Three technologies and one commercialization program developed at the Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory have won National Technology Transfer Awards from the Federal Laboratory Consortium. FLC Awards recognize significant accomplishments transferring federal laboratory technologies to the marketplace.
ORNL’s innovations are among 33 award winners chosen from the FLC’s nationwide network of more than 300 federal laboratories, facilities, research centers and their parent agencies.
Excellence in Technology Transfer
Cost-Efficient Recycling of Rare Earth Elements for U.S. Energy Security, developed by ORNL and the Critical Materials Institute, and licensed by Momentum Technologies.
Momentum Technologies has licensed a membrane solvent extraction method that can recover rare earth elements from electronic waste. The process, developed by ORNL and DOE’s Critical Materials Institute, uses a limited amount of energy, labor and chemical solvents.
ORNL’s Ramesh Bhave led the research behind this technology. Nestor Franco of ORNL and Preston Bryant, CEO of Momentum Technologies, led the commercialization.
DOE’s Advanced Manufacturing Office, part of the Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, funded the initial research through the Critical Materials Institute. Additional funding was provided by DOE’s Technology Commercialization Fund and by Momentum Technologies through a Strategic Partnership Project agreement.
News Link: ORNL receives four 2020 FLC technology transfer awards