Patents and partnerships

PATENTS

A patent is an industrial property title which gives its holder an exclusive right of use on the patented invention. This title has a limited duration, generally 20 years. Patents are only valid on a territory determined by their holder.

In return, the invention is disclosed to the public 18 months after the patent is filed. The invention is then known by everyone, but it use is protected. The strategy chosen by REALCO to protect the fruits of its research is generally to file patents. In the water treatment sector, it is of value for new inventions developed from specifically selected enzymes and/or micro-organisms to be patented.

Likewise for the detergent sector, the development of innovative formulations based on the mixing of raw materials (with greater effectiveness than existing products), makes this method of protection necessary. And this is despite the fact that this sector has a significant risk of prior art.

A patent affords a highly significant competitive advantage, particularly in terms of formulation.

Also, filing a patent allows Realco's credibility to be reinforced.

Since 1997, REALCO's R&D department has filed patents, the 5 main ones of which are:

Patent PCT/BE98/00152

The removal of the inhibition of detergents on the bacteria thanks to the action of the enzymes.
Using enzymes in cleaning therefore enables waste water purification results to be improved.
The use of Realco's enzyme-based products ensures better respect for the environment, by improving the biological treatment of waste water.

Patent PCT/BE98/060244

Detergent formulation combining enzymes and renewable raw materials (RRMs).
Renewable raw materials, as opposed to petrochemical raw materials, are of a vegetable, animal or microbial origin. The value of their use is in contributing to sustainable development, by using renewable resources and not fossil fuel resources. Analysing the product's life cycle consequently shows a much better balance in terms of CO2 emissions. REALCO has been able to show that the combination of these RRMs with the enzymes enables detergent products to be obtained with greater effectiveness than the equivalent products of a petrochemical origin or containing only RRMS, and the enzyme stability to be improved.

Patent PCT/BE98/068331

Process limiting the development of certain plant diseases.
This process, called Biophytomax, aims to limit the development of various plant diseases by inhibiting the extracellular enzymes produced by pathogenic micro-organisms. This treatment is intended to be more ecologically sound and more sustainable.

Patent EP2243821 / PCT/EP2010/065567

Removal of biofilms.
Enzyme-based process, aimed at the total and lasting removal of biofilms.

Patent EP10196305.6

Use of enzymes in the pulp and paper manufacturing processes.
The patent concerns the application of enzymes in the pulp and paper manufacturing processes, with the specific feature of being able to control the activity of the enzymes in these processes via a principle of reversible inhibition to order. The applications aimed at are saving energy (refining and drying), the characteristics of the paper and productivity through the machine's improved output.

SCIENTIFIC PARTNERSHIPS AND RELATIONSHIPS

REALCO's R&D department has collaborated with and still collaborates with different companies, universities (UCL, ULB, ULG) and research centres (CELABOR, INRA Lille). These partnerships allow the transfer of technologies and knowledge to be accelerate and they thereby increase the department's research potential. This work has allowed a special relationship to be established between REALCO and some university departments. REALCO is consequently also a sponsor for different academic research work and projects.

WAL-AID: REALCO is taking part again in the Walloon region's Marshall Plan via its involvement in the WAL-AID (Wallonia - Sustainable Agro-Industry) project. The project will offer Walloon agri-food companies a concrete and practical service for the creation, development and validation of scenarios for recovering their waste and co-products, aimed at ensuring that those companies obtain results that are industrially workable over a sustained period, and which generate new activities. Whether they are intended for the food or non-food domain, the products will emanate from the reprocessing of the agro-industry flows studied in this project will not be directly intended for the end consumer but rather for formulators and/or manufacturers of foodstuffs (food and/or feed) and chemical, cosmetic or pharmaceutical products. While more and more Walloon agri-food companies are aware of the potential added value represented by their connected flows, the setting up of recovery processes likely to reinforce their competitiveness on a long-term basis needs technological, economic and environmental expertise which is generally outside of their know-how. Realco and its partners are therefore involved in terms of industrial biotechnologies and they have the necessary know-how to set up bioprocesses which generate added value starting from the initial biomass.