Award Data

Aqueous film-forming foams (AFFFs) are among the most popular fire-fighting foams used against fuel and oil fires because of their effectiveness and their ease of application. Unfortunately, recent studies have shown that certain fluorosurfactants used in AFFFs are toxic to aquatic life and tend to accumulate in the blood of animals and humans. The manufacturer recently has phased out ...

During Phase I of this research project, ADA Technologies, Inc. (ADA) identified a new class of amended silicate sorbents, based on a novel amendment chemistry and amendment process. During Phase I, static bed testing identified sorbents with mercury capacities as high as 12,000 g per gram of sorbent. Testing of the new sorbents in a dynamic, in-flight test rig constructed during the P ...

There has been an alarming increase in toxic cyanobacteria over the past 2 decades, with numerous poisonings reported from Australia to the United States. The increased toxic risks led the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to include cyanotoxins on the 1998 Contaminant Candidate List. Most cyanobacterial blooms, however, are not toxic. Furthermore, bloom toxicity will change o ...

Uncontrolled oxidation of sulfide minerals in mine wastes causes acid rock drainage (ARD) that contaminates receiving waters with acid and heavy metals. ARD is an enormous environmental problem, and the most significant environmental issue faced by the mining industry. Effectively dealing with ARD has been and continues to be a formidable challenge for which no global solutions exist. ...

Tunable diode laser spectroscopy (TDLS) is one of the most versatile and powerful detection technologies. Essentially, any contaminant can be detected, and with emerging cavity-enhanced techniques, sensitivities can be in the parts per trillion. Despite this tremendous potency, however, widespread use of TDLS has been prevented largely by the lack of economical, reliable, and wavelengt ...

This Small Business Innovation Research Phase II project addresses the need for improved monitoring technologies for continuous particulate mass and chemical speciation of ambient aerosols. Aerodyne Research, Inc. will develop a prototype Aerosol Chemical Speciation Monitor (ACMS) that measures ambient aerosol mass and chemical composition of non-refractory submicron aerosol particles in real-tim ...

Boston MicroSystems, Inc. (BMS), proposes to develop a MicroElectroMechanical System (MEMS) based volatile organic compound (VOC) monitor by integrating analyte-specific polymer films with SiC-AlN microresonators. In this research project, BMS and the Naval Research Laboratory will integrate microresonators and polymer films with functional groups sensitive to aromatic compounds (e.g., benzene an ...

Improved low-flow (50,000 gallons per day) sanitary wastewater treatment systems are needed. CeraMem Corporation¿s proposed approach includes a membrane bioreactor (MBR) using fully proven biological processes for biological oxygen demand oxidation and (optionally) for nutrient removal (i.e., denitrification and phosphorus removal). The technology has as a key inventive element¿a novel, compac ...

The ability to detect and identify trace quantities of hazardous materials has become a significant requirement for protecting the population during the war on terrorism. However, the ability to detect and identify trace concentrations of a wide range of chemicals in the field using a man-portable instrument is severely limited. The ability to quickly and reliably identify toxic industrial chemi ...

Biocidal additives are vital for both the preservation of coatings in the can as well as for long-term coating integrity after applications. Anti-fungal additives are critical for delaying attack by fungal and algal growth once an architectural coating is in place. Biocidal coatings are designed to kill microbes and fungi by slowly and steadily releasing biocide from the dried film. Unfortunat ...