U.S. EPA Awards $1.2 Million to Three California Small Businesses to Commercialize Environmental Technologies
SAN FRANCISCO (January 13, 2022) – Last week, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced $3,599,571 in funding for nine small businesses nationwide, including $1,199,586 for three companies in California, to further develop and commercialize technologies to protect the environment and public health. The funded technologies are focused on addressing pressing environmental issues including PFAS destruction, ethylene oxide monitoring, water reuse, and sustainable construction materials.
“California small businesses are leaders in creating innovative, practical technologies to tackle environmental problems,” said EPA Pacific Southwest Regional Administrator Martha Guzman. “These companies’ efforts to bring their technologies to market will pave the way for advances in water reuse, environmental monitoring, and energy efficient construction.”
“We are excited for this opportunity to combat climate change by developing this safe, durable, structural, carbon storing straw wall panel made from natural agricultural byproducts to replace plastic foam-filled structural insulated panels,” said Verdant Structural Engineers' Principal Anthony Dente. “This will be one of the few products storing carbon in buildings with biogenic materials, which is essential to lowering the carbon emissions of the building industry.”
Caption: Carbon-storing straw structural insulated panel design developed by Verdant Structural Engineers in Berkeley, CA.
These companies were previously awarded a Phase I contract of $100,000 by EPA's Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) program to develop innovative environmental technologies. The businesses are now each receiving a Phase II award of up to $400,000 to further advance and commercialize the technology. This year's California SBIR Phase II recipients include:
- Hyperion Analytical LLC (Rancho Cucamonga, Calif.) - For a fully automated analytical system for measurement of N-nitrosamines to support water reuse applications.
- Nikira Labs (Mountain View, Calif.) - For a sensitive, real-time, and highly selective ethylene oxide analyzer for next generation environmental monitoring.
- Verdant Structural Engineers (Berkeley, Calif.) - For straw structural insulated panel alternatives for homes and buildings to improve energy efficiency and reduce embodied carbon impacts.
Learn more about the SBIR Phase II winners: https://cfpub.epa.gov/ncer_abstracts/index.cfm/fuseaction/recipients.display/rfa_id/691/records_per_page/ALL
To learn more about EPA’s SBIR program, please visit: https://www.epa.gov/sbir
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