Ithaca company banks on greener hydrogen production process

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ITHACA, N.Y. — With help from a $720,000 award from the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA), Ecolectro, Inc., hopes to develop a cleaner, greener way of making hydrogen. Hydrogen doesn’t exist readily as a free gas but rather bonded to other elements like oxygen. It’s important because it’s used in any […]

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Hydrogen doesn’t exist readily as a free gas but rather bonded to other elements like oxygen. It’s important because it’s used in any number of industrial processes from petroleum refining, steel production, and the manufacturing of fertilizer.

“Hydrogen is probably the biggest market no one has ever heard about,” Gabriel Rodriguez-Calero co-founder and CEO of Ecolectro tells CNYBJ.

Since it’s used in so many industrial processes, the demand is great and the hydrogen has to be produced somehow. Most commonly, it’s produced using steam from natural gas. “It’s very carbon intensive,” Rodriguez-Calero says.

Ecolectro, on the other hand, has found a way to extract hydrogen from water by zapping the water with electricity to split it into its hydrogen and oxygen components.

The company will use the NYSERDA funding to refine that process, Rodriguez-Calero says, by developing membranes for those electrolyzers that use polymers that have rigid backbones, high thermal properties, and mechanical strength to improve their performance and durability.

The key, he says, is making those components with common metals like nickel or stainless steel instead of precious metals like iridium or platinum. That makes the process free of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, known as PFAS, which are long-lasting chemicals that break down very slowly.

Those changes are what will make Ecolectro’s process cleaner, greener, and cost effective, and that’s the key to selling green, he says.

Hydrogen is such a critical component to our society, he notes, and the way to incentivize companies to support a greener method is to make it cost effective. Most businesses want to support greener initiatives, Rodriguez-Calero notes, but often can’t justify them if those initiatives cost significantly more than traditional, less green, alternatives.

“We’re making it more efficient, and we’re scaling it up,” he says.

While just at the beginning stages of the project, Ecolectro does have a pilot program in place with several customers, Rodriguez-Calero says, and is building its first commercial demonstration unit.

The goal is to empower customers to make hydrogen on site, which would further reduce the use of and dependence on fossil fuels since the gas wouldn’t have to be transported.

“It allows states and the U.S. to fulfill the mission of energy independence,” he adds.

The NYSERDA funding is part of $1.2 million awarded to four initiatives to research clean hydrogen electroylzers. The projects were selected through NYSERDA’s Advanced Fuels and Thermal Energy Research Program. Other awardees include Orion Polymer Corp., in Cohoes; Bettergy Corp., in Peekskill; and Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Troy.

Headquartered at 61 Brown Road in Ithaca, Ecolectro currently employs 30 people. Rodriguez-Calero co-founded the company with Kristina Hugar, Ph.D., who serves as chief science officer.

Cornell, tomPhyzx LLC among Microelectronics Innovation Challenge winners

Education & Training, Energy, Environment & Sustainability, Manufacturing & Engineering, Southern Tier, Subscriber Only, Technology

ITHACA, N.Y. — Those winning grant money in the New York State Microelectronics Innovation Challenge included Cornell University working in partnership with a company located in Yates County. The project involving Cornell Center for Materials Research (CCMR) Corporate Partnership & Innovation (OVPRI) and tomPhyzx LLC in Dundee was awarded $60,000 from the Jeff Lawrence Innovation

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ITHACA, N.Y. — Those winning grant money in the New York State Microelectronics Innovation Challenge included Cornell University working in partnership with a company located in Yates County.

The project involving Cornell Center for Materials Research (CCMR) Corporate Partnership & Innovation (OVPRI) and tomPhyzx LLC in Dundee was awarded $60,000 from the Jeff Lawrence Innovation Fund.

Albany–based FuzeHub, the statewide New York Manufacturing Extension Partnership (MEP) center, in partnership with the Northeast Regional Defense Technology Hub (NORDTECH) announced the winners on Feb. 24. NORDTECH is a New York State–based consortium of government labs, defense companies, academics institutions, and technology research and development and manufacturing organizations.

The grant funding will support advancements that enhance national defense through developments in the microelectronics industry. FuzeHub and NORDTECH awarded funding to a total of three projects. The additional recipients had ties to New York City; Newburgh in Orange County; and Milton in Saratoga County.

FuzeHub and NORDTECH received numerous applications for the funding initiative, which launched in November.

They challenged New York’s innovators to advance the state’s manufacturing capabilities within the microelectronics industry, either through advancing innovative technologies, or strengthening the microelectronics supply chain within New York.

“As a result of NORDTECH’s collaboration with FuzeHub, we are excited that the announced awardees will be able to drive advances in microelectronics-related innovations, which can simultaneously strengthen U.S. defense capabilities,” said Nicholas Fahrenkopf, NORDTECH technical director, said in the FuzeHub announcement. “We are proud to enable strategic microelectronics applications through this Jeff Lawrence Innovation Fund opportunity and with our Microelectronics Challenge partners as this initiative works to strengthen the local and regional supply chain along with U.S. technological leadership.”

The Cornell/ tomPhyzx project

The Cornell/ tomPhyzx project aims to improve the precision and efficiency of light detectors used in air-sanitization systems, enhancing the control of UV-C systems that purify air in hospitals, schools, and military environments.

The innovation focuses on creating a ball-shaped visual detector that measures ultraviolet light from all directions with “exceptional accuracy,” per the announcement. Because of its substantially smaller design, this device is “better suited than current alternatives” for applications in microelectronics.

“The Jeff Lawrence Innovation Fund was established to support forward-thinking projects that drive technology development and commercialization throughout New York State,” Patty Rechberger, who manages the innovation fund, said. “By awarding these grants, we’re helping to accelerate innovation, which will have a lasting impact on the state’s manufacturing landscape and national defense capabilities. We’re excited to see the continued growth and success of these projects.”

About the Jeff Lawrence Innovation Fund

The Jeff Lawrence Innovation Fund — which serves as the source of funding for this Innovation Challenge — supports a set of activities designed to spur technology development and commercialization across New York state.

Launched in December 2016, the fund is named for the late Jeff Lawrence, who is described as a “champion” of the New York manufacturing and entrepreneurial communities.

Lawrence served as executive VP and MEP Center director at the Center for Economic Growth, the Manufacturing Extension Partnership (MEP) affiliate in the Capital Region. He directed programs of direct assistance to manufacturers and technology companies to increase their competitiveness.

Each year, the Innovation Fund provides more than $1 million in direct assistance to the manufacturing, research and development, technology, and entrepreneurial ecosystems. To date, the fund has awarded more than $10 million in funding to support collaborative projects across the state.

The Innovation Challenge is made possible through funding and support from Empire State Development’s Division of Science, Technology and Innovation (NYSTAR) and the U.S. Department of Defense (DOD).

Arizona semiconductor firm buys former NexGen building in DeWitt, plans 80 new jobs

Construction, Design & Real Estate, Employee Benefits & Human Resources, Energy, Environment & Sustainability, Featured, Law, Accounting & Taxes, Manufacturing & Engineering, New York News, Technology

DeWITT, N.Y. — Semiconductor Components Industries, LLC (NASDAQ: ON), which does business as onsemi, has purchased the former NexGen fab facility in DeWitt and plans

McHugh Furnishings acquires Buffalo-area company with a Syracuse-area office

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A Long Island–based specialty furnishings company says it has acquired a Buffalo–area firm that has a Syracuse–area office. McHugh Furnishings, which is headquartered in Uniondale, on Wednesday announced its acquisition of Professional Furnishings & Equipment (PFE), which is based in the Buffalo area and operates an office in the Mattydale area of the town of

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Broome County opens applications for Small Community Fund grants

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BINGHAMTON, N.Y. — Broome County is now accepting applications for the 8th round of its Small Community Fund grant program, which has $650,000 this year

Bond elects environmental and energy attorney as member

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SYRACUSE — Bond, Schoeneck & King PLLC, a Syracuse–based law firm, recently announced that 11 of its attorneys have been elected members (partners) of the firm, effective at the start of this year. One of those new members is Sarah K. Spencer, who is part of Bond’s environmental and energy law practice. Spencer, who is

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FLLT land acquisition in Cayuga County to help protect Skaneateles Lake

Energy, Environment & Sustainability, Subscriber Only

SEMPRONIUS — It’s a land acquisition that the Finger Lakes Land Trust (FLLT) says will help protect Skaneateles Lake. The FLLT says it has purchased 218 acres adjacent to Bear Swamp State Forest in the town of Sempronius in Cayuga County. The property includes wetlands, upland forests, and 1,755 feet of frontage on Bear Swamp

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SEMPRONIUS — It’s a land acquisition that the Finger Lakes Land Trust (FLLT) says will help protect Skaneateles Lake.

The FLLT says it has purchased 218 acres adjacent to Bear Swamp State Forest in the town of Sempronius in Cayuga County.

The property includes wetlands, upland forests, and 1,755 feet of frontage on Bear Swamp Creek, the largest tributary to Skaneateles Lake, the unfiltered drinking-water supply for the City of Syracuse, per the Feb. 18 announcement from Ithaca–based FLLT.

The FLLT says it intends to transfer a portion of the newly acquired property — about 141 acres — to New York State as an addition to Bear Swamp State Forest. The property will connect the eastern portion of the forest with 102 acres that FLLT acquired in 2021. The combined property will also join the state’s land holdings in this area.

The remaining 77 acres are primarily agricultural land and will be conserved using a perpetual conservation easement and sold to a private buyer subject to the terms of the easement. The FLLT says it will use proceeds from the sale to replenish its Opportunity Fund, the organization’s dedicated account created to make “time-sensitive” acquisitions possible.

Protection of these properties will safeguard water quality in Skaneateles Lake, protect wildlife habitat, and provide additional recreational opportunities, the FLLT contends. The land purchase also represents the ninth conservation project in the vicinity of Bear Swamp, which is identified as a priority project within New York State’s Open Space Plan, the FLLT adds.

It is also part of an Audubon-designated Important Bird Area and features “extensive pristine wetlands and rare flora.” Other protected lands in the area include Carpenter Falls State Unique Area and the FLLT’s Bahar Nature Preserve, the organization noted.

Conservation easements are voluntary legal agreements that permanently limit future land use to protect the land’s conservation value. Lands subject to conservation easements remain in private ownership, on local tax rolls, and available for traditional uses such as farming and hunting, the FLLT said.

About Finger Lakes Land Trust

The FLLT focuses on protecting critical habitat for fish and wildlife, conserving lands that are important for water quality, connecting existing conservation lands, and keeping prime farmland in agriculture. The organization also provides programs to educate local governments, landowners, and residents about conservation and the region’s unique natural resources.

By working cooperatively with landowners and local communities, the Finger Lakes Land Trust says it has protected more than 34,000 acres of the region’s undeveloped lakeshore, rugged gorges, rolling forest, and scenic farmland. The FLLT owns and manages a network of more than 45 nature preserves that are open to the public and holds perpetual conservation easements on 200 properties that remain in private ownership.

NYS Green Building Conference coming to Syracuse in late March

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SYRACUSE — The 23rd annual New York State Green Building Conference will include a series of presentations by top green-building researchers, educators, and practitioners. The event is set for March 27-28 at the Marriott Syracuse Downtown, says Syracuse University’s Center of Excellence in Environmental and Energy Systems (SyracuseCoE). The conference aims to bring together leading

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Upstate N.Y. Energy Storage Engine COO begins position

Energy, Environment & Sustainability, Subscriber Only

VESTAL — The Upstate New York Energy Storage Engine, led by Binghamton University, in January appointed Heidi Grenek as its chief operating officer (COO). She is responsible for leading the Engine’s operational strategy — overseeing day-to-day operations, financial planning, and budgeting; providing compliance and regulatory oversight; and developing and implementing strategies to drive overall programmatic

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VESTAL — The Upstate New York Energy Storage Engine, led by Binghamton University, in January appointed Heidi Grenek as its chief operating officer (COO).

She is responsible for leading the Engine’s operational strategy — overseeing day-to-day operations, financial planning, and budgeting; providing compliance and regulatory oversight; and developing and implementing strategies to drive overall programmatic success.

“We are thrilled to welcome Heidi to our team,” Meera Sampath, CEO of the Engine, said in a release. “Heidi brings a wealth of experience and expertise, refined through her many senior leadership roles in the tech industry. Her strategic planning abilities, business acumen and hands-on operational management experience will be invaluable assets as the Engine accelerates its efforts to drive impact at scale and speed.”

Grenek has worked for many years in large organizations at the intersection of technology and business. She most recently served as chief operating officer for Pure Lithium Corporation, a startup focused on lithium metal extraction and battery innovation. Prior to Pure Lithium, Grenek led high-stakes corporate initiatives at Corning, including comprehensive transformation of lithium supply chain operations through revamped forecasting processes, supplier diversification and partnerships, and material recycling, to generate savings and secure supply, per the release. She began her career at Xerox Corporation, where she had progressive leadership and entrepreneurial roles, including as director of business development and strategy for the Palo Alto Research Center (PARC).

“The Upstate New York Energy Storage Engine’s work is vital for both New York’s economic growth and the future of battery storage and power management,” said Grenek. “Battery technology sits at the intersection of our nation’s energy security and industrial innovation. This is an unparalleled opportunity to strengthen the region’s economy while advancing critical energy solutions for our country.”

Grenek holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees in mechanical engineering from Cornell University and an MBA from the MIT Sloan School of Management, as well as certifications in artificial intelligence for business applications from MIT and the University of Chicago.

The Upstate New York Energy Storage Engine, led by Binghamton University, is a National Science Foundation-funded, place-based innovation program. The coalition of more than 40 academic, industry, nonprofit, state, and community organizations includes Cornell University, Rochester Institute of Technology, Syracuse University, LAUNCH-NY, and NY-BEST as core partners. The Engine advances next-gen battery technology development and manufacturing. Its vision is to transform upstate New York into America’s Battery Capital.

ESF professors lead initiative that wins $5 million NSF grant

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SYRACUSE — Two professors at the SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry (ESF) are leading an international initiative to develop sustainable bioproducts from waste biomass. The National Science Foundation (NSF) is supporting the work with a $5 million grant to the Global Center for Sustainable Bioproducts (GCSB), an international research hub dedicated to developing

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SYRACUSE — Two professors at the SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry (ESF) are leading an international initiative to develop sustainable bioproducts from waste biomass.

The National Science Foundation (NSF) is supporting the work with a $5 million grant to the Global Center for Sustainable Bioproducts (GCSB), an international research hub dedicated to developing sustainable bio-based solutions for environmental and economic challenges, per ESF’s Feb. 19 announcement.

Chang Geun Yoo, with ESF’s department of chemical engineering, and Gyu Leem, with ESF’s department of chemistry, are at the helm of the NSF Global Centers program that brings together experts from Canada, Finland, Japan, South Korea, the United Kingdom, and the U.S. Their goal is to create eco-friendly and economically viable alternatives to traditional plastics and composites, ESF said.

“Dr. Yoo and Dr. Leem’s groundbreaking work is crucial for developing sustainable solutions that can transform industries and protect our environment,” ESF President Joanie Mahoney, said in the school’s announcement. “Their leadership in this international initiative highlights ESF’s commitment to innovative research with real-world impact.”

GCSB’s research focuses on four main areas. They include sustainable bio-utilization, or transforming abundant biomass into valuable materials; ensuring processes help mitigate climate change; designing eco-friendly products that are also market-viable; and improving technologies for efficient bioproducts production.

The team involved is focused on polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHA), a biodegradable bio-based plastic from agricultural residues. By combining PHA with bio-fillers such as nanocellulose and nanolignin, they aim to develop materials for 3D and 4D printing. They will also work to ensure these new materials are environmentally friendly and cost-effective. ESF will lead the research and educational programs with a $1.45 million grant, the SUNY school said.

“By integrating cutting-edge science with industry applications, we’re building a sustainable future,” Yoo said in the ESF announcement.

Leem also adding, “This research bridges the gap between science and real-world solutions.”

The NSF award highlights the foundation’s support for “impactful global research.” With backing from international agencies, GCSB’s work aims to “make a lasting impact on global sustainability.”

Partnering institutions include the University of Tennessee, University of Iowa, Howard University, University of Texas Rio Grande Valley, University of Alberta, University of British Columbia, University of Surrey, University of Strathclyde, Åbo Akademi University, Korea Institute of Science and Technology, and Hanyang University.

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