Toledo receives $3M grant

The Ohio Third Frontier Program granted the University of Toledo $3 million and a $1 million loan to advance three research initiatives with Ohio companies in hopes of helping boost the local economy.

UT will work with three companies to create environmentally-friendly acid batteries, build an ethanol plant in Toledo and create a high-tech heat and power generating system.

SuGanit Systems Inc. was awarded a $2 million grant to develop a cellulose ethanol fuel plant in conjunction with UT.

It would be the first commercial cellulosic ethanol plant in Ohio.

Advanced Battery Concepts of Port Clinton and Crown Battery Manufacturing in Fremont, which received a $1 million grant, will be working with UT to create long-lasting acid batteries.

GEM Energy Management of Walbridge, Ohio in collaboration with JDRM of Sylvania, Ohio received a $1 million loan to develop a high-tech heat and power generation system with UT.

The Ohio Third Frontier Program is a program that helps fund research projects in the state of Ohio.

According to their website, the program aims to increase the quantity of high-quality research that has commercial relevance to Ohio companies, expand access of investment capital to create and attract technology-based enterprise and nurture the increased pool of entrepreneurial management talent.

“We hope to be the first of our kind in Ohio,” said President of SuGanit Systems Inc. Praveen Paripati.

SuGanit, in conjunction with UT, will research new alternative fuels by creating a cellulosic ethanol that will be processed by using products that are non-food related including waste.

“It will take up to three years to develop the project,” Paripati said. “This will help the environment by cutting down the amounts of carbon released by petroleum. It will also allow us to reduce our dependency on relying on other countries to supply our fuel.”

UT and SuGanit have been collaborating on the research and development of this new alternative fuel for the past five years.

The partnership was sparked five years ago in Nashville, Tenn. at a conference where SuGanit took interest in a proposal set forth by UT.

The grant to fund the project will be used over the next three years.

“UT and northwest Ohio will benefit from executing research skills provided by the university, the hiring of UT graduates and just creating jobs to boost the local economy,” Paripati said.

The cellulosic ethanol being developed by SuGanit, Paripati said, has four goals, including reducing dependence on foreign oil, creating jobs, servicing local supply chains and improving the economy by creating environmentally friendly alternative fuel.

“The process of evaluation began by meeting for six weeks, then we researched presentations, and as a group we decide on what important decisions are to be made,” Paripati said.

One of the main contributors that allows this research to be possible is the Clean and Alternative Energy Incubator located on Dorr Street.

“UT’s incubator is to nurture the developmental process of new businesses,” said Frank Calzonetti, vice president for research and economic development at UT.

The incubator provides space, support and research for a business to grow.

“The Ohio Third Frontier Program issued the grant after we submitted countless proposals over a five-year time span,” Calzonetti said.

He said the partnership with SuGanit is very valuable.

“Developing a domestic liquid fuel created out of bio mass waste material will significantly reduce our dependency on petroleum,” Calzonetti said.

Representatives from Advanced Battery Concepts LLC, GEM Energy and Crown Battery were unavailable to comment for this article.