72273S03-I The U.S. Department of Energy needs improved sensors to measure changes in the concentration of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. This project will develop a carbon dioxide sensor based on cavity ringdown spectroscopy. In Phase I, the carbon dioxide sensor will be constructed, and its… More

This Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase I project proposes to develop innovative blue and green lasers based on multi-pass second harmonic generation (SHG). It utilizes a simple Galilean telescope to solve many of the problems associated with this promising technical approach. The goal… More

This Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) Phase I project will develop biomass-processing technology for converting crude natural glycerin to antifreeze. The rapidly expanding U.S. biodiesel industry collects millions of gallons of crude glycerin per year as a by-product and much of this… More

This Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase II project is to develop low-cost, 20-50 mW blue and green lasers for bioinstrumentation applications. The Phase II program objectives are to : (i) design, assemble and test 20 mW 505 nm laser prototypes; (ii) to validate laser performance in a… More

72273-The U.S. Department of Energy needs improved sensors to measure changes in the concentration of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. Currently available instruments have high operational costs and do not meet the high precision and accuracy requirements. This project will develop carbon dioxide… More

Picarro, Inc proposes to develop the first cavity ringdown spectroscopy (CRDS) system to measure fluorescence, absorption, and scattering properties of atmospheric aerosols in real-time and in-situ. These unique capabilities will enhance NASA?s studies of aerosol properties including single-scatter… More

Ethylene exposure limits have been established for postharvest handling of most horticultural commodities. In addition, effective methods have been developed to control ethylene exposure levels. However, the lack of simple, high-sensitivity ethylene monitoring instruments prevents the agricultural… More

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): The catabolic state of the body consuming itself is characteristic of fasting and onset of infection. Detection of changes in the ratio of 13C to 12C in exhaled carbon dioxide has shown promise in preliminary evaluations for very early detection of the onset of… More

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): The doubly labeled water (DLW) method of measuring total energy expenditure (TEE) has emerged as a vital tool in obesity research. It has enabled researchers to assess human energy requirements in health and in disease, to study the etiology of obesity, and to… More

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): The doubly labeled water (DLW) method of measuring total energy expenditure (TEE) has emerged as a vital tool in obesity research. It has enabled researchers to assess human energy requirements in health and in disease, to study the etiology of obesity, and to… More

The rapid proliferation of Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations has raised concerns about both health and environmental impacts of aerial emissions from animal production and waste management systems. The purpose of this project is to develop an ultra-sensitive instrument, based on cavity ringdown… More

Picarro will build a trace gas sensor based on Cavity Ringdown Spectroscopy (CRDS) targeting the acrolein absorption band in 1623 nm for environmental monitoring. Acrolein is a ubiquitous airborn pollutant the sources of which include burning vegetation (e.g., forest fires), waste incinerators,… More

Methane (CH4), water vapor (H2O), and carbon dioxide (CO2) are collectively responsible for the majority of the Earth¿s greenhouse effect. Robust instrumentation that can measure these gases with both high accuracy and high precision would reduce the uncertainty in the determination of… More

Isotopic analysis is increasingly employed in studies of the cycles of atmospheric green house gases such as carbon dioxide. Isotopic analysis provides insight into sources, sinks, and transport processes of these important gases, providing greater understanding of the effect of green house gases… More

Scientists have reached a strong consensus that human emissions of greenhouse gases are causing global warming. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change warns of many possible consequences, including increased risk of infectious disease epidemics, increased floods, landslides, avalanches, and… More

Methane (CH4), water vapor (H2O), and carbon dioxide (CO2) are collectively responsible for the majority of the Earth¿s greenhouse effect. Robust instrumentation that can measure these gases with both high accuracy and precision and with sufficient speed would reduce the uncertainty in the… More

Picarro has as part of its current product offering, a CRDS-based isotopic (13CO2/12Co2) carbon dioxide analyzer capable of measuring atmospheric levels of CO2 to a precision of 0.3% in a five-minute measurement.  This slow analyzer operated at 1.6¿m.  At this wavelength, we have pushed the… More

This award is funded under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (Public Law 111-5). This Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase I project will combine the capabilities of Picarro's WS-CRDS (wavelength-scanned cavity ring down spectroscopy) instrumentation with Gas… More

Landfills are the largest source of anthropogenic methane emissions in the U.S. However, the accurate quantification of these emissions are limited by difficulties in measuring and characterizing the time-varying meteorological conditions with the detail needed to produce a reliable model for… More

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): This application is in response to the FDA's Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition (CFSAN) solicitation. One of the pillars of food safety and integrity is labeling that provides a truthful designation of origin and … More

Measurements of 14C or radiocarbon enables fundamental approaches forelucidating the impact of climate and land use change on the carbon cycle including carbon storage and turnover/residence times and the impact of these changes on atmospheric CO2 levels. In addition, in the field of atmospheric… More