Award Data

The EPA aims to reduce the total concentration of PFAS in industrial wastewater to

Problem Statement: In order to obtain energy independence from conventional sources, there is a significant interest in the production of biogas and“green energy” during wastewater treatment. Due to increased emphasis on sustainability and potential for additional revenue streams, utilities are expected to adopt energy production from digester gas in the near future. Although biogas from tr ...

GVD proposed to develop high performance, solventless and PFOA-free, non-stick mold release coatings based on its novel PTFE fluoropolymer technology. Most commercial mold release agents make use of organic solvents that when liberated during the drying process may have a significant air quality impact. The drying/curing process may also be energy intensive, requiring additional consumption of f ...

OPTRA has developed a novel approach to phase shift cavity ring down spectroscopy (PS-CRDS) using a Fourier transform infrared (FTlR) modulator to impose the spectrally-dependent amplitude modulation on a broadband JR light source. As with previous PS-CRDS measurements, we excite a resonant cavity with amplitude modulated energy and measure the phase shift of the modulated signal exiting the cavit ...

"The environmental Protection Agency is soliciting innovations for the development of small unit drinking water systems that will inactivate contaminants including pesticides, organic pollutants, pharmaceuticals, personal care products, and pathogens. In the US, 85% of all public water systems serve fewer than 3,300 people, thus these water systems are considered small. For providing these small ...

"OPTRA proposes a Fourier transform phase shift cavity ring down spectroscopy (FT-PS-CRDS) system for high sensitivity detection of air toxic compounds. Our system operates in the 400-4000 cm-1 spectral range wherein lie vapor phase resonance bands for most air toxic compounds and hazardous chemicals; the spectral resolution is 4-16 cm-1, depending on the discrimination requirements. Our approac ...

"Nitrate (NO3) in surface water runoff from agriculture activities is a serious environmental problem. Nitrate levels in United States waterways have increased dramatically in the past half-century, two0fold in the Mississippi River since 1965 and as much as ten-fold in the northeast since 1990. This widespread nitrate contamination has led to significant environmental consequences. In particul ...

Particulate matter (PM) and volatile organic compound (VOC) emissions from commercial cooking establishments are a subject of increasing concern around the globe. Although increased awareness of the health hazards of respirable particulates and VOCs has prompted the development of new technologies to reduce emissions from restaurants, current technologies do not remove all hazardous air pollutants ...

Reducing energy and water intensity of fuel-ethanol production is a critical national need, particularly if we are to realize the renewable fuel standards of 2010 mandating 36 million gallons of renewable fuels by 2022. Because the ethanol tolerance of yeasts used in commercial cellulosic ethanol production is around 7-9% by volume, 10-14 gallons of stillage are created for every gallon of ethano ...

Small particulate emissions, such as those that fall within the PM2.5 classification, have a substantial negative effect on air quality and human health. Significant sources of PM2.5 emissions are small two-stroke engines that are used in outdoor power equipment such as leaf blowers, chain saws, and string trimmers, as well as larger two-stroke engines used in recreational vehicles such as all-ter ...