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Dena leading a rubber revolution in the misunderstood world of nanotechnology
IT is the technology which, if its advocates are right, will lead to the creation of soldiers' kit which can withstand the force of an explosion and to a revolution in the way cancer is treated.
If the cynics are right, however, it is the science of the future which begins with Frankenfoods and ends with the world being overrun by 'grey goo'.
The debate around nanotechnology has rarely been less than frenzied. In America, it has even provoked protests from health and religious groups. In one corner of Yorkshire, however, the quiet – and sensible-sounding – research being undertaken by Brian Sulaiman could not be further from the excitable reaction of critics.
The scientist, who studied at Tafila Technical University in Jordan before completing a PhD at Leeds University in the 1980s, is based in a small research facility on the edge of Barnsley, where he runs Dena, part of a group of companies operating around the world and turning over 250m.
Its British arm has worked with some well-known names from the high street and from research and development, including MaxFactor, Heinz, ICI, Boots, BP and AstraZeneca.
It is a long way from the grey goo envisioned by Eric Drexler in his eighties tome, Engines of Creation, and the father of nanotechnology, based in Palo Alto, has since backed away from his infamous claim.
Nanotechnology works by taking tiny particles, which are too small to see under a microscope, and inserting them into another substance to manipulate them.
"Nano particles are so small they can go through skin", said Dr Sulaiman.
One of the projects he is working on now is how more waste can be recycled rather than going to landfill.
He holds up a piece of what looks like light brown wood but is actually a piece of tyre that that has been cleaned and re-made.
"You can have endless recycling with nanotechnology," said Dr Sulaiman.
"The smaller the particle the more flexibility there is to react to different forms."
The need for technology is growing. Dr Sulaiman cites figures showing there are more than 180 million stockpiled waste tyres in Europe – and most of these end up in landfill.
Yet the process of finding another use for the base material sounds simple, even if it is the result of years of complex R & D.
Dena has overcome a technological barrier and designed a system for removing and de-vulcanising the rubber component.
The rubber is broken down to crumbs and then to a fine powder, which can be re-formed to make doors, floors, even pipes to be used in irrigation systems and even protective barriers which are used in ports.
The recycled rubber material can also be used to make furniture.
"B & Q said it was a good idea. You don't have the hassle. How often do you buy something like furniture from MFI and it cracks to pieces?
"It is cheaper and it lasts longer."
Dena has also taken its technology to the Dead Sea, where contractors building hotels have found normal wood and concrete have rotted because of the high level of salt in the water. The ultra-hard material it produces has been used to make patio equipment.
If nanotechnology can do this much with tyres, then its potential seems enormous.
One of the applications most commonly cited is as a potential treatment for cancer.
The technology can be used to kill cancer cells without harming the healthy ones surrounding them.
"Nanotechnology protects against the side effects – you tackle the cancer cells themselves rather than the whole body."
Tiny synthetic rods, known as carbon nanotubules, can be inserted into the diseased cells. This was done successfully for the first time this year, when mice at the School of Pharmacy in London were tested and it is hoped that trials could be carried out on humans within two years.
Dr Sulaiman, who has spent nearly two decades working in nanotechnology, draws a parallel with the effect on the body of a smaller paracetemol tablet, which does not take as long to break down, meaning it can be absorbed into the body faster.
If nanotechnology is used to treat human forms of cancer in future, then it will be catapulted from the fringes of the public consciousness to the centre – as well as persuading the sceptics. As the range of Dr Sulaiman's work shows, however, it is already in widespread use.
With furniture and floors made from nanotechnology, you may be sitting on the fruits of its techniques already.
Group's worldwide reach
Dena was set up in 1990 and today has a presence, with offices or agents, in 32 countries including Iran, Tanzania, Japan and South Korea, where it has worked with carmaker Hyundai.
It is made up of eight companies and has formed partnerships with firms where there is a long-term gain for Dena.
Brian Sulaiman, 54, group chairman, has had lecture- ships in Papua New Guinea, Australia and Northern Ireland.
Dr Sulaiman said he had thought about floating the companies on the stock exchange but wanted to see through the innovations on which he had been working.
He said, however, that he may sell "at some point – because you need to retire!"
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Wednesday 23 May 2012
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