EPA awards $2.2M to small businesses for waste and recycling technology

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has announced $2,198,867 in research funding to 22 small businesses to develop environmental technologies. Several recipients will work to develop waste and recycling technologies, such as autonomous robotic sorting and food waste diversion initiatives.

“EPA’s small business research funding allows us to harness the cutting-edge technology these small companies are developing to help solve complex environmental issues,” says Chris Frey, assistant administrator of EPA’s office of research and development. “EPA’s funding will help these businesses move their designs from concept to reality and help grow the green economy.”

The companies announced in this round of funding will receive Phase I awards as part of EPA’s annual Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) program. The 22 companies will receive funding of up to $100,000 for six months for “proof of concept” of their proposed technologies, EPA says. Companies that complete Phase I can then apply to receive a Phase II award of $400,000 to further develop and commercialize their technologies.

This year’s SBIR Phase I recipients receiving funding for waste and recycling initiatives include:

• Creekside Environmental Products, Starkville, Mississippi, to develop low-cost adsorbents from waste products like rice hulls and biochar to reduce per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in drinking water, wastewater and agricultural systems;
• Fourth State LLC, Ann Arbor, Michigan, to develop a plasma reactor that destroys PFAS and removes heavy metals in landfill leachate and other wastewaters;
• ChemFinity Technologies Inc., New York, to develop a method to extract and recycle precious metals from solid waste, including from catalytic converters;
• KLAW Industries LLC, Binghamton, New York, to develop an autonomous robotic system for sorting recycling that improves recovery and reduces cost;
• Valis Insights Inc., Worcester, Massachusetts, to develop an AI-powered software tool to recover materials from metal recycling;
• Acadian Research & Development LLC, Laramie, Wyoming, to develop a low-cost method of producing graphene oxide from wood waste to increase concrete strength and reduce the amount of concrete needed for construction projects;
• Material Reuse LLC, Gainesville, Florida, to develop a time-efficient and robust assessment of existing buildings for salvageable and reusable products and materials prior to demolition;
• The SMART Tire Company Inc., Akron, Ohio, to develop a safe process for the reuse and recycling of superelastic shape memory alloys for airless tires; and
• GreenTechnologies LLC, Jacksonville, Florida, to develop a technology to transform food waste into enhanced efficient fertilizers.

Other recipients will receive funding for air quality, water purification and natural disaster risk mitigation initiatives.