology. The five finalists are AquaMost Inc.; Catacel Corporation; cycleWood Solutions LLC; Ecologic Tech; and Lightweight Structures LLC.
Companies submitting entries in the Brinks Innovation Competition, held annually in conjunction with the Midwest Clean Tech Conference, are required to provide solutions to global challenges in such areas as environmental technologies, renewable and alternative energy, infrastructure and community improvements, or green building science, and must offer competitive returns for investors and customers. Products, services and processes eligible for entry must improve and promote the productive and responsible use of natural resources, reduce or eliminate negative ecological impact and provide superior performance at lower costs compared to other approaches. Each entry was evaluated by a panel of experts representing regional universities, venture capitalists and business executives familiar with clean technology.
The five finalists come from across the Midwest and are a showcase of diverse clean technologies in a variety of industries.
Locally, Catacel Corp., based in Garrettsville, engineers and manufactures novel, proprietary catalytic materials that significantly increase process output and improve energy and operating efficiencies.
Catacel shapes special metal foils into a variety of geometries, then coats the foils with different catalysts designed to enable specific reactions within specific environments. The resulting shaped and coated foils are used within components that enable combustion, catalytic partial oxidation, fuel reforming, tail gas combustion, gas-to-liquid, de-sulphurization, hydrogen production via steam methane reforming, and carbon capture processes. Such components are commonly used in fuel cells, syngas and industrial gas applications.
By combining and improving heat transfer and catalytic functions. The reactors are smaller, lighter, lower-cost and more energy efficient than alternatives.
For nearly 30 years, Catacel has created unique solutions for environmental and energy applications, resulting in numerous new catalytic reformer products and efficient processes for manufacturing those products.
This year’s finalists will present their clean technologies to an international audience of early-stage investors, researchers, entrepreneurs, venture capitalists and financiers focused on clean technologies, and corporate research and development and business development executives. Presentations are at Midwest Clean Tech on September 14, 2011, at the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago.
