The Industrial Technology Research Institute (ITRI, 工研院) has once again won R&D 100 Awards, making it the only Taiwanese group to have done so for the seventh consecutive year, the institute said yesterday.
The institute earned the research and development accolades with two innovative green technologies — a high-efficiency calcium looping technology (HECLOT), a carbon-capture process; and the in-line compact thermal analyzer (ICTA), an imaging device.
“These two technologies not only highlight Taiwan’s world-class technological capabilities in green energy R&D, but also demonstrate applications in the cement and LED industries, helping to reduce carbon and boost production efficiency,” the institute said in a statement.
HECLOT, which has been applied at a local cement plant on a trial basis, can capture 1 tonne of carbon emissions per hour and use the carbon dioxide to cultivate microscopic algae.
Meanwhile, the ICTA is the “most efficient thermal analyzer,” the institute said. It can be used in automated LED production lines to boost production speed and accuracy, thus lowering costs and defect rates, it added.
The institute has been engaged in transferring the technology to MPI Corp (旺矽), a company in Greater Kaohsiung that makes tools for semiconductor testing, since last year, with expected to be commercialized this year, the statement said.
Widely recognized as the “Oscars of Innovation,” the US-based R&D 100 Awards identify and celebrate the top technology products of the year.
Additional reporting by staff writer
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