The growing scarcity of resources to produce increasingly demanded ingredients, such as soybean meal and animal protein meals, has doubled feed costs in the recent years. Thus, alternative protein sources, including insects, are urgently needed. Insects must be introduced in the feed chain, and...

Nematodes are among the most damaging crop pests. Very few available chemical nematicides can affect control, and some options are restricted by the Environmental Protection Agency and similar bodies. Nematodes damage plant roots, and reduce the plant’s ability to take up water and nutrients. The need is great to...

A client’s application joins cellulose and a resin binder. A combination of the binding agent and fibers sticks to the surface of the steel. The organization therefore seeks novel foams, coatings, and gels to act as a physical buffer between the fibers and the steel. The physical buffer must function...

Personal cleansing after using the bathroom is a worldwide necessity, and various cultures solve that need differently. New devices must facilitate this type of cleaning and deliver soothing formulations onto the skin. The technology will serve as an alternative to Western dry toilet paper, European bidets, and...

Long-term care facilities are subject to outbreaks of Clostridium difficile (C. diff) bacteria that form a hard shell, enter a vegetative spore state, and are thus able to withstand conventional cleaning. An active ingredient or mechanical/ electronic means must minimize the threat of C. diff and its...

A client seeks an insulating coating for a ceramic substrate and a method of applying it. Electrical leakage from one side of the substrate to the other causes damage. A thin coating is preferred for the application, but the critical specification is the relative permittivity of the coating, which...

A company has a process stream made up of a variety of gases and molecules. They seek effective industrial-scale technologies that separate methane from other hydrocarbons in the stream, as well as from lighter and heavier molecules. The large-scale gas streams must be separated into their constituent molecules at...

The manufacturing of consumer products, foods, and pharmaceuticals requires the implementation of stringent cleaning requirements of all batch, semi-continuous, and continuous processes equipment. High standards of hygienic quality must be maintained, and the cleaning process must ensure that there is no cross-contamination of...

A client uses sodium and potassium stearates to build body and viscosity in a polymer dispersion intended as an adhesive. The stearates adversely affect shear strength after the dispersion cures. Non-stearate thickeners, or different stearates, are needed. By varying the nature of the fillers and...

New sensations for saline sprays and washes must moisturize dry nasal passages and relieve a stuffy nose. Additives such as eucalyptus or sesame oil, for example, produce coolness or warmth. The desired effects must calm, soften, and relieve symptoms. An antibacterial effect and a physical rinse are of...

To enhance transportability and shelf life, many drugs and pharmaceuticals are distributed as freeze-dried formulations. The formulations must be dissolved before they can be injected. A client therefore seeks a new device or container that helps lyophilized preparations dissolve rapidly and completely with diluents such as...

Because of their weight and the weight they bear, most grab-bars must be installed permanently in a home, usually by drilling through the wall material and into a wall stud. In the case of grab-bars installed in a tub enclosure or shower, a permanent hole may need to be drilled through ceramic tile, thus making a...

A company produces and stacks sheet goods that have a naturally viscous and sticky surface material. The sticky material is applied at about 480 °F. During application, the coating has a specific gravity of 1.03 to 1.70, and a viscosity of >5000 cps. A release material needs to be applied to the substrate...

Without producing clumps, a professional adhesive must be poured in a consistent and smooth way. A company seeks a dispenser/ applicator that can handle a thick, gelatinous, preformed, professional-quality adhesive. Currently, a polymer dispersion of polyvinyl pyrrolidone is used. While the stearates thicken the...

A company must deliver a measured amount of antiseptic/ antimicrobial formulation to a specific surface area (between 1 to 3 square feet) and be able to verify visually that the area has been adequately covered and treated. Currently, the antimicrobial formulation is a liquid with a viscosity...