Award Data

Analysis of nuclear material samples in the field has many advantages over laboratory analysis. Laboratory analyses can be slow, involve increased expense, lead to additional waste generation and disposal problems, and may introduce errors due to sample degradation or mishandling. In situ analysis mitigates all of these problems. The specific aim of this project is the development of a truly por ...

Feeding fish represents about 50 to 60% of the direct production expenses of an aquaculture operation. Wasted feed during the feeding process can range from 10 to 40%. Feed waste has negative environmental impacts. Waste accumulated underneath fish pens is toxic and must be removed periodically, which translates into additional labor costs. Hand feeding methods are labor intensive while some autom ...

Gravel streambeds and beaches provide spawning habitat for salmon and form barriers to coastal erosion. Understanding how gravel is transported through measurements is essential for monitoring the ecological and physical processes of gravel-bed systems and for calibrating sediment transport models. We propose Phase II research to develop: 1) impact-recording sensors that can be deployed by wading ...

This SBIR project proposes a new approach to making liquid fuels from cellulosic biomass sources (a Biomass-to-Liquids or "BTL" process) that would significantly reduce the cost and complexity of production. The project uses innovative chemistry and reactor designs to enhance efficiency, selectivity, and reduce operating condition severity. Phase I aims to demonstrate process feasibility by determ ...

Experimental quantities of metastable Al-Mg solid solutions (Mg contents 10-50%) have been recently prepared using mechanical alloying. Such solid solutions are predicted to be a new type of metallic high energy density materials in which specific phasechanges are pre-programmed to occur at a desired temperature and trigger ignition of accelerate combustion rate of the fuel. Preliminary tests ha ...

Our firm has been cooperating with engineers and scientists to develop materials that can be made from shredded woody debris. Field work during those projects put us in contact with many contractors and community-based organizations who were frustrated with the lack of markets for "chipped" woody biomass. We found that most community-based wildfire protection program leaders were unaware of the qu ...

Continuous linear-move irrigators are the superior means of overhead irrigation and are capable of irrigating rectangles and irregular shapes. Presently, no affordable and hassle-free automated apparatus exists to connect the linear traveling irrigator to the stationary mainline and existing guidance methods add significantly to cost and complexity. Consequently, few linears are sold. Most irrigat ...

PROBLEM: Efforts to control balsam woolly adelgids (BWA) with conventional pesticides have failed, and natural enemy populations are too sparse to effectively control BWA, an exotic pest destroying natural and cultivated firs in the US, including Fraser firs in Christmas tree plantations. We propose to develop the technology for a diet-based mass rearing system for brown lacewings to control BWA i ...

The demand for seafood in the United States is increasing and will continue to increase. Recent federal health guidelines call for Americans to double their consumption of seafood. The U.S. would need an additional 4 to 6 million metric tons of seafood per year over current levels if we doubled our consumption. If consumption remains at the current per capita levels, the U.S. will still require an ...

Pelletized Straw will develop and test formulas for the production of pellets made from grasseed straw for use as an organic mulch in support of the establishment of turfgrasses in commercial and residential applications. We will test for pellet formulations that retain the high bulk density of initial trial product while seeking to feed an optimum fiber length to the pelleter. We will test our be ...