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CageCapture - License our Technology
The University of Liverpool's IP Commercialisation Team have extensive experience of partnering with companies to license innovative technologies.
What is it about?
According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), indoor air pollution causes an estimated 3.8 million deaths around the world every year. Formaldehyde, the most common indoor air pollutant, can be emitted from walls, floors, cabinets, furniture, fabrics and cigarette smoke, and has been classified as a ‘Group 1’ human carcinogen by the WHO. Despite the health problems that it is believed to cause, current technology used to capture formaldehyde is not particularly effective due to issues around low capture capacity and poor selectivity.
Recognising the importance of the removal of formaldehyde, a research team at the University of Liverpool’s Materials Innovation Factory (MIF) led by Professor Andy Cooper and Dr Ming Liu have developed a molecular solution to this challenge – a ‘cage prison’. The MIF team designed and synthesised cage molecule solids that efficiently capture low-concentration pollutants, using a combination of chemical and physical adsorption. The cage material has been proven to very efficiently capture formaldehyde at both high and low concentrations, and even in the presence of high humidity.
To demonstrate its potential as an effective air filtration material, the team created a prototype air purifier fitted with ‘cage loaded’ air filters. They also fabricated several cage-loaded air filters which have been independently tested. In parallel, market validation analysis was carried out to develop a commercial plan to prioritise commercial applications. Working with commercial partners, the synthesis of the material has been scaled up to an industrial level cost-effectively to determine an accurate cost and identify key target market sectors including chemical, automotive and healthcare industries.
Following £80k of EPSRC Impact Acceleration Account funding and £300k of Innovate UK funding, a new University of Liverpool spin-out company, CageCapture, was formed in December 2019 to take forward this promising technology which reduces household and environmental exposure.
Why is it important?
The CageCapture technology is particularly effective at reducing exposure for individuals who have long durations of being housebound, lowering the chances of poor health and thereby increasing the likelihood of independent living later in life. In the longer term, this project will play an important role in improving air quality and raising awareness of the impact that indoor air pollution has on health across the UK.
Perspectives
CageCapture is an exciting spin out company which has been created to commercialise new cage materials which were developed through our research at the University of Liverpool. Our technology has been proven in the lab to be more effective at capturing formaldehyde than current methods and we are actively pursuing collaborators to scale-up manufacturing of the new material.
