Wisconsin start-up company responds to needs in biodiesel industry

Biodiesel industry sparks Marquette research that is spun off into establishing Paradigm Sensors, LLC as new Start-up in Milwaukee
from Milwaukee Journal Sentinel (JSOnline):
By KATHLEEN GALLAGHER
kgallagher@journalsentinel.com

(NOTE: Paradigm Sensors is a member of Wisconsin Biodiesel Association, and CEO Robert Young serves on the WBA Board of Directors)

(Milwaukee) A small Milwaukee start-up that's attracted strong interest from local angel investing groups is launching its first product, a biodiesel analyzer, at a national industry conference.

A year after spinning its proprietary technology out of Marquette University's engineering school, Paradigm Sensors LLC has five full-time and two contracted employees, and is bringing to market a hand-held sensor that judges the quality of biodiesel fuel.

The $5,000 device is about the size of a cordless phone. It tests for total glycerin, methanol, acid number and the percentage of biodiesel fuel in a blend, said Robert Young, Paradigm's president and chief executive officer.

The sensor emits electric frequencies to measure the electrochemical responses of liquids using a technology called impedance spectroscopy. The device was to make its debut Sunday at the National Biodiesel Board Expo in Orlando, Fla.

"It really is a potential paradigm-shift technology," said Herb Zien, senior vice president of Trigen Cos. in Boston, chairman of Paradigm's board and an investor in the company. "This device can perform onsite, in real time, as compared to having measurements on these oils that go to the lab and take some time to get results back."

The only other way to get the information that Paradigm's device delivers in minutes is to send fuel to a lab, which is expensive and can take several days, said investor George Mosher.

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