Editors: Photos of the individuals involved in Thursday's gift announcement are available. To receive them, email Bond Nickles in USC's Office of Media Relations, or call him at 803-777-5400.

DuPont donates multi-million-dollar gift of intellectual property to USC

The University of South Carolina announced a multi-million-dollar gift of intellectual property from DuPont Thursday (Jan. 16) that will significantly enhance USC’s emerging fuel-cell program and raise the university’s research profile.

The centerpiece of the gift is a process that converts hydrochloric acid to chlorine gas, which is used to manufacture plastics. Large amounts of hydrochloric acid, an environmentally hazardous material, are produced when plastics are manufactured. The process from DuPont allows manufacturers to recycle the chlorine gas into continued production of plastics, thus eliminating the need for expensive shipping and treatment of the acid at a secure site.

USC officials are optimistic about increasing the value of the patents.

"The gift significantly increases the university's intellectual-property portfolio and provides us access to research findings resulting from years of ongoing research conducted by DuPont and its partners," said USC President Andrew Sorensen. "The intellectual property and technical know-how donated by DuPont are in a high-profile area, and USC’s College of Engineering and Information Technology is well positioned to take the research to another level. Ultimately, the gift allows us to do what we do best -- identify and address fundamental research questions that, if solved, will provide real benefit to our society."

Under the agreement, DuPont will provide USC with extensive technology, including proprietary knowledge, and provide technical expertise to USC researchers. Entering its third century, DuPont is a science company, delivering science-based solutions in markets such as food and nutrition; healthcare; apparel; home and construction; electronics and transportation.

"We are pleased to provide the University of South Carolina with this intellectual property," said Dr. Robert Hirsch, director of DuPont Intellectual Assets. "When development on a DuPont technology is discontinued due to a shift in business strategy, we have found that a very productive use for that technology is to donate it to a non-profit organization like USC. This process puts the technology in the hands of competent researchers where the development work can be continued."

Dr. John Weidner, an associate professor in USC’s department of chemical engineering, said his research team will pursue research partners from the private sector to advance the technology for commercial use.

Weidner said he is particularly excited about working on commercial applications because of the process’s potential in fuel cell research, a field in which USC is emerging as a national leader. The carbon-graphite device used in the DuPont process, called an electrolyzer, also can be used as a fuel cell.

"In DuPont’s process, you put in electricity, and you get out chemicals, and in a fuel cell, you put in chemicals, and you get out electricity," he said. "Fuel cells are considered the energy source of the future, and USC is making rapid progress in the field."

USC is working with the National Science Foundation to be its sole Industry/University Cooperative Research Center for fuel cells.