The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) recently hosted an event at its headquarters in Vienna, Austria on low energy electron beams.  Industry consultant Tony Berejka reports on the event in the most recent Radtech Report on the meeting, going into detail on topics reviewed by the team of of IAEA technical consultants, including: 

1. Curing of inks and coatings 
2. Surface grafting
3. PET bottle sanitization
4. Air treatment
5. Soil and seed treatment to increase crop yields
6. Remediation of waste fluids
7. Sterilization of disposable medical products

Recently, the USDA's Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) held a hearing on a petition from the American Meat Institute (AMI) to classify low-penetration, low-dose electron beam irradiation on raw beef as a processing aide. 

For those who are not familiar, the USDA already allows irradiation of beef.  However, currently it must be labeled as such.  This petition is related to the application of low dose electron beam treatment to the surface of raw beef, without a causing any material effect on the product itself, thereby allowing it to be classified as a processing aide.  If given this distinction, the package would no longer have to be labeled as "treated by irradiation."  The hearing was intriguing and demonstrated passionate viewpoints on both sides of the aisle.  One resounding take-away, though, is the need for further research on this application.

As we have discussed in the past, AEB is not active in the food irradiation market but we recognize the potential impact on food economics and public safety.  We support research and process innovation that ensures a safe food supply with full consumer support.  We support the call for further research into food irradiation and are always interested in talking with researchers in this arena.

All businesses ultimately must confront the reality of limited resources.  A company is often warned about stretching itself too thin.  One must focus.  AEB got that advice and understood the importance of focusing on a few industries where electron beams could solve important problems, the value proposition was strong, and there were partners willing to innovate and work with us to bring our product to commercial use.  After an intense evaluation period we decided to focus on surface sterilization in the pharmaceutical, medical device, and food and beverage packaging industries, curing and polymer treatment in the printing and packaging, industrial coatings, and industrial materials industries, and Volatile Organic Compound destruction in the pollution abatement field.  These areas are where we have concentrated our sales and marketing efforts, attending trade shows, holding seminars, and doing customer outreach.  We have gained traction in these areas and are moving to production use in several of these areas with major corporations.

But that's not all electron beams can do. We have found that our electron beam technology can sterilize air, perhaps to combat terrorist uses of biological agents.  It can destroy odors, improving the quality of work facilities and avoiding disturbing neighbors of certain types of manufacturing plants.  It can help fight food contamination outbreaks and extend the time food stays fresh while on the shelf thereby reducing the enormous amount of food that is thrown out because it has gone bad before it's consumed.  Electron beams might be able to convert methane into hydrogen in a way that produces no CO2 or possibly convert CO2 into a useful industrial gas.  Chemical engineers might be able to design chemical structures to work well with electron beams.  Nanotechnology structures might be able to be produced more effectively with electron beams.  Perhaps electron beams will be on the tail pipes of industrial machinery or even automobiles one day.

As we extend our technology and make our beams smaller, larger, stronger, higher voltage, lower voltage, and less expensive there will be even more applications that will be possible.  Perhaps even a kitchen unit to sanitize utensils.  Or perhaps a huge one can go on a power plant to make it zero emissions. We will always look for partners that want to develop these applications with us.  If you have an idea for a novel application of electron beams let us know.  But for now we're focusing on making manufacturing processes more sustainable and more profitable in our core markets.

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) has released the titles of the topics for the Small Business Innovative Research (SBIR) FY'09 funding.  Full release of the topics is expected within the next few weeks.

Advanced Electron Beams provides a potential enabling technology for several research topic applications, including:

• Energy Efficient Membranes
• Nanotechnology 
• Energy Savings Technologies for Commodity Manufacturing Industries
• Hydrogen, Fuel Cells, and Infrastructure Technologies
• Medical Sciences

If you are a researcher from a small business and have any interest in collaborating or contracting with AEB on these, or any other, topics, please contact us.

Low voltage electron beams are an effective source of energy for delivering this type of energy at high speeds.  In fact, while virtually all of the recent discussion envisions shipping food to a contract irradiation facility, low voltage electron beam processing could be done anywhere - at the farm, at a distribution center, or at a local warehouse.  With estimates of nearly 25% of America's food going to waste each year, effective, safe, and cost efficient solutions for reducing food waste warrant further research.

While we see a huge potential for low voltage electron beams to help make the food supply safer and to increase the shelf life of many perishable foods, as we have discussed in the past, we recognize and agree that many consumers have concerns and want to be able to make the choice whether or not to eat irradiated foods.  

We don't pretend to be experts on food irradiation, however we do believe in having the safest food supply possible and that any safe approach to lowering the costs of fresh, healthy foods is something that warrants attention from producers, researchers, the government, and consumers. 

We would be glad to collaborate on food safety and shelf life extension research - please contact us. 

William Leventon offers a good overview of the importance of surface modification techniques and enabling technologies for the medical device industry in Experts Weigh In: Selecting the Right Surface Modification in the August edition of MD&DI magazine.  The article discusses the primary functions of a coating, including: 

• Creating a barrier to protect the device from the environment or to protect the environment from the device
• Modifying the surface characteristics (e.g. changing a hydrophobic surface to hydrophilic)
• Locking a functional material in place (see our prior post on electron beams for functional coatings)

Like many out there, we were intrigued by the news that Brad Pitt and Kiehl's are collaborating on a body cleansing product that is 100% eco-friendly.  Sales profits from the product will go to JPF Eco Systems, a nonprofit started by Pitt and Kiehl's to "minimize impact on the environment through thoughtful design."

Reportedly, Pitt was heavily influence by Cradle to Cradle, a book which calls for the transformation of human industry through ecologically intelligent design.

This is great news for those among us concerned with the environmental impact of consumer products.  While demand for environmental and sustainable products and packaging continues to grow, such a celebrity initiative could serve as a "tipping point" for mainstream consumer demand for environmentally conscious product innovation.  In fact, some speculate that JPF Eco Systems could turn into a Product (RED)-type organization that redirects corporate products to environmentally-focused initiatives beyond just the one product.

As has been discussed several times in this blog, low energy electron beams can enable several environmental and sustainable solutions for consumer products and packaging, including:

• Provides alternative consumer packaging sterilization technique, replacing preservative based techniques
• Reduces amount of raw material required for packaging
• Eliminates chemical sterilization and rinse water utilization with a cold, dry aseptic process
• Facilitates solvent-free coating formulations for packaging, with no VOCs generated
• Enables improved recyclability of some polymers

Continuing our series on Aspetic Packaging:

Form, Fill, Seal (FFS) packaging is a significant component of the $45B worldwide flexible packaging market.  It is a packaging concept utilized for a wide range of consumer products, including many products in the food and medical industries.  Simply put, FFS involves taking a sheet of packaging material, laying the product on it, and sealing around it. Adoption of this method has been growing exponentially as manufacturers look to reduce their inventory, simplify their packaging processes, and add value to their product.

Common applications of FFS that you may be familiar with include:

• Blister packs 
• Potato chip bags
• Nut containers

 The benefits of this packaging platform are obvious: fast production speeds, minimal waste, efficient packaging.  Manufacturers are exploring aseptic and extended shelf life packaging approaches in order to improve the quality and safety of the packaged product.

 Compact, low voltage electron beams can be integrated in-line in a form, fill, seal process for the sterilization of the packaging material.  Electron beam sterilization has a long history in the medical device and pharmaceutical packaging industry and is well accepted by regulatory agencies.  By integrating electron beam into FFS lines, manufacturers can benefit in several ways:

• Avoid the use of chemicals
• Reduce the amount of energy used in the process
• Deliver high levels of sterility assurance
• For those who currently ship their products to a contract sterilizer, they can now bring the sterilization in house, drastically reducing the process time with minimal impact on floor footprint

AEB has experience in quickly helping manufacturers understand how they can leverage electron beam technology.  Please contact us and tell us about your application.

Packaging World has a great article in its July issue on Sustainability gains in machine and process ops.  The article discusses total cost of ownership for industrial equipment and how much of the cost derives from energy usage (in their example, 97% of costs).  By targeting sustainability initiatives, manufacturing companies can drive down operational costs and improve the bottom line.

Many industries are slow to change - if the system is working, there is no need to change it.  However, with exponentially rising and volatile energy costs, couple with increased costs of other commodities almost across the board, these industries are realizing that status quo is no longer acceptable.  They must innovate their processes in order to drive down operational costs.

And while much of the discussion around industrial energy efficiency focuses on facilities and cooling/heating, Packaging World rightly points out that there are huge efficiencies to be gained when targeting industrial processes themselves.

Adoption of low energy electron beam processes can significantly reduce energy costs in certain industrial applications, such as curing and coating processes.  By thinking critically about how to evolve traditional processes by integrating low energy electron beams, manufacturers can realize significant operational costs savings in a matter of months while creating a more operating cost structure.

 If you are interested in having AEB help determine the ROI of adopting electron beams for your process, please Contact us.

Paper, Film, & Foil Converter (PFFC) magazine's July issue is dedicated to the subject of security printing for product authentication and brand security.  There is a range of techniques and applications discussed, including:

• Specialty substrates
• Security inks and coatings
• Printing & converting techniques
• Variable data printing
• Holographic printing

Electron beam curing can be an enabler for these techniques.  EB curing systems are abie to cure thick layers of inks and coatings at high speeds, regardless of color, as well as cure through opaque laminate structures.  These are important components for printers and converters looking to enhance their product offerings by having the capability to deliver advanced security and brand protection features.

Ask us about our ability to support your security printing goals.