BOSTON - 3 New England small businesses received $100,000 each from the E.P.A. to develop and commercialize sustainable technologies that may help address pressing environmental issues.
Precision Combustion of North Haven, Conn.; 3D Array Technology of Vernon, Conneticut and TIAX of Lexington, Mass., were among 19 small businesses nationwide to gain almost $2 million in research funds.
"Small businesses are fundamentally changing how we protect human health and the environment," said Curt Spalding, regional administrator of EPA's New England office. "Many small businesses develop green technologies that create new jobs and make the economy stronger, and at the same time they can help protect our environment."
EPA's Small Business Innovation Research plan funds small businesses developing green technologies that protect the environment. This year's recipients are focusing on air and climate, manufacturing, toxic chemicals, water, building materials, and homeland security research.
Precision Combustion in North Haven, Conneticut, was awarded the grant to develop a novel air filter material that removes volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and other gaseous contaminants from indoor or industrial sources, reducing the amount of air that must be used at a high energy cost to replace the contaminated indoor air.
"Our 'designer nanomaterial' approach offers an exciting direction to develop a significantly more effective VOC filter material, with the ability to design targeted capabilities while retaining a broad multi-pollutant impact," said Kevin Burns, PCI president. "We are interested in exploring potential industrial collaborations to further develop and mature the technology towards commercialization."
3D Array Technology in Vernon, Conneticut, received the funds for a plan to control nitrogen oxide emissions. The plan will result in a nanomaterials integrated catalytic device to efficiently trap and reduce NOx emissions from motor vehicles with very low usage of platinum-group metals.
"We are very excited to gain the E.P.A. SBIR Phase I grant," said Yanbing Guo, CEO of 3D Array Technology. "It not only gives us a great opportunity to develop our unique nanomaterials based catalytic device for NOx emission control, but also a great encouragement to our team to keep contributing to the energy and environmental sustainability of our society."
TIAX of Lexington, Massachusetts received backing for a plan to develop a non-fluorinated, cost-competitive replacement for current fluorinated coatings to provide effective anti-stain protection to furniture, carpeting, and clothing. This plan lets TIAX apply its green chemistry expertise to develop environmentally benign alternatives to the fluorinated coating technology that has contributed to environmental pollution and health hazards, according to Mildred Hastbacka, principal investigator at TIAX.
TIAX addresses technologies and markets "where our unique expertise and facilities allow us to make a large impact in a timely manner," said Kenan Sahin, founder, president, and chief technology officer of TIAX. "We are excited about the opportunity to fulfill EPA's SBIR backing mission to translate innovative ideas into commercial products that address environmental problems."
Each of the 19 companies will gain a contract for up to $100,000 to develop their green technology. Once the plan is commercially viable, the companies can apply for contracts of up to $300,000 to further develop and commercialize their environmentally-friendly technology for the marketplace.
The solicitation for the next round of SBIR Phase I awards will open this month. More information on EPA's Small Business Innovation Research program: www.epa.gov/ncer/sbir
