In Brazil, biogas produced from agro and industrial wastes has been increasingly explored as a source of energy. On the other hand, the elimination of S-compounds is a key factor for the utilization of biogas. In this work, we describe a case study of an academic green chemical technology, that aims to reduce the emission of H2S from the bench to the market in four stages: academic research, technology acceleration program, scale-up/proof of concept and market. The critical aspects of each stage were evaluated. Research Stage: Zaoki technology consists of a carbon-based catalyst for biogas treatment, with a high efficiency to perform hydrogen sulfide (H2S) oxidation. This technology was developed in the Chemistry Department, Federal University of Minas Gerais, Brazil, which led to a scientific publication and a patent filing. Three critical aspects considered in this stage were: the high-quality research groups with a focus not only on basic science but on the solution of industrial problems for the development of relevant technologies, IP policy and the participation of entrepreneur students. Acceleration programs: This technology participated in 2017 in the INCT Midas Business Lab (an entrepreneurship program for researchers to develop technologies from the lab to market) and since October 2018 is participating in a “Scale-up Laboratory" in which startup Zaoki received an investment of ca. US$ 10 k. In 2019 the Zaoki technology received an award in the InovaPork program, organized by The Brazilian Agricultural Research Corporation. Scale-up/proof of concept: in the “Scale-up Laboratory" it been built a pilot plant to produce enough material for the proof of concept. In the pilot plant the amount of catalyst produced will be 100,000 times higher than the amount produced in the lab nowadays. We aim to produce around 120 kilograms of catalyst per day, that will send to companies interested in buying the catalyst. This process has many challenges, such as reducing costs, working with commercial reactants, reproducibility. These challenges might be the reason for the scarcity of studies on scale-up processes which leads to a development based on trial and error. Market: Alongside the pilot plant development, a study of the biogas market is being conducted. Concepts as TAM, SAM, SOM are being researched, contact with potential clients being made. There are already some companies interested in buying the technology, which shows the relevance of the lab research.

Zaoki catalyst for biogas desulfurization: A case study of a green tech academic technology scale-up from bench to market

ACS Fall 2020 Virtual Meeting

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