[Shoreham, NY, March 24, 2022] -- IM Technologies has been awarded a National Science Foundation (NSF) Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) grant for $255,999 to conduct research and development (R&D) work on Rare Earth Element Extraction from End-of-Life Fluorescent Light Bulb Powder.  

The SBIR effort will focus on the development and commercialization of a new processing approach for Rare Earth Element (REE) extraction that is environmentally friendly generating no toxic byproducts, is applicable to broad material sources (including recycled goods), uses less energy, and is readily scalable to deliver on capacity targets at a significantly lower cost.  That is opposite to current REE extraction methods that are primarily chemical-based, producing large amounts of toxic materials that need to be mitigated.  Today China controls over 80% of the REE world market, representing over $7 Trillion of global GDP in end products.  With demand on REEs to only increase in the future, extraction should not be at a cost to the environment.  The novel solution proposed offers significant power utilization efficiency through precision heating at ultrahigh temperatures, equally applicable to recycled mixed source material, electronic waste, mineral ore, coal and coal by-products, and phosphate.  Furthermore, the innovation offers a unique path towards producing nano-sized powder (from REE or other metals and semiconductors) to address the needs of the electronics, catalysis and additive manufacturing sectors, favoring a competitive pricing strategy that can lead to quicker returns on investment.

“NSF is proud to support the technology of the future by thinking beyond incremental developments and funding the most creative, impactful ideas across all markets and areas of science and engineering,” said Andrea Belz, Division Director of the Division of Industrial Innovation and Partnerships at NSF. “With the support of our research funds, any deep technology startup or small business can guide basic science into meaningful solutions that address tremendous needs.”

"Our approach optimizes thermal energy to efficiently achieve tailorable temperatures that can be used for the extraction and separation of REEs from a broad range of source material, including recycled Fluorescent Light Bulb (FLB) powder that contains significant concentrations of Yttrium, Europium and Terbium, with several millions of pounds currently in storage and worth nearly $100M.  We are most grateful to NSF for their support and look forward to developing a fully integrated prototype system to demonstrate commercial viability." said Dr. Vasily Jorjadze, CEO of IM Technologies, LLC and PI for the effort.

Once a small business is awarded a Phase I SBIR/STTR grant (up to $275,000), it becomes eligible to apply for a Phase II (up to $1,000,000). Small businesses with Phase II funding are eligible to receive up to $500,000 in additional matching funds with qualifying third-party investment or sales.

Startups or entrepreneurs who submit a written Project Pitch will know within one month if they meet the program’s objectives to support innovative technologies that show promise of commercial and/or societal impact and involve a level of technical risk. Small businesses with innovative science and technology solutions, and commercial potential are encouraged to apply. All proposals submitted to the NSF SBIR/STTR program, also known as America’s Seed Fund powered by NSF, undergo a rigorous merit-based review process. To learn more about America’s Seed Fund powered by NSF, visit: https://seedfund.nsf.gov/

About the National Science Foundation's Small Business Programs: America’s Seed Fund powered by NSF awards $200 million annually to startups and small businesses, transforming scientific discovery into products and services with commercial and societal impact. Startups working across almost all areas of science and technology can receive up to $2 million to support research and development (R&D), helping de-risk technology for commercial success. America’s Seed Fund is congressionally mandated through the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) program. The NSF is an independent federal agency with a budget of about $8.5 billion that supports fundamental research and education across all fields of science and engineering.