Seramic Materials applies patented technology to upcycle industrial solid waste to sustainable and high-value ceramic products, driving the industry towards a near-zero waste goal

Started by Dr. Nicolas Calvet, Khalifa University Assistant Professor of Mechanical Engineering and CEO of Seramic Materials, and Dr. Khalid Al Ali, Khalifa University Assistant Professor of Chemical Engineering and Director of Operations at Seramic Materials, Seramic Materials Ltd. was established in 2019 to manufacture 100 percent recycled ceramic products from heavy industry waste, such as incinerator ash and byproducts from the steel industry.

“Seramic Materials is a UAE-based company born out of the unique and innovative environment of the Masdar Institute at Khalifa University,” Dr. Calvet said. “We developed a unique circular economy solution to recycling solid industrial waste into sustainable value-added products in the technical ceramics and construction materials markets.”

Replacing a precious natural resource with waste products for ceramic production has myriad advantages beyond keeping the conventional raw materials in the ground. Using waste products can be significantly cheaper, meaning a final product can be 10 to 50 percent cheaper depending on its application.

By avoiding the extraction of natural resources and their transport, carbon emissions are significantly reduced and manufacturing energy consumption is also lowered. Dr. Calvet says this represents at least a 20 percent reduction in carbon dioxide emissions compared with conventional ceramic manufacturing methods. Plus, all the waste that would have headed to landfill can now be diverted to a second life and purpose.

. Seramic Materials can combine the UAE’s steel slag, municipal solid waste incinerator ashes, bauxite residue, waste sludge, broken glass and more with non-depleting natural resources, such as desert sand, to develop their ceramic products.

“We tune the properties of the final ceramic product depending on its expected use by mixing different waste products together,” Dr. Calvet said. “Our ceramic materials can be shaped in any form and dimension depending on their intended applications, such as bricks, floor and wall tiles, 3D claddings, pavers, and much more.

Seramic Materials is now expanding into technical ceramics, manufacturing advanced thermal energy storage materials, which can operate in temperatures as high as 1250°C, and which are, to date, the most cost-efficient ceramics on the market.

Thermal energy storage involves storing heat, generated for instance by solar energy, until it is needed to be turned into electricity or reused directly as process heat. It is the release of the heat that is used to generate the power.

“Our solution is called ReThink Seramic – Flora and it is a game changer in high-temperature applications – anything over 700°C,” Dr. Calvet said. “Until now, the bottleneck in this industry was the high cost of the ceramic material itself. By operating at a higher temperature, the heat-to-electricity conversion efficiency is improved, and since Flora is durable up to 1250°C, it can be thermally cycled over decades without damage.”

“We have developed the first state-of-the-art laboratory in the GCC dedicated to industrial solid waste valorization” said Dr. Khalid Al Ali.  Thanks to this one-of-its-kind laboratory, the team at Seramic Materials have developed formulations that are patented in Europe, USA, India, China and the GCC and are constantly working on new applications to support products across the ceramics value chain.  Seramic Materials recently signed an intellectual property (IP) agreement with Khalifa University to commercialize 5 patents related to steel slags upcycling.

“Our vision is a more sustainable present achieved by developing a circular economy,” Dr. Calvet said. “We have an innovative approach that we hope will continuously enhance our ceramic formulations and offer countless new value-added applications for our commercial products.”

Jade Sterling
Science Writer
18 October 2021

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Patented Technology Invented in Biomedical Engineering Research Laboratory Helps Development of Novel Device for Pregnant Mothers to Monitor Baby’s Cardiac Activity

Khalifa University of Science and Technology has announced the licensing of its patented technology to a startup floated by an alumnus Emirati entrepreneur with a faculty member.

The intellectual property (IP) technology license was granted recently, marking a significant milestone in the university’s innovation journey. The home-based monitoring device, called by the Emirati startup ‘Twinkle Heart’, helps pregnant mothers to monitor fetal heart-beat and the baby’s cardiac activity. The technology behind the product was developed by Dr Ahsan Khandoker, Associate Professor, Biomedical Engineering, and licensed to Advanced Research Projects, the start-up established by Biomedical Engineering graduate Saeed Alteneiji, and was incubated at Khalifa Innovation Centre (KIC).

Dr. Arif Sultan Al Hammadi, Executive Vice-President, Khalifa University of Science and Technology, said: “Khalifa University’s comprehensive role includes not only education, but also providing a successful and integrated academic journey in areas that serve the UAE’s strategic sectors. This enables graduate studies and innovations at our state-of-the-art research centers, while facilitating the creation of start-ups and commercialization of patented technology with products targeting these sectors.”

Al Hammadi added, “This is a key milestone for Khalifa University towards successful commercialization of a technology developed at our own research laboratory. It is also critical for the university to grant intellectual and patent rights to a startup led by an Emirati entrepreneur. We will continue to further exploit the commercial potentials of our IP and patent portfolios and contribute to the innovation ecosystem.”

Twinkle Heart comprises four fetal phonocardiogram (FPCG) sensors held on the maternal abdomen by a square fabric harness and elastic belts, making it easier for pregnant women to simply listen to their baby’s heartbeat and feel reassured.

Dr Khandoker said: “It is rewarding to see this piece of my research work can further be progressed by a local start-up into a market product that can benefit the public. The uniqueness of this non-invasive device is the ease of use so it should be accessible to any pregnant mother to determine the well-being of her baby. The successful IP licensing to Advanced Research Projects is a reflection of the University vision for having impactful research.”

The portable, low-cost, safe, and easy-to-use fetal screening device for use at home or pregnancy clinics by mobile phone and cheap sensors was originally planned to help medical doctors and midwives. The research results have already been demonstrated through several collaborating hospitals in the UAE and overseas.

Alteneiji said: “ARP’s IP license with Khalifa University is vital for my startup. We will be executing a development plan in 2020 to transfer the IP from the prototype stage to a commercialized product. A marketing plan is already on the way to create awareness for the device, and our team of experts in marketing, engineering, and technology are closely working towards developing the final product. We are grateful to Khalifa University, especially Dr Al Hammadi as well as the Technology Management and Innovation and the Legal offices for their effort and extended support.”

Beyond its home-based application, the device’s portability makes it an ideal solution for health workers in remote areas. Alteneiji’s company Advanced Research Projects has a subsidiary MARP, established early this year, which will be responsible for this product.

Khalifa University currently has over 140 issued patents, with around 360 pending patent applications and more than 400 invention disclosures, while remaining a leading contributor to the country’s patents portfolio.

News Writer
18 March 2020

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Two Khalifa University startups being incubated by the GeoTech Innovation Program, Farmin and Ayn Astra, delivered business pitches at GeoTech Innovation Program Demo Day on Wednesday, 11 September at Krypto Labs in Masdar City.

The GeoTech Innovation Program is a joint initiative by the UAE Space Agency and Krypto Labs to accelerate the growth of business startups and transform their innovative ideas into commercially viable, scalable, and market-ready products, fostering innovation and knowledge-based activity in the UAE space industry. Many investors and experts in space tech joined GeoTech Innovation Program Demo Day and learned about the smart solutions being developed by KU companies Farmin and Ayn Astra in the field of satellite data processing.

Ayn Astra offers a land deformation monitoring platform that uses satellite data and advanced processing algorithms to map ground deformation patterns. The startup is founded by Adham Alkhaja, PhD student in Aerospace Engineering Department, Dr. Prasanth Marpu, Associate Professor of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, and two KU alumni Dr. Nikolaos Lisosis and Dr. Prajowal Manandhar.

Ayn Astra uses data from optical and radar satellites, in situ measurements and land cover mapping to deliver continuous ground surface deformation monitoring solutions. This allows customers to efficiently plan and manage infrastructure and housing development projects. The startup aims to expand its operations by providing a wide range of satellite-based services such as monitoring the health of palm trees and tracking the movement of sand dunes.

Farmin is a smart agriculture platform that combines satellite imagery with AI to continuously map entire farm fields to maximize farm production. Founding members include KU’s Dr. Ali AbdulKareem, Assistant Professor of Chemical Engineering, and Dr. ZiAng Zhang from Rice University.

The system analyzes multi-spectral satellite data that measures water levels, soil nutrients and diseases in the ground, and displays where the strong and weak yield spots are located. Then an in-house developed AI technology recommends an action enabling early intervention to be taken. The system helps to maximize farm production, save costs by cutting down on water and fertilizer consumption, and combat climate change by promoting sustainable agriculture.

The GeoTech Innovation Program Demo Day gave Farmin an opportunity to showcase the interface they developed, the working features, the problems it can solve and the numerous potential future applications.

“Farmin can help government oversee and forecast the agricultural production of an entire region, enabling them to strategically plan into the future,” shared Dr. AbdulKareem.

The Demo Day also helped match the startups with potential partners and interested end-users, providing them with an opportunity to seek further funding to complete the development of their satellite-based products.

Ayn Astra is seeking to raise funds in order to acquire and process large amounts of archived satellite data to develop a historical record of deformation over wide swathes of land, including residential, industrial, civil infrastructure and farms. The startup then aims to continuously monitor expansive areas to look for future deformation trends.

Currently, Farmin requires lengthy pre-processing of data and can only do it in very small areas. Additional funding will help increase the scale and efficiency of the unique agriculture tool.

The startups reflect KU’s commitment to bridging the gap between lab and market and bringing innovations most critical to key UAE sectors to market where they will benefit society and further advance the development of the country’s knowledge economy.

Erica Solomon
Senior Editor
01 October 2019

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Top 50 Talented Students Selected from UAE Schools to Learn about Innovation Process, Business Development, Commercialization Skills and IP Issues at Four-Day Bootcamp

The Emirates ICT Innovation Center (EBTIC) and Khalifa University of Science and Technology, in collaboration with the UAE Ministry of Education, are organizing the fourth Innovation and Entrepreneurship Bootcamp to teach the young Emirati students ways to turn fledgling ideas into a feasible business ventures in the future.

Organized under the patronage of His Excellency Hussain Ibrahim Al Hammadi, UAE Minister of Education, the bootcamp will be held from March 31 – April 3. It will teach participating students the innovation process, business development, commercialization skills, entrepreneurship and Intellectual Property (IP) issues.

A total of top 50 talented students have already been selected from schools across UAE to participate in the four-day bootcamp. Their selection was based on the winning projects they had submitted for the UAE National Science, Technology and Innovation (NSTI) Festival 2019, an event modelled after Ireland’s successful BT Young Scientist and Technology Exhibition (BTYSTE). The Bootcamp will be developed and delivered in partnership with British Telecommunications (BT) and EBTIC.

Dr. Nawaf Al Moosa, Acting Director of EBTIC and Assistant Professor at Khalifa Universitysaid: “The fourth Innovation and Entrepreneurship Bootcamp by EBTIC is designed to inspire young students to effectively plan and execute their business concepts through the path of innovation. We are delighted to host this event for the students, offering them a platform for charting their future course. We believe the bootcamp this year will help nurture the talented students who can hone their skillsets for developing into full-fledged professionals in various business sectors.”

The students will be divided into teams of six each, with a professional mentor, and they will be guided through a series of interactive workshops and challenges with the purpose of developing a business or investment proposition around a specific project. Expert speakers will also cover interesting and relevant topics such as innovation, intellectual property and creativity during the workshops.

On the final day of the bootcamp, students will present their business plans as a team to a judging panel comprising academics and senior business executives or professionals, selected from industry, academia, government and media.

EBTIC is an ICT research and innovation center founded by Khalifa University of Science and Technology, Etisalat and BT, and supported by ICT Fund.

News Writer
24 March 2019

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