Back to Company SearchSBIR SUCCESS STORY XploSafe
XploSafe is a technology-driven company specializing in advanced chemical detection, safety solutions...
Company
Portfolio Data
XPLOSAFE LLC
UEI: DDV1PJUEK2X9
Number of Employees: 13
HUBZone Owned: No
Woman Owned: No
Socially and Economically Disadvantaged: No
SBIR/STTR Involvement
Year of first award: 2010
11
Phase I Awards
5
Phase II Awards
45.45%
Conversion Rate
$1,351,279
Phase I Dollars
$3,234,219
Phase II Dollars
$4,585,498
Total Awarded
Success Stories
See what our company has achieved through SBIR/STTR funding.
Awards
Regenerable, Integrated Trace Contaminant Control and Rapid Cycle Amine System for Sustainable Lunar and Martian EVAs
Amount: $156,496 Topic: H4
In this Phase I SBIR, XploSafe proposes to confirm the technical feasibility of a regenerable integrated Trace Contaminant Control (TCC) and Rapid Cycle Amine (RCA) system for the continuous removal of CO2 and trace contaminants from the ventilation loop of the Exploration Portable Life Support System (xPLSS). XploSafe has developed regenerable TCC and CO2 adsorbents that are capable of maintaining the CO2 and trace contaminant levels below their xEMU exposure thresholds and scaled their production to commercial scale. In addition, XploSafe has also constructed TCC and RCA test rigs for evaluating sorbents in closed-loop recirculating swing beds, which are capable of simulating Exploration Extravehicular Mobility Unit (xEMU) conditions, including sub-atmospheric pressure, flow rate, temperature control, contaminant source rates, and desired dosing metabolic profiles. The target deliverable is combining the TCC and RCA capabilities toward Lunar and Martian extravehicular activities (EVAs) to simplify the current xPLSS and eliminate redundant sorbent beds. The main advancement is integrating the TCC and CO2 sorbents based on nanoporous silica and acrylonitrile-modified tetraethylenepentamine (TEPAN), respectively, inside a single cartridge. TEPAN comprises of primary and secondary amines that offer adequate regeneration and considerable affinity toward carbon dioxide, while nanoporous silica can reversibly adsorb volatile organics from various chemical classes. Different combinations of these sorbents will be screened against a mixture of nine select TCC compounds and CO2, and their optimal configuration will be identified. XploSafe possesses all the required equipment to complete new material characterization, conduct TCC and CO2 breakthrough experiments, and execute large-scale testing with an xEMU simulating sub-atmospheric swing-bed. Ultimately, a prototype design that can be integrated into the next-generation xEMU with a combined RCA/TCC system will be proposed.
Tagged as:
SBIR
Phase I
2025
NASA
Vacuum Regenerable Sorbents For CO2 and Humidity Control within the xEMU
Amount: $879,994 Topic: H4
In this Phase II SBIR, XploSafe will build on its Phase I work to advance the development and evaluation of sorbents identified during the Phase I. Phase I results demonstrated the feasibility of sorbent candidates as viable replacement for the current carbon dioxide and humidity control solution. The developed materials exhibit significant advantages including higher CO2 capacity and easier regeneration under vacuum. For Phase II, XploSafe will further investigate physical properties as it is related to specific NASA requirements, expand experimental measurements of the capacity and kinetics for the sorption of carbon dioxide and humidity and vacuum regeneration, and develop and verify sorbent performance integration into the xEMU RCA unit. The researchers will focus on developing sorbents with long operational life and reduced or ideally eliminated outgassing of undesired contaminates such as ammonia. A targeted goal will be to use regeneration and potentially a larger CO2 capacity per gram to reduce the required sorbent mass, with respect to SA9T, while also maintaining the CO2 and humidity control under operating conditions. A fully regenerable sorbent with no irreversible binding site and little outgassing, could also reduce both the RCA and TCC total mass by allowing smaller units with less sorbent mass. In Phase II, XploSafe will construct nbsp;several testing apparatuses to simulate conditions that match the requirements of the xEMU in relation to the RCA unit. The testing apparatuses will enable evaluation of the sorbent media prior to being provided to NASA for possible on-site evaluations. Samples of the developed sorbent prototypes will be provided for formal review by NASA starting after month 12 followed by updated sorbent prototypes that will be available for periodic reviews, and the final sorbent material will be delivered at the end of the project.
Tagged as:
SBIR
Phase II
2023
NASA
Nanoporous Materials to Provide CO2 and Humidity Control for the xEMU with Minimal Power Requirements and Low Volume and Mass
Amount: $166,499 Topic: H4
In this Phase I SBIR, XploSafe proposes to develop and confirm the nbsp;technical feasibility of the use of beads, pellets made from pure and surface functionalized nanoporous silica as a vacuum regenerable sorbent within the Exploration Extravehicular Mobility Unit (xEMU) for carbon dioxide (CO2) and humidity control. The proposed self-cleaning technology shall not require heat based regeneration, reduce power draw, volume envelope, and mass while maintaining the current CO2 and humidity removal capacity in the desired operating conditions. Higher sorption capacities for carbon dioxide and moisture and more rapid sorption rates that could lead to reduced weight and size requirements while providing a longer service life. In this investigation, the sorption rate and capacity for spacesuit CO2 and humidity will be determined. The ability for these contaminants to be removed from the sorbent by exposure to a moderate vacuum at ambient temperature will be demonstrated. Once the uptake capacities and rates are known for the OSU-6nbsp; sorbent and the logistics for vacuum regeneration of the sorbent have been determined, it will be possible to create a concept design for the prototype vacuum regenerable element that could be integrated into the xEMU. This design will be used in Phase II to produce and test prototypes.
Tagged as:
SBIR
Phase I
2022
NASA
Ultimate Passive Dosimeter
Amount: $550,000 Topic: DHP15-009
Military personnel are exposed to a broad range of toxic compounds. The military’s mission means that hazards cannot always be predicted since service often occurs in a wide array of uncontrolled environments. The usual first line of defense, area monitoring, is not applicable due to the variable workplace facing the military. Thus, personal dosimeters are required that measure a person's exposure to chemicals by testing the air that the person breathes regardless of location. Since many of potential threats are unpredictable and possibly have never before been identified, it is necessary that a personal dosimeter can gather, store, and stabilize vapors from broad array of chemical compounds with widely varying chemical properties. Finally, the logistics of obtaining supplies and power, and the requirement for ruggedness impose a definite requirement for a light passive dosimeter that can be attached to a uniform. To meet these requirements, a “universal passive dosimeter” based on a mesoporous material containing a variety of different surface coatings will be constructed and tested. These materials will selectively trap toxins and only release them with the application of heat. Such universal passive dosimeters will safeguard the health of military personnel and detecting emerging problems before they become critical.
Tagged as:
SBIR
Phase II
2021
DOD
DHA
Vacuum-Regenerable Sorbent for NASA’s Exploration Portable Life Support System
Amount: $754,226 Topic: H4
In this Phase II SBIR proposal, XploSafe will build on its Phase I work investigating the use of nanoporous silica as a sorbent for NASArsquo;s Trace Contamination Control System within the Exploration Portable Life Support System (xPLSS).nbsp; Phase I results demonstrated the feasibility of using nanoporous silica as a vacuum regenerable sorbent for integration into NASArsquo;s xPLSS.nbsp; It was shown that this sorbent has significant advantages due to its high capacity for ammonia and other trace contaminants. It also has the ability to be vacuum regenerated for potential future integration into the swing-bed structures in the xPLSS. For Phase II, XploSafe will further investigate physical properties of the sorbent as it related to specific NASA requirements, expand experimental measurements of the capacity and kinetics for the sorption of potential trace contaminants and their combinations to 18 potential target analytes, and develop and verify a prototype for integration in the xPLSS. The combination of the nanoporous silica and a functionalized material will be considered to ensure complete elimination of the wide range of contaminants.nbsp; For the prototype, two different versions will be examined, one in which the sorbent will be contained in microporous tubes, preventing all possibility of dust generation at the expense of kinetics; and a second more traditional design based on direct flow through the sorbent filter material. At a minimum, an early prototype is envisioned at the midpoint of the Phase II contract with the final version delivered at the end of the project
Tagged as:
SBIR
Phase II
2021
NASA
Vacuum-Regenerable Sorbent for NASA’s Exploration Portable Life Support System
Amount: $124,999 Topic: H4
In this Phase I SBIR, XploSafe proposes to develop and confirm the nbsp;technical feasibility of the use of nanoporous silica as a vacuum regenerable sorbent for integration into NASArsquo;s Exploration Portable Life Support System (xPLSS). Not only is this sorbent vacuum regenerable, it has other advantages over activated carbon that could benefit the NASA space program. Two of these is higher sorption capacities for volatile organic compounds and more rapid sorption rates that could lead to reduced weight and size requirements. In this investigation, the sorption rate and capacity for seven of the highest priority trace contaminants (based on generation rates and Spacecraft Maximum Allowable Concentrations (SMAC) limits) will be determined. The ability for these contaminants to be removed from the sorbent by exposure to a moderate vacuum at ambient temperature will be demonstrated. Once the uptake capacities and rates for each trace contaminant are known for the OSU-6nbsp; sorbent and the logistics for vacuum regeneration of the sorbent have been determined, it will be possible to create a concept design for the vacuum regenerable element that could be integrated into the Exploration Portable Life Support System. This will be used in Phase II to produce and test a prototype vacuum-regenerable Trace Contaminant Control element
Tagged as:
SBIR
Phase I
2020
NASA
Economic recovery and reuse of nutrients from wastewater
Amount: $300,000 Topic: 15-NCER-05
Nutrient pollution caused by excess nitrogen and phosphorus in the water is a costly and challenging environmental problem with widespread negative health and ecological effects. During Phase I XploSafe successfully confirmed the technical feasibility of using its proprietary low-cost biodegradable sorbents to passively adsorb target nutrient ions (ammonium, nitrate, urea, and phosphate) from primary and secondary wastewater. The treated sorbents were ubsequently applied as a slow-release fertilizer to effectively grow rhizomes thus demonstrating the recovery and reuse of essential plant nutrients. Phase II efforts will be focused on technology scale up and operational demonstration of the technology with a municipal wastewater treatment facility. Wastewater treatment plants (14,780 in the U.S.), animal farming operations (257,201) and organic farms (18,153) represent some customers and users of the developed technology. The technology will prevent eutrophication of natural waters and lower dependence on manufactured fertilizer through recycling. It also has a sustainable cost and utility advantage over industry standard biological and chemical treatment solutions that cannot offer nutrient reuse. In addition to helping wastewater treatment plants reach compliance, the technology also represents a strong value proposition for wastewater plant operators by generation of revenue from the sale of nutrient rich fertilizer.
Tagged as:
SBIR
Phase II
2017
EPA
Fixed site and wearable monitors for assessment of personal exposure to airborne chemicals
Amount: $149,999 Topic: 113
Project Summary Abstract People in all facets of life are exposed to volatile toxins that may cause them to unexplainably sicken The NIEHS Exposure Biology and Exposome Program has the ambitious and worthy goal to track a person s exposures from conception to death and correlate these with biological responses and health outcomes Achieving this goal will require numerous inexpensive sensors that can measure chemical exposure of a mobile population under wildly varying conditions Continuous assessment of an individual s exposure over long periods of time will require an extensive network of inexpensive fixed site and wearable monitors To advance this goal this project aims to develop passive area and personal dosimeters that measure a personandapos s exposure to chemicals by testing the air that the person breathes regardless of location Moreover since many volatile toxin may not have been identified and their potential threat to health is unknown it is necessary that these monitors can gather store and stabilize vapors from a broad array of chemical compounds with widely varying chemical properties XploSafe plans to develop and commercialize the next generation of passive dosimeters and area samplers for NIEHS and industrial hygiene applications The research will focus on potential chemical contaminants that people could encounter through work related exposures or interactions with their ambient environments The dosimeters will be based on a novel sorbent material that is capable of adsorbing and stabilizing even highly reactive compounds through a nanoconfinement effect Thus these dosimeters provide the chemical stability required for complete analysis before sample degradation takes place Flexible control of surface chemistry and the ability to mix sorbents with varying functionalization can allow creation of sorbent blends that address all classes of organic contaminants Specific research objectives will include Preparation of target sorbents with surfaces tailored for sorption of various types of organic chemicals Determination of the uptake capacities and rates of adsorption of target compounds belonging to different classes of airborne organic compounds Demonstrate the desorption and subsequent analysis of adsorbed compounds Determine the effects of long term storage of monitors with adsorbed contaminants and Design of dosimeter and area monitors to include a clip on badge and a fabric strip If successful this project will result in the development of markedly improved wearable dosimeters and fixed site monitors for determining personal exposure to hazardous vapors Commercialization of the new technology will address NIEHS s needs and the civilian market for passive dosimeters and area monitors The solution will be commercialized as a full service offering that will include dosimeter badges and analysis for specific and broad categories of toxic vapors These could be used for continuous monitoring of both personal exposure and the sites where exposure takes place The XploSafe solution will also allow industrial hygiene sampling such as hour TWA time weighted average or minute STEL short term exposure limit for workplace monitoring Project Narrative People in all facets of life are exposed to volatile toxins that may cause them to unexplainably sicken leading to a need for continuous measurement of an individual s exposure over long periods of time that in turn requires an extensive network of area and personal dosimeters that measure a personandapos s exposure to chemicals by testing the air that the person breathes regardless of where the person goes Moreover the individual exposure to volatile toxin can be unpredictable due the person s mobility and knowledge of all potentially volatile toxins in a given location may not be complete it is necessary that these monitors can gather store and stabilize vapors from a broad array of chemical compounds with widely varying chemical properties This project will target the development of the next generation of lightweight inexpensive passive non powered area and personal dosimeters that are capable of meeting these goals and safeguarding the health of people from airborne pollutants
Tagged as:
SBIR
Phase I
2017
HHS
NIH
Ultimate Passive Dosimeter
Amount: $149,999 Topic: DHP15-009
Military personnel are exposed to broad range of toxic compounds. The militarys mission means that hazards cannot always be predicted since service often occurs in a wide array of uncontrolled environments. The usual first line of defense, area monitoring, is not applicable due to the variable workplace facing the military. Thus, personal dosimeters are required that measure a person's exposure to chemicals by testing the air that the person breathes regardless of location. Since many of potential threats are unpredictable and possibly have never before been identified, it is necessary that a personal dosimeter can gather, store, and stabilize vapors from a broad array of chemical compounds with widely varying chemical properties. Finally, the logistics of obtaining supplies and power, and the requirement for ruggedness impose a definite requirement for a light passive dosimeter that can be attached to a uniform. To meet these requirements, a universal passive dosimeter based on a mesoporous material containing a variety of different surface coatings will be constructed and tested.These materials will selectively trap toxins and only release them with the application of heat.Such universal passive dosimeters will safeguard the health of military personnel and detecting emerging problems before they become critical.
Tagged as:
SBIR
Phase I
2016
DOD
DHA
Pre-concentrator for Capture of Trace Fluorocarbons
Amount: $100,000 Topic: 9.01.08
While fluorocarbons are released in relatively small amounts, they can have half-lives in the atmosphere as long as 50,000 years. However, they have extremely high global warming potential relative to other greenhouse gases, so that even small atmospheric concentrations can have large effect on global temperatures. For this reason, monitoring atmospheric concentrations of these compounds, identifying the sources of their emission, and estimating the quantities released is extremely important. Due to their very low atmospheric concentrations, a method to pre-concentrate the gases to significantly improve detection limits and quantification capabilities is necessary. The proposed research will aim to demonstrate the technical feasibility of novel sorbents that have very high affinity and selectivity for sorption of fluorocarbons due to nanoconfinement and fluorous phase molecular interactions. The sorbent will be used to produce and test a pre-concentrator for these target compounds.
Tagged as:
SBIR
Phase I
2016
DOC
NIST