Indigenous Raw Materials Creating a High-Tech Home-Grown Export-Driven Industry
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Indigenous Raw Materials Creating a High-Tech Home-
Grown Export-Driven Industry
• Valorization of Cuban Sugar Industry
• Utilization of Cuban Natural Resources as Raw Materials to Create New Biotechnology Products
Dating from contacts in the 1980s, Valorization CUBA was seeded by discussions between Alberto Suzarte of the National Center for Scientific Investigations (CNIC, Havana) and David Hunkeler (EPF-Lausanne). The project now coordinates a research project, its industrialization and related clinical activities involving 4 centers, 1 ministry and 1 firm between the two countries. Valorization Cuba is a bilateral technology transfer operation with key developments coming from both partners. Societal development via the utilization of native human and natural resources makes Valorization Cuba a joint success.
FlocculantsPilot Plant Facility
Encapsulation TechnologySterilization Technology
Dianelys Sainz Vidal (CEADEN/EPFL)
Short-term Social-Economic• Employment• Improvement of the sugar industry
Mid-term Environment• Improvement in water quality
Long-term Health• Biopharmaceutical and biomedical products
for the treatment of diseases such as: - Diabetes - Cancer - Rheumatism
The Valorization Cuba project has been funded, since its inception, by
the Swiss Agency for Development & Co-operation, (Berne, Switzerland).
1) Great will to work for new technologies marketing in Cuba
2) Possibility to create long relation with important impacts:
Social (work, new industries)
Environmental (water) and
Economic (new export markets)
3) Excellent scientific co-workers interested in coming to work at EPFL and going back to Cuba
For more information contactD. Hunkeler (EPFL)Tel.:+41 21 693 3114Fax:+41 21 693 5690
E-mail:[email protected] Sainz Vidal (EPFL)
Tel.:+41 21 693 3683Fax:+41 21 693 5690
E-mail: [email protected]
Center of Biomaterials (BIOMAT)University of Havana• Production of biomedical products by using the
encapsulation technology• Chemical syntheses and modification of Cuban and
imported polymers to be used for encapsulation
National Center for Scientific Investigations (CNIC)• Production of pharmaceutical grade materials on
moderate scales (100kg)
Cuban Institute for Sugar Research(ICINAZ)• Flocculants for clarification of mixed juice in raw
sugar production
• 25-L Pilot plant in Havana
Center of Applied Studies for NuclearDevelopment (CEADEN)• Effect of radiation on biomaterials
• Sterilization, purification and depyrogenation of indigenous polysaccharides
José Hernandez-Barajas (AQUA+TECH/EPFL)
EPFL
CEADEN BIOMAT
ICINAZ CNIC
AQUA+TECH(Pilot Plant)
Materials
Sterilization Encapsulation
ApplicationsTechnologyFlocculants
Sugar
Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (EPFL)Laboratory of Polyelectrolytes and BioMacromolecules (LPBM)Expertise in:• Encapsulation technology• Polymer characterization• Development of water soluble polymer flocculants
AQUA+TECH Specialties S.A. (Orbe, VD)• Experience in the development and production of
water soluble polymer flocculants for various industries on large scales (3 Tons)
• Establishment, with ICINAZ, of a production site in Cuba to manufacture synthetic polymers for the processing of sugar and water treatment.