Sunaxer and its highly innovative solar heat receivers
To embark on the road to decarbonisation, industry needs to adopt two complementary solutions: new-generation heat pumps powered by clean electricity, and solar thermal collectors to produce heat. In recent years, industrial solar heat has seen strong growth and is seen as a cost-effective substitute for fossil fuels, even in moderate climates such as Germany and Switzerland. Analyses suggest that up to 800 million m2 of collector surface area will be installed worldwide by 2030. Sunaxer has positioned itself in this highly buoyant market. Its mission is to accelerate the deployment of solar heat for industrial processes by offering the only air-stable collectors for temperatures over 300°C.
Concentrating solar collectors are capable of supplying process heat from below 100°C to over 450°C, a range that accounts for more than half of the industrial heat used today (e.g. boiling, drying, distillation, etc.). In these collectors, the receivers act as key components. They are responsible for absorbing solar radiation and converting it efficiently into heat. The problem is that the receiver tubes currently in use either use energy-intensive techniques or techniques containing dangerous products. What's more, they very often have coatings that oxidise and become damaged when in contact with high temperatures, resulting in significant additional costs.
The technology developed by Sunaxer makes it possible to overcome these three problems, thanks to receivers with black spinel oxide coatings that offer the best optical performance on the market, contain no hazardous products, have reduced grey energy and are resistant to oxidation. All at an extremely competitive price thanks to this innovative, patented approach where low-cost sol-gel coating replaces expensive vacuum processes, and where energy-efficient induction heating is also used in the manufacture of Sunaxer absorbers.
The CHF 100,000 Tech Seed loan from FIT will enable Sunaxer to cover the salary of an operator and acquire a welding unit, which is essential if its products are to comply with current standards.
HepaVue: diagnosing liver disease using the world's first virtual liver biopsy
Worldwide, more than 2 billion people are affected by chronic, asymptomatic liver disease, and hundreds of millions of them develop a progressive inflammatory form. To determine whether the disease is progressive, needle biopsy of the liver is the only option available today. It is an invasive and costly procedure that presents numerous risks for the patient: pain, sampling limited to a small portion of the liver, risks of haemorrhage and potential mortality are all drawbacks that hamper early diagnosis. As a result, up to 70% of cases of progressive liver disease go undetected until the final stage, cirrhosis.
HepaVue has developed a revolutionary alternative: the first virtual liver biopsy. This innovative technology is based on the use of proprietary radiotracers and the analysis of medical images assisted by artificial intelligence, developed in part at EPFL.
HepaVue's technology is painless and non-invasive, ensuring optimum patient comfort and enhanced safety. It enables large-scale diagnosis of progressive liver diseases and, by detecting these pathologies early, HepaVue could considerably reduce cases of liver cancer, the need for transplants and deaths linked to complications of cirrhosis. Thanks to this examination, doctors will be able to implement appropriate treatments without having to resort to traditional liver biopsies.
The CHF 100,000 Tech Seed loan granted by FIT will enable HepaVue to finalise its artificial intelligence software and begin production of its radiotracers.