EPA SBIR 2014 Phase I Solicitation

A multitude of water challenges may be addressed by technology solutions. Priority considerations for new technologies include cost, ease of use, and environmental impacts including resource and energy use. This year’s focus areas include:

Drinking water treatment technologies to address health risks posed by mixtures of a broad array of contaminants, and groups of like contaminants, including emerging contaminants (currently unregulated). Preferably, technologies will be low-cost, easy to operate, not cause distribution issues, minimize production of undesirable residuals, gain public acceptance, minimize energy use, and comply with regulations.

Technologies to perform remote monitoring to help facilitate the measuring of the state of the environment.   Technologies should use less human interaction, distributed systems, be robust, remote, and focus on chemicals that the EPA measures/regulates (Drinking Water Contaminants).

Novel methods of recovering resources, rather than “treating wastes” (e.g., rather than consume energy to oxidize organics to CO2, convert to energy in useable forms like methane, heat or electricity).  Especially, new or improved technologies/processes for significantly less expensive nutrient removal and recovery from wastewater.  The technology, its installation, and its use should be effective, efficient, and significantly less expensive than current technologies on the market that are often prohibitive to most municipalities and small systems.

Improvements in manufacturing efficiency typically result in environmental improvements, making manufacturing greener and more cost-effective.  In addition, Executive Order 13329 directs EPA to properly and effectively assist the private sector in its manufacturing innovation in order to sustain a strong manufacturing sector in the US economy.  Manufacturing-related research and development (R&D) encompasses improvements in existing methods or processes, or wholly new processes, machines or systems.  Technologies should improve manufacturing competitiveness.  This year’s focus area is:

• Manufacturing process changes that utilize green technology to improve process efficiency and reduce pollution.  These technologies may include non-traditional reactors, novel processing methods, new feedstocks, bio-mimicry approaches, solvents or chemical systems that improve production efficiency and performance while eliminating or minimizing the use or generation of harmful substances.  Of special interest are processes and methods to reduce the use of/replace EPA action plan chemicals as listed inExisting Chemicals Action Plans  (For example, technologies to reduce/replace the use of Bisphenol A (BPA) in thermal paper).

Research is needed to develop new materials and products with minimal environmental and public health impacts over their life cycles.  This year’s focus area is:

• New materials, chemicals, processes, and systems with minimal environmental and public health impacts and reduced carbon footprints over their full lifecycles.  Alternatives are needed to reduce emissions of air toxics (e.g. formaldehyde) and biological contaminants (e.g. mold).

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  <li>Monitoring technologies that are significantly lower in cost (<$10,000) and provide greater ease of use (no specialized skills) than current monitor designs, all while maintaining functionality.  Areas of interest include, but are not limited to, monitoring technologies for a rapid, quantitative, interference-free field-based measurements of hazardous air pollutants (HAPs), including benzene and 1,3 butadiene in both ambient and near source air.  Monitors should incorporate some or all of the following requirements: low detection limits (5 ppb for near source and working toward less than 1ppb for ambient sources), high operating range, increased accuracy, near real–time detection, portability, ease of calibration, simplified field calibration checks, extremely rugged, operable in a range of conditions, battery powered, and able to remotely log electronic data.</li>

  <li>New technologies for community based monitoring.  These devices could include low cost sensors, backpack size instruments, and cell phone based devices.</li>

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Innovative and sustainable control technologies are needed for small sources, fugitive emissions and sources with low-concentration high-volume air streams. This year’s focus area is:

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<li>Filters (including those using nanomaterials) for removing gaseous pollutants and particulates from contaminated air streams.</li>

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• Innovative technologies for decontamination of cesium (resulting from a Radiological Dispersal Device or a Nuclear Power Plant Accident) from porous surfaces typically found in the urban environment. Ideally, this technology would be:
  • Effective - greater than 90 % effective for removal of Cs on aged concrete after 1 application is desirable (estimate at least 2 weeks before decontamination would occur after an RDD or NPP accident)
  • Scalable - able to be implemented over a wide area at a rapid rate with a minimum application rate of 20 m2/hour
  • Easy to implement - requires minimal skills to operate the technology
  • Non hazardous - additional personal protective equipment (PPE) not required beyond what is used for a radiological hazard
  • Resulting waste volume can be minimized
  • Ideally non-damaging to infrastructure (have near neutral pH, be non-staining, no residual odor, etc.).
  • Potentially applicable to other metal contaminants (to increase the market for the product).

Innovative technologies that can remove contaminants that become trapped on or adhere to the inside of pipe walls or other such surfaces in the event that a drinking water system becomes contaminated. Technologies should be reliable and easy for water utilities to implement are of interest. Ideally the technology would be non-hazardous—additional PPE not required beyond that normally used in water utility maintenance; scalable—able to be implemented over a wide water distribution network; and non-damaging to water infrastructure. Specifically technologies that are able to remove contaminants from common drinking water infrastructure material are of interest. The following infrastructure materials are of most interest: cement mortar lined iron and unlined cast and/or ductile iron that is heavily corroded. In addition, household plumbing materials such as PVC and copper are of interest. Decontamination technologies that are able to destroy, or otherwise remove, the following contaminants are of interest: chlorine resistant pathogens such Bacillus anthracis (or surrogate) in spore form, persistent, soluble radionuclides (including stable surrogates), common chemicals such as hydrocarbons, pesticides and inorganic compounds that adhere strongly to plumbing surfaces and that are not easily removed by conventional flushing.

In order to achieve environmental sustainability and expand on the successes of previously funded P3 research projects (2004-2012), EPA plans to leverage the sustainable solutions developed by P3 awardees with the commercial focus of SBIR.  Specifically, a special funding opportunity (SFO) (which is in addition to the funding opportunity above) has been created to support P3 teams that have formed small businesses. It is anticipated that EPA’s SBIR program will award $500,000 in firm fixed-price contracts at a maximum dollar amount of $100,000 each.  Notice that this special funding opportunity is available only to P3 awardees that have formed small businesses.  To be considered for this SFO, in addition to being a former or current P3 Phase I or Phase II awardee, applicants must meet all applicable guidelines for SBIR companies as described above.  In order to be eligible, companies submitting proposals to this P3 SFO must identify their specific P3 reference the P3 grant number(s), name the current employee(s) that were on the original P3 team, and demonstrate direct links among original P3 project, their current business and the project being submitted under this SBIR solicitation.  At least one employee of the company applying must have been on the original P3 team.  Companies cannot have concurrent P3 and SBIR awards.

P3 Background

Increased awareness and understanding of sustainability are critical components for promoting a systematic shift towards more environmentally benign and sustainable products, processes, and systems. It is essential that all involved in the design, discovery, demonstration, and implementation of sustainable innovations understand the fundamental techniques and principles that underlie sustainability. 

P3 focuses on scientific projects and engineering designs that address the three components of sustainability: people, prosperity and the planet. The P3 Program is intended to support science-based projects and designs developed by interdisciplinary student teams that benefit people by improving their quality of life, promote prosperity by developing local economies, and protect the planet by conserving resources and minimizing pollution.

EPA’s P3 Program has identified the following four strategic program goals.

Goal 1: Engage and educate the next generation of scientists, engineers, and the greater academic and external communities in the principles of sustainability.

Goal 2: Spark innovation and sustainable technologies through research and development conducted by the P3 projects.

Goal 3: Support the demonstration of sustainable technologies around the world.

Goal 4: Foster the development of small businesses rooted in sustainability.

More about information about the P3 program is available at P3: People, Prosperity and the Planet Student Design Competition for Sustainability