AIC takes a holistic approach to technology development. While many companies narrowly focus on electrochemistry, making it the core of their business (be that fuel cells, batteries, or biosensors), AIC is different. Our broad technology base, developed through experience in various industries, lets us consider real-world applications that draw expertise from arenas typically unavailable to other businesses.
AIC relies on what we call “the team of teams” – a management approach that drives our creative problem-solving. The company recruits the best and brightest from both academia and industry and trains people to be multidisciplinary developers in electrochemistry. AIC looks outside the conventional realm of science for researchers and engineers who can apply their varied expertise to meeting tomorrow’s demands.
This makes AIC rich in both electrochemistry and process engineering. Our ideas consistently work outside the lab – and they can be profitably applied to multiple industries. Combine that with motivating market forces, and you’ll find AIC – with its employees’ passion for electrochemical innovation – working in the fields of biofuels, advanced energy storage, water, mining, and nutraceuticals. Or, more simply, life.
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Biofuels: conversion of cellulosic, lignocellulosic materials to ethanol, other fuels
• Market opportunity: anticipated to be faster, cheaper; converts a variety of feedstocks with minimal waste
• Development stage: pilot plant under construction
Flow Battery: efficient, multimegawatt storage of electric power and renewables
• Market opportunity: potential to enhance the economics of renewable energy, and thereby increase its use, by storing power at off-peak times and delivering it at peak
• Development stage: pilot plant built and operated; commercial products being developed
Bipolar Lead-Acid Battery: safe, cost-effective power for hybrid-electric vehicles (HEV)
• Market opportunity: weight, efficiency advantages over conventional car batteries; well suited for the coming
42-volt systems
• Development stage: first demonstration units under evaluation
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Metal Recovery: economic separation and recovery of high-value metals
• Market opportunity: metal concentrations turned into high-grade copper plates that meet the London Minerals Exchange’s requirements for purity
• Development stage: pilot unit successfully operated at Berkeley Pit in Montana, recovering high purity copper
Acid-Mine Drainage, Mineral Leaching: reworking abandoned mine tailings profitably
• Market opportunity: older mining sites contain piles of rock with metal content too low to be economically recovered by methods of the time
• Development stage: AIC set to recover up to $1 billion in metals from Namibia tailings.
Environmental: removing heavy metals from soil and water to reduce contamination
• Market opportunity: may prevent contamination of soil and groundwater
• Development stage: removed metals, arsenic, nitrate, perchlorate in Hawaii and California
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Water Treatment
• Market opportunity: synthesis of alpha lipoic acid and vitamin K developed
• Development stage: licensed
Nutraceuticals
• Market opportunity: combination of biotech and electrotech
• Development stage: piloted, processing to sales
Biosensors
• Market opportunity: technologies for arsenic and nitrate removal licensed, demonstrations of perchlorate removal completed
• Development stage: early stage research and development
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