HydroGlobe patent wins Thomas Alva Edison Award
Metsorb™ reduces arsenic, heavy metals from ground and surface water
HOBOKEN , N.J. — A patent from HydroGlobe, a Technogenesis ® environmental technology company incubated at Stevens Institute of Technology, has won the Thomas Alva Edison Patent Award for Technology Transfer from the Research and Development Council of New Jersey. The original patent is owned by Stevens, which has given to HydroGlobe the rights of exclusive use of the technology. HydroGlobe, which produces patented products for the removal of heavy metals – including lead and arsenic – from water, was acquired by Graver Technologies, a leading manufacturer of filtration and separation products, in 2004.
HydroGlobe was founded in 2000 by threeStevens professors based on research conducted at the Center for Environmental Systems (CES), directed by Dr. Christos Christodoulatos. In addition to Christodoulatos, the HydroGlobe founders include Dr. George P. Korfiatis (CES founding director and also Dean of Stevens’ Schaefer School of Engineering) and Dr. Xiaoguang Meng, Director of Technical and Academic Development at CES. The technologies are included in a series of patents obtained by the founders of the company. The merged business is run out of Graver Technologies’ facility in Glasgow , Del.
“The partnership with, and help from many areas within Stevens, including technical, marketing and finance, was instrumental in moving HydroGlobe heavy-metal removal technology to a commercial level. Equally, the experience interacting with the commercial world should help those involved from Stevens in future technology startup enterprises,” said John H. Schroeder, former CEO of HydroGlobe.
The award-winning patent, titled “Methods of Preparing a Surface-Activated Titanium Oxide Product and of Using Same in Water Treatment Process” is known as Metsorb™, a highly effective, low-cost absorbent for reduction of arsenic and a wide variety of heavy metals from ground and surface water. The invention details a method for producing a surface-activated crystalline titanium oxide product having a high adsorptive capacity and high rate of adsorption with respect to dissolved contaminants. The invention further includes steps of preparing a titanium oxide precipitate from a mixture comprising a hydrolysable titanium compound.
“This award is an affirmation of the Technogenesis process of laboratory research leading to real-world applications of technology, meeting critical needs on a national and global scale,” said Dr. Helena S. Wisniewski, Stevens’ Vice President for Research and Enterprise Development. “ Dean Korfiatis and Drs. Meng and Christodoulatos are exemplars in their field in developing environmental solutions that have the potential to improve the lives of people across the globe. This is a true illustration of a Technogenesis outcome.”
About Stevens Institute of Technology
Founded in 1870, Stevens Institute of Technology is one of the leading technological universities in the world dedicated to learning and research. Through its broad-based curricula, nurturing of creative inventiveness, and cross disciplinary research, the Institute is at the forefront of global challenges in engineering, science, and technology management. Partnerships and collaboration between, and among, business, industry, government and other universities contribute to the enriched environment of the Institute. A new model for technology commercialization in academe, known as Technogenesis®, involves external partners in launching business enterprises to create broad opportunities and shared value.
Stevens offers baccalaureates, master’s and doctoral degrees in engineering, science, computer science and management, in addition to a baccalaureate degree in the humanities and liberal arts, and in business and technology. The university has a total enrollment of 2,150 undergraduate and 3,500 graduate students, with about 250 full-time faculty. Stevens’ graduate programs have attracted international participation from China, India, Southeast Asia, Europe and Latin America. Additional information may be obtained from its web page at www.stevens.edu.
For the latest news about Stevens, please visit StevensNewsService.com.
