Success Story: Renewable Alternatives LLC
Columbia, MO

He calls the University of Missouri's Small Business & Technology Development Center "a full-circle service provider."

Dr. Rusty Sutterlin, co-founder and CEO of Renewable Alternatives™ LLC, knows whereof he speaks. The analytical chemist and his Columbia, Mo.-based firm have made considerable progress in both research funding and commercialization of phase-change materials (PCMs) with the help of SBIR-STTR specialists at the MU SBTDC.

One of his latest achievements is landing a two-year $750,000 STTR Phase II award from the U.S. Army to develop a super cooling vest for combat soldiers. According to the Army's original RFP the objective is "to develop next-generation PCMs for personal microclimate systems."

Rusty Sutterlin (above and below), CEO of Renewable Alternatives LLC, assembles a reactor in his Columbia, Mo., laboratory. He uses the device in the production of phase-change materials for his research.

To produce a vest that cools sufficiently while limiting power needs and overall weight, Sutterlin is focusing on developing synthetic nano-particles. He envisions such particles would be incorporated into a practical vest allowing soldiers to maintain a self-contained exterior temperature in the 68-70-degrees Fahrenheit range.

"The Army's project director wants us to explore 'pie-in-the sky ideas' to develop the material," says Sutterlin. "The goal of my research is to devise a super-phase-change material that would absorb heat in the range of 1,000-3,000 joules per gram thereby creating the target-range cooling effect." (For comparison, ice absorbs heat at the rate of 333 joules per gram.)

Sutterlin's quest to develop the super-cooling material started in March 2005, when an SBIR-STTR specialist at MU's SBTDC pointed Sutterlin to the Army's original Phase I STTR seeking researchers interested in developing a cooling vest.

"Since that original award I have worked with several MU SBTDC specialists and assistants—including Mike Nichols, Paul Rehrig, Jim Gann and Nikki Rogge—who have helped me and my company reach this point in our work," Sutterlin explains.

"All-in-all their efforts on this and other PCM projects my company has pursued, have demonstrated to me the full-circle service nature of the SBTDC at MU's College of Engineering."

Sutterlin praises the crew at MU's SBTDC for not only providing initial guidance in writing SBIR-STTR proposals, but also for mentoring him to the point where he feels confident writing his own high-quality proposals. In addition one of Sutterlin's SBIR-STTR counselors offered a class that provided training in marketing, finance and other critical topics for tech-oriented ventures. Another counselor assisted in patent review searches for Phase II proposals and also helped Sutterlin create commercialization plans.

Since the founding of Renewable Alternatives in 2003, Sutterlin has successfully pursued several SBIR-STTR proposals focusing on his research in PCMs. While his current project for the Army explores synthetic super-PCMs, Sutterlin's related ongoing work has explored converting naturally occurring fats into PCMs.

Such fats come from renewable sources in the form of vegetable oils, such as soybean oil. Sutterlin transforms these naturally produced oils into PCMs, which absorb energy and provide a cooling effect when melting from a solid to a liquid. Conversely, when PCMs reverse phases from liquid to solid, they release heat as they solidify.

PCMs potentially have a multitude of practical applications. Fabric can be infused with micro-encapsulated PCMs, near-microscopic beads woven into the fabric's threads. Hazmat suits and fantasy character costumes, such as those of university mascots, could be insulated with large beads the size of peas or beans. Blocks or chips of PCMs could substitute for ice, and coffee cups containing PCMs could keep the java warm as the cup cools.

Sutterlin places a container of PCM in a laboratory oven to melt the material for research analysis.

"The applications of PCMs are unlimited," says Sutterlin. "They perform more efficiently, cost less, protect the environment, and conserve natural resources."

Sutterlin along with his partner and the firm's co-founder, MU chemical engineering Professor Galen Suppes, previously pursued several other federal awards with the help of MU's SBTDC counselors.

An early SBIR award they received from the USDA focused on converting fats and oils to PCMs. An STTR awarded by the National Science Foundation pinpointed the researchers' efforts on converting glycerin to propylene glycol. Glycerin is a byproduct of the production of biodiesel, which is biofuel made from vegetable oil or animal fat. In turn, propylene glycol can be made from this glycerin byproduct. The propylene glycol can replace ethylene glycol in anti-freeze, making that substance non-lethal to pets and children who might accidentally consume it.

Therefore PCM research at Renewable Alternatives delves into a myriad of potential applications. The cooling vest project for the Army is a natural extension of the firm's early and ongoing research.

As their first MU-based SBIR counselor Mike Nichols pointed out: "Rusty is a resourceful and innovative scientist who is developing a variety of applications for a process with unlimited potential. I've been happy to help in the pursuit of the government grants he and Galen can use to perfect their PCM processes."

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This story was featured in the June 2008 newsletter

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