U startup tackles e-waste with degradable materials
The company recently received the National Science Foundation’s Phase 1 Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) award, funding continued research and commercialization efforts.
SEATTLE (Scrap Monster): When consumers discard electronic devices, they often end up in U.S. landfills or are exported overseas for processing. EnduraCure, a University of Utah startup, is addressing this sustainability challenge by developing high-performance polymer substrates that can be chemically degraded. The goal is to use these materials in electronics so they can be more easily processed to recover valuable metals contained in their circuitry.
According to the Environmental Protection Agency, electronic waste is one of the fastest-growing environmental problems in the world, posing significant risks both to workers who handle these materials and to the environments where they’re disposed.
Yet these materials contain precious metals found in circuits that have inherent value for reuse, but current disposal processes often leave them in landfills. Toxic materials, such as lead, mercury, cadmium and arsenic, can leach into the environment and expose disposal workers to high levels of contaminants. In response, the National Science Foundation and related organizations have encouraged researchers to develop reusable and reclaimable materials.
Lightening the load on landfills
EnduraCure is answering that call. Their technology uses a photocured polymerization process to create flexible substrates that match the durability of conventional materials during use but can be broken down in a mild chemical bath at end-of-life—recovering valuable components in the process.
“It’s all about making these products degradable by design,” said EnduraCure CEO Dennis Pruzan, a former U engineering graduate student. “We’re pushing towards a circular economy and reducing loads on landfills.”
The company’s initial focus is on flexible electronic substrates and encapsulants—materials used in medical sensors, smart packaging, and wearable devices. These applications demand both performance and flexibility, making them ideal candidates for EnduraCure’s sustainable alternative to conventional nonrecyclable materials.
The company originated in the Wang Research Group in the Price College of Engineering, where sustainable polymers are the central research focus under the leadership of Chen Wang, an assistant professor in the Department of Materials Science & Engineering. Pruzan completed his Ph.D. in materials science in 2018, then spent several years in industry working on carbon fiber products at DPS Skis. Wang recruited him back to his lab as a research associate, and when EnduraCure needed dedicated leadership, Pruzan’s combination of academic training and industry experience made him a natural fit to take the lead.
“One of the things I admire most about the way Chen operates his lab is that it’s with an eye on translational research,” Pruzan explained. “We don’t want to do research for the sake of doing research. We want to do research that has economic value.”
In recent months, Pruzan and his team have shifted their work from the lab into a separate business and commercialization space, seeking both funding and collaborators as they establish themselves in this new environment. The company recently received the National Science Foundation’s Phase 1 Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) award, funding continued research and commercialization efforts.
A university-supported funding pipeline
To bridge the funding gap between academic research and commercialization, EnduraCure secured an Ascender Grant from the Technology Licensing Office—stopgap funding that proved critical while the team pursued the STTR.
Pruzan also participated in the NSF I-Corps program through the U, an intensive customer discovery process that reshaped how the team thought about their market. The team’s successful pursuit of the NSF STTR Phase 1 Award provides funding to establish themselves as a company and move beyond the university research environment—an important milestone in their translational research journey.
In coming months, the EnduraCure team plans to seek out a manufacturing partner—ideally an electronics company with whom they can demonstrate environmentally sustainable and cost-effective ways to degrade used devices and recover valuable materials at scale. Success would position the company for Phase 2 NSF funding.
“A big part of my job right now is making connections and getting to know people in the landscape of entrepreneurship and small businesses,” Pruzan said. “It’s very clear that Utah has a wealth of resources to make those connections.”
Courtesy: www.attheu.utah.edu