Award Data

The impact of accelerating human industrial activities on the environment and climate are becoming increasingly clear. Petroleum-derived colorants used in consumer goods are of particular concern due to their toxicity profile, persistence, and tendency to leach into the environment. As more companies make the switch to bio-based/biodegradable plastics, greater access to bio-based dyes will be need ...

Fats, oils and greases (FOGs) cause 75% of sewer systems in the US to operate at 50% capacity, cost US cities over $20 billion in sewer maintenance, and cause over 40,000 sewer overflows annually. Most commercial kitchens are required by law to remove FOGs with a grease interceptor from wastewater before emitting into public sewers. In order to reduce sewer maintenance costs and overflows while in ...

The safety, security and survivability of mankind are dependent on clean water. Nearly 41% of Earthfs population lives in water]stressed areas, and this will be exacerbated by continuing population growth. To obtain an adequate and sustainable supply of water, it is important to improve already existing methods and develop new and effective technologies for water reuse, reclamation and purific ...

Current reliance on petroplastics is unsustainable. Efforts to replace ubiquitous petroplastics polypropylene (PP) and polyethylene (PE) with bioplastics is currently hindered by cost. Polyhydroxybutyrate (PHB) is a biodegradable polymer with properties suited to replace PP and PE. Unlike many bioplastics, PHB does not require industrial composting; rather, PHB degrades into water and trace amount ...

The objective of this EPA SBIR program is to develop a clean manufacturing process for the fabrication of environmentally-friendly pigment particles and show how the manufactured materials can be used to color a variety of different fabrics and other materials. NanoSonic will work with researchers in the Department of Chemical Engineering at Virginia Tech to develop and demonstrate multi-layer nan ...

This Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase II project will perform some needed tests for commercialization of the highly PFAS-selective nanofiber mats fabricated from electrospun polymer nanofibers. The Phase I results have shown the proof of concept for two materials developed for the removal of PFOA and PFOS with over 91% efficiency at very high concentrations (ppm level) and 99% at lo ...

In addressing Topic 1C in this solicitation, “Innovative pretreatment technologies for PFAS in industrial wastewater”, this Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase I project will develop a novel nanofiber mats fabricated by electrospun polymer nanofibers for the “smart” (selective) removal of perand polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) from landfill leachate. The co-contaminants, low ...

The drinking water crisis in Flint, Michigan reminds us that lead remains dangerous and insidious toxicant that can impact public health for months or years before it is detected and remedied.Increasing awareness of lead contamination has motivated the general public to test their own drinking water, but few tools are availiable to help these "citizen scientist" do so effectively.Current lead scre ...

As recent crises in Flint, Michigan and Washington D.C. have demonstrated, elevated lead levels (ELL’s) can very suddenly and unexpectedly be introduced to water supplies through seemingly unrelated water system alterations. Ingestion of even trace amounts of lead can have detrimental permanent health effects, especially in children; the public is rightly concerned about lead content in the wate ...

Phosphorous and nitrogen are valuable nutrients found in wastewater. The flow of phosphorous from rocks to the natural waterway has increased in recent years, due in large part to agricultural production. In addition to being a nutrient, phosphorous is a contaminant in aquatic environments that leads to the formation of organic material and algae. Recovery of phosphorous from wastewater will ensur ...