Award Data

This Small Business Innovation Research Phase I project focuses on the development of a proof-of-concept ultra-portable nitrogen dioxide (NO2) sensor based on mid-infrared quantum cascade laser (QCL) spectroscopy. NO2 is a critical air pollutant which can trigger respiratory/cardiovascular disease and new standards by the National ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS) limit 1 hour concentrations ...

As part of its mission to protect human health and the environment, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency develops and promotes innovative cleanup strategies that restore contaminated sites to productive use, reduce associated costs, and promotes environmental stewardship. Testing and characterization of the environment for potentially harmful contaminants is a costly endeavor. Current technolo ...

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 t ...

Chlorinated hydrocarbons represent the most prevalent contaminants in the subsurface, threatening the quality of groundwater at aquifers. Existing technologies for monitoring these contaminants require expensive, labor-intensive methods of sample collection and analysis. The goal of this Phase I research project is to develop a low-cost, compact, reliable, automated, unattended, and long-term mo ...

The goals of this Phase I research project are to investigate the feasibility of using an artificial neural network (ANN) and an optimization-based water distribution security system (¿smart security¿) for accurately detecting contamination events, and given the nature of the threat, identify optimal crisis management decisions that minimize the threat and maintain a safe water supply. Given th ...

Some bioterrorism agents cause disease at very low infective doses and their presence can be masked by the environment. Therefore, ultrasensitive detection is required for homeland defense applications. In this Phase I research project, Operational Technologies Corporation (OpTech) proposes to couple DNA aptamers made by the Systematic Evolution of Ligands by Exponential Enrichment (SELEX) proce ...

The goal of this Phase I research project is to study a new class of environmentally safe wood preservatives based on cation-anion complexes with antimicrobial activities. The proposed cations include: (1) biguanide/polybiguanide derivatives, (2) polyionenes (polyquats), and (3) quaternary ammonium salts. The associated anions needed to form the complex will be selected from triclosan, tribromo ...

The goal of this Phase I research project is to study a new class of environmentally safe wood preservatives based on cation-anion complexes with antimicrobial activities. The proposed cations include: (1) biguanide/polybiguanide derivatives, (2) polyionenes (polyquats), and (3) quaternary ammonium salts. The associated anions needed to form the complex will be selected from triclosan, ...

Some bioterrorism agents cause disease at very low infective doses and their presence can be masked by the environment. Therefore, ultrasensitive detection is required for homeland defense applications. In this Phase I research project, Operational Technologies Corporation (OpTech) proposes to couple DNA aptamers made by the Systematic Evolution of Ligands by Exponential Enrichment (SE ...

The goals of this Phase I research project are to investigate the feasibility of using an artificial neural network (ANN) and an optimization-based water distribution security system ("smart security") for accurately detecting contamination events, and given the nature of the threat, identify optimal crisis management decisions that minimize the threat and maintain a safe water supp ...