LICENSING OPPORTUNITY: A potential licensing opportunity exists with Battelle Energy Alliance, LLC (BEA), P.O. Box 1625, Idaho Falls, ID 83415-3805, the Management and Operating Contractor for the Department of Energy (DOE) at the Idaho National Laboratory (INL). BEA is seeking parties interested in potentially entering into a license agreement for the purpose of commercializing the technology described below. BEA does not make any representations, provide any warranties, or otherwise endorse or guarantee the suitability of this intellectual property to a licensee's specific needs. INVENTION SUMMARY: End-of-life electronic devices such as smart phones, computers, televisions and other electronics contain significant amounts of valuable metals including base metals (zinc, tin, lead, nickel and copper) as well as precious metals (silver, gold and palladium) along with rare earth magnets (neodymium, yttrium, samarium). Some electronic scrap is currently landfilled or incinerated and there is a need to develop more effective processes to capture these valuable metals along with keeping them out of the environment. The bulk of electronics processed for metal recovery are sent overseas, using unsustainable acid-solution leaching or toxic smelting processes that lack environmental and worker safety practices. In many cases, only the precious metals such as gold and palladium are targeted. BEA has developed methods and systems to recover metals from electronic waste using a multiple reactor system incorporating multiple electrolytes and an electrochemical cell for processing the electrolyte. The method efficiently dissolves the bulk of metals from electronics leading to more complete recovery for recyclable materials. This INL developed technology, known as Electrochemical Recovery (ER) allows “e-waste” aggregators to reclaim more value materials, reduce reagent use and lessen the toxicity of remaining materials compared with current practices for salvage of metals from waste electronics. The ER process also efficiently recovers and separates base metals copper and, tin and silver, which are valuable products. The process allows the precious metals silver, gold and palladium to be recovered in a separate follow-up step which drives the economic viability of the proposed system. The ER process continuously regenerates the initial oxidizer at the anode, giving the process solution a long life, resulting in significant savings in reagents and waste treatment. This invention has associated intellectual property filing Patent Application No. 14/845,101, "Methods for Recovering Metals From Electronic Waste, and Related Systems" which was submitted to the USPTO by BEA on September 3, 2015 and currently unpublished. DEVELOPMENT STATUS: This technology has been tested and validated at the bench scale. Additional development will be required to demonstrate a pilot scale process. BEA may be in a position to support additional research and development of this technology under a mutually acceptable Cooperative Research & Development Agreement (CRADA), Strategic Partnership Projects (SPP), or similar agreement subject to prior approval by DOE. SELECTION PROCESS: BEA seeks to license this intellectual property to the best qualified candidate to ensure its successful commercialization. If multiple parties are interested in licensing this intellectual property, BEA may select an exclusive licensing arrangement with a single candidate or choose alternative licensing strategies (e.g., non-exclusive or exclusive field of use licenses) to increase the probability of successful commercialization. BEA reserves the right to defer any licensing decision if, in BEA's sole opinion, the submitted business plans are unacceptable to BEA. BEA may consider inquiries made prior to the release of this notice and inquiries made through other channels. Although interested parties are encouraged to respond before the date provided to ensure consideration, all inquiries may be considered prior to a formal selection unless this notice specifically states otherwise. This is not an opportunity to provide goods or services to BEA or DOE. REQUIREMENTS In order to be considered for a possible license, interested parties must submit a business plan for the development and commercialization of Patent Application No. 14/845,101, "Methods for Recovering Metals From Electronic Waste, and Related Systems," prior to May 15, 2016. The business plan must contain detailed information on the following topics: Executive Summary - 2 pages Description of the Business Model Description of the Products or Services to be Offered Marketing Plan Competitive Matrix - address competitor's strengths and weaknesses Company Goals and Business Strategy Quality Assurance Plan Financial Plan - include pro-forma Income Statement, Cash Flow Statement, and Source and Use of Funds Statement Management Structure - include brief biographies SUPPLEMENTAL INFORMATION Concerns or complaints regarding BEA's technology transfer process, if not resolvable with BEA's technology deployment office, may be raised with BEA's Technology Transfer Ombudsman whose contact information can be found at: https://inlportal.inl.gov/portal/server.pt/community/technology_transfer/269/ombuds_program For additional information please contact the individual listed below. SUBMITTALS One paper copy of a Business Plan must be submitted to the following address in order to be considered for this solicitation: Ryan Bills Sr. Commercialization Manager Technology Deployment Battelle Energy Alliance, LLC P . O. Box 1625, MS3805 Idaho Falls, ID 83415-3805
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