EPA to fund 21 small businesses.

Press Release Summary:



Through Small Business Innovation Research program, EPA is providing $2 million in funds to 21 small businesses in 15 states to develop and commercialize innovative, sustainable technologies that address current environmental issues. In Phase I, small businesses can receive up to $100,000 for "proof of concept" of their technology, and successful Phase I companies can apply to develop and commercialize their technology with Phase II funding totaling up to $300,000.



Original Press Release:



EPA Supporting Small Businesses by Advancing Sustainable and Innovative Products and Research



Twenty-one businesses receiving funding to strengthen the economy and the environment



WASHINGTON: – Today, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced that 21 small businesses in 15 states are receiving funding from the EPA to develop and commercialize innovative, sustainable technologies to address current environmental issues . The agency’s Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) program is providing $2 million in funds to advance these innovative products and research.



“A strong economy and a healthy environment go hand-in-hand. With this funding we are providing opportunities for small companies to ultimately take their ideas and technology from the laboratory into the market place,” said EPA Administrator Gina McCarthy. “Their contributions strengthen the economy while fostering public health and environmental protection.”



Each year, EPA provides a solicitation and funding opportunity for small businesses in a competitive two phase process. In Phase I, small businesses can receive up to $100,000 for ”proof of concept” of their technology, and successful Phase I companies can apply to develop and commercialize their technology with Phase II funding totaling up to $300,000. The small businesses announced today are part of Phase I of the SBIR program.



Many of the SBIR recipient companies go on to leverage EPA’s funding to bring their designs to reality, expand business, and create products that help protect human health and the environment. Companies that previously won SBIR contracts include Faraday Technology Inc., which developed a non-carcinogenic chrome plating process, and Cambrian Innovation, which created the EcoVolt system that treats wastewater and generates energy in the process.



Faraday Technology, currently planning to open a new alpha-scale facility in Clayton, Ohio, is using EPA’s funding to commercialize its technology as it partners with Boeing and attempts to replace millions of pounds of hexavalent chromium, a cancer causing chemical, that are in use in heavy duty machinery. Cambrian Innovation’s EcoVolt system is being tested and used by several wineries and breweries including Lagunitas, enabling them to produce methane to power and heat their operations while treating wastewater on site.

          

Among the 21 companies awarded this year, three companies, SimpleWater, LLC, Lucid Design Group, Inc., and Environmental Fuel Research, LLC, previously received EPA’s People, Prosperity and the Planet (P3) award. The P3 program is an annual student design competition that affords undergraduate and graduate student teams the opportunity to research and design innovative, sustainable methods and products that solve complex environmental problems. This additional SBIR funding allows these former P3 student teams to continue developing and commercializing their sustainable technologies.



This year’s recipients of EPA’s Phase I SBIR contracts are:



Arizona

Green Materials for Doubling the Life of Drinking Water Pipeline



California

ECAR-Electrochemical Arsenic Remediation for Affordable Water Security in America

Software Framework for Enabling Innovation in Behavior-based Energy Conservation in Commercial Buildings

Environmental Sensing System Enhanced with Nested Concentrating Electrodes (ESSENCE) for Safe and Sustainable Water Resources

Development of a Cost Effective Nutrient Removal Onsite Household Wastewater Treatment System for Environmentally Fragile Areas



Connecticut

Low-Cost, Regenerable Air Filter for Efficient Gaseous Pollutants Removal



Massachusetts

Enhanced Decontamination of Wetted Pipe Material 

High Flux Nanofiltration Membrane for Emerging Contaminant Control

Micro-Channel Electrochemical Production of Dimethy Carbonate



Maryland

Low-power, Small Form-Factor Benzene Sensor for Mobile Devices Based Exposure Monitoring



Minnesota

Field Deployable PFCs Sensors for Contaminated Soil Screening



Missouri

Next Generation of High Capacity Perchlorate Selective Resins for Drinking Groundwater Treatment



Montana

Direct Conversion of Municipal and Agricultural Wastes to Biodiesel and Ethanol Utilizing a Unique Extremophilic Fungus



New Hampshire

Ultracell-Advanced Cellulose Insulation



New Jersey

Lithium-ion Batteries Based on Aqueous Electrolyte: A New Generation of Sustainable Energy Storage Devices



New Mexico

Inexpensive High Performance Continuous Ammonia Monitor



Ohio

MetaMateria Technologies LLC, Columbus, Ohio, for Phosphorus Removal and Recovery from Municipal Wastewater using Nano-Enhanced Media

Development of Zinc Coatings on Steel by Cermaclad to Replace Galvanizing Picking Lines



Pennsylvania

Biofuel Production from Grease Trap Waste



Virginia

Innovative Filters Using Nanomaterial for Removal of Gaseous Pollutants and Particles for Contaminated Air Streams



Washington

Process Development for Sandwich Core Structure PLA Thermoformed Objects



The solicitation for the next round of SBIR Phase I awards will open this month.

 

More information about the EPA SBIR Phase I awards: http://www.epa.gov/ncer/sbir/14awards

More information about EPA’s SBIR Program: www.epa.gov/ncer/sbir

More information about the SBIR Program across the Federal Government:  www.SBIR.gov

More information about the EPA’s P3 Program: www.epa.gov/ncer/p3

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