Award Data

Trace organic compounds are a major challenge for water reuse. N-nitrosamines and NDMA in particular are of concern because they occur in treated wastewaters at levels closest to those of potential human health concern. These are formed as a disinfection byproducts (DBPs) in treatment processes used in water recycling. NDMA limits and monitoring requirements are included in most permitting require ...

This proposal addresses the need for continuous microbial monitoring in water reuse treatment systems. The proposal will lead to a near-real-time, in-situ, reagentless sensor for potable and non-potable water systems. LITMUS (Laser-based Insitu Testing of Microbes with Ultraviolet Spectroscopy) uses deep UV laser excitation to directly detect microbes from the autofluorescence of protein-bound aro ...

The proposed device is a compact, portable, and robust battery-powered analytical instrument for monitoring of ultra-low concentrations of various VOCs in complex backgrounds. Our technology is based on principles of analytical gas chromatography (GC), utilizes scrubbed ambient air as carrier gas and a novel highly integrated multisensory platform as a detector. Due to the implementation of a mult ...

This project will trial thermochemical techniques to recycle construction and demolition debris wood (C&D) into a low-greenhouse gas transportation fuel, while safely sequestering arsenic from C&D contaminants such as copper chromated arsenate (CCA) treated lumber. The amount of C&D wood waste going to landfill each year is not trivial. According to the EPA's latest Sustainable Materials Manageme ...

The Need + Current Technologies: Right now, most walls and wall systems built in the US release carbon into the atmosphere for their production (embodied carbon). Considering that the current climate crisis is worsened by carbon, these wall systems must be designed to store and sequester carbon. Carbon-storing bio-based wall systems, such as straw bale construction, do exist on the residential ma ...

CelNav systems are currently deployed in aerospace systems, but they depend on unobscured views and relatively smooth and predictable motions over long periods of time. Using these systems for SOCOM ground operations defined by highly variable viewing angles and motion profiles goes well beyond simple adaptation, requiring fundamentally new approaches for select sub-systems associated with primary ...

Modern navigation systems are heavily reliant on satellites (e.g., GPS, GNSS, GLONASS, etc.) to maintain positional awareness and orientation. These signals are susceptible to intentional disruption, such as jamming or spoofing, and unintentional interruption due to radio frequency interference, signal attenuation caused by local terrain, or satellite malfunctions. Under Phase I of this SBIR, Aret ...

Optical Physics Company (OPC) has developed and matured an interferometric star tracker technology which can provide the accuracy required for a Handheld Celestial Navigation System (HCNS) to serve as an alternate when primary GPS systems are denied. Innovative research and development is needed to incorporate this technology with other components into a HCNS which can address the eleven (11) desi ...

Over the last decade there has been increasing advances in image processing applied to binoculars and scopes. For instance, hunting and military scopes can allow the user to designate, track, and provide lock indication on a target. However, with advances in neural networks, and associated processors, there are a wide range of additional capabilities that could be incorporated into these optical s ...

Rapid sleep schedule shift, such as resulted from travel or work schedules, causes severe disruption in the circadian clocks. Due to the frequent travel and night missions, circadian clock misalignment is a major contributor to the nonrestorative sleep that undermines subsequent performance in SOF operators and other elite soldiers with similarly demanding missions. In the absence of effective sle ...