Interview with Mr Stuart Burchill

Our coatings have produced savings for textile facilities (one in particular is saving $40,000 US per month on LNG cost), and increased the efficiency of the plant equipment. The savings in energy also equate to a reduction in carbon emissions. We feel that this type of savings would easily qualify for a carbon credits project to qualify the reduction of emissions from energy use.

Other areas where nanotechnology is currently having an impact in the textile industry is in the clothing itself. One company produces a wrinkle resistant line that incorporates nanotechnology. One area of R&D that we are working on is to be able to add the unique insulating ability of our technology to clothing. Our technology is currently only available in coating form, however we are getting closer to a breakthrough which will allow much more versatility, and could allow the light-weight material to be used in outerwear, boots, and other textiles.

We have found that many companies are looking for a competitive edge, and the textile market is no different. Nanotechnology is the science that can offer this edge by creating new types of materials.

Our company’s Nansulate High Heat coating was introduced to the textile industry in Turkey in the fall of 2005 by our distributor there, Kolorgen Ltd. Since then, our products have been used on equipment such as dyeing machines, heat exchanger and LNG burners, and energy reductions seen have been in the 20 percent range. Over 30 textile plants there have been introduced to Nansulate.

Our High Heat product is very useful for all types of textile machinery. It has been used to not only reduce energy used to heat equipment but has also increase dye lot consistency by insulating the machine in a more consistent manner than other types of insulation. Thin film nature of the coating allow it to be used in a variety of equipment where other types of insulation cannot be used. Because the coating also contains corrosion prevention it also protects the equipment from rust and corrosion. Nansulate is used as a thermal insulation to reduce energy costs and cool surface temperature of equipment.

Current conventional tools of energy conservation can be costly for factories. Solar panels are effective as energy savers, but the return on investment might be several years away. Any major plan for reduction generally involves downtime and conventional methods are geared toward alternate energy, such as solar or wind.

Where Nansulate differs is that it offers the opportunity to use less of the energy already in use, without major changes to a factory to install alternate energy systems. The return on investment can be seen in most cases in less than a year, and the downtime is minimal during installation.

Industrial Nanotech is a member of the US Green Building Council. We work to incorporate ecologically friendly policies into all the products that we make. We create non-hazardous, earth friendly coatings, and beyond that hope to make a major impact on reducing energy use through the nature of our technology.

We hope in the near future through our current R&D to have the ability to add significant improvement in the form of light weight, highly effective insulation in textile and clothing. Other improvements on the horizon could allow for a color change of material if a certain criteria were met, such as presence of moisture or heat. Other additions may be of a more fashionable nature and allow for an animated look to T-shirts or other garments.