SEMPLASTICS EHC LLC — Department of Energy SBIR Phase II: 18c

Description

Two main problems are targeted by the proposed work: (1) the underutilization of coal, a valuable natural resource, has led to a catastrophic drop in employment within the coal industry ecosystem in specific geographic areas in the country; and (2) the need within the insurance-driven roof replacement market for a suitable, light weight, low cost, high durability roofing material.These problems will be addressed through the application of a novel coal-based material developed by Semplastics to serve as low cost, light weight, fire-resistant roofing tiles.Semplastics manufactures components using a patented process for producing polymer-derived ceramics (PDCs).PDCs have been used to create many useful end products, from clutches for racing cars, to brakes for conventional automobiles, to heat shields for spacecraft.Leveraging this technology, Semplastics has developed a novel composite material based on coal.The new coal-core composite (CCC) material offers promise for the beneficial utilization of large amounts of coal without burning it as fuel.Semplastics proposes to address the problems described above through the application of this technology to the creation of highly durable, light weight, affordable roofing tiles.The proposed roofing tiles not only provide a highvolume outlet for coal, but also provide an American-made option for ceramic tiles.In Phase I, Semplastics produced prototypes of the CCC-based roofing tile.This work included optimization of the blending process to ensure scalability and positioning of the product for commercial production.The prototypes were subjected to in-house and commercial laboratory testing in local laboratory facilities to characterize the material properties and to show compliance with roofing industry standards.Phase II will build upon the Phase I work by further refining material formulations to obtain the best cost vs.performance solution, producing full-size tiles in multiple commercially representative configurations, and continuing to pursue scale-up of these formulations and processes toward full-scale commercialization.The successful commercialization and market execution of these roofing tiles will produce an immediate impact in the coal industry ecosystem and will contribute to energy diversification across the United States, ultimately impacting the national economy by producing domestic manufacturing jobs.The CCC-based roofing tiles offer a viable, high volume, high growth end market for mined coal, which will yield positive technical, economic, and social benefits.In the long term, the Semplastics team expects that the CCC-based roofing tiles can contribute to the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions worldwide, as the roofing tiles would lock away coal and subsequently sequester CO2 from the atmosphere.