Award Data

Pollinators, typically honey bees, are critical for marketable yields of around 90 crops, including apples, blueberries, cucumbers and almonds. Honey bees, however, have been under considerable pressure from Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD), leading to unprecedented and unsustainable colony losses. Pesticide exposure, especially neonicotinoids in seed coating, is one key stressor causing the general ...

Shellfish aquaculture in the United States has been expanding rapidly; providing jobs, promoting local economies, and yielding sustainable protein sources for a continuously growing human population. However, industry growth is restricted due to several issues which all directly relate to being able to get the food (microalgae) to the shellfish in an efficient manner. The issue is not that there i ...

In this Phase 1 SBIR proposal, Vuronyx Technologies will develop biobased isosorbide epoxy precursors as replacement to Bisphenol-A epoxy precursors used currently in "can coatings" for food and beverages.Canning of foods and beverages in tin-plated steel or aluminum is extensively used for food preservation and storage because of low material and productions costs and durability of the containers ...

The use of recycled water has never been more important than it is today, especially with California and the Western United States experiencing the worst drought in 500 years.To address the severe and persistent shortage of water,growers in California are increasingly looking to recycled water as a way to consistently meet their irrigation demands. The main challenge for water reuse in agriculture ...

A new reactor technology is being developed that can process agricultural wastewaters economically while also creating a marketable bioproduct. The combined syngeries of efficiently processing wastewater while also creating a biofuel product for resale helps to economically treat wastewater with a positive energy balance.

Nitrogen balance plays a critical role in agricultural food security and biodiversity. While some nitrogen addition, such as fertilization, is highly beneficial to agriculture, too much can result in lower crop yields and plant loss. Air pollution can tip the nitrogen balance toward unhealthy soil and poor growing conditions, and affect a plant's ability to cope with drought. Understanding the ...

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THE OBJECTIVE OF THIS RESEARCH EFFORT IS TO DEMONSTRATE THE FEASIBILITY OF DEVELOPING NEW THERMOSETTING PLASTICS BASED UPON CELLULOSE FROM WOOD. THIS PHASE I EFFORT WILL EXPLORE CROSSLINKING AGENTS SUCH AS DIEPOXIDES AND DIISOCYANATES ANDDETERMINE THEIR RELATIVE ABILITY TO SWELL AND CROSSLINK BOTHTHE AMORPHOUS AND CRYSTALLINE PORTIONS OF CELLULOSE. THE EXPOXIDES AND ISOCYANTATES TO BE INVESTIGATED ...

THE LIVESTOCK INDUSTRY, FROM AN ANIMAL PRODUCTION VIEWPOINT,IS INCREASINGLY USING CONFINEMENT SYSTEMS TO INCREASE PRODUCER EFFICIENCY. IT IS VERY IMPORTANT FOR THESE CONFINEMENT SYSTEMS TO HAVE A GOOD METHOD OF CONTROLLING THE ENVIRONMENT SURROUNDING THE ANIMAL. PRESENT VENTILATIONSYSTEMS SUPPLY VENTILATION BY USING ELECTRIC POWERED FANS AND/OR DOORS THAT ARE CONTROLLED BY ELECTRIC THERMOSTATS. TH ...