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U.S. EPA funds Californian high tech “green” businesses to develop environmental technologies
Release Date: 05/25/2011
Contact Information: Mollie Lemon, (For News Media Only), [email protected], 202-564-2039, 202-564-4355
(5/25/11) WASHINGTON – Four Californian companies – based in Menlo Park, Torrance, Lincoln and Westlake Village – are among the recipients of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s $2.25 million awarded nationwide to 10 small companies supporting the development of new technologies that protect the environment and public health.
In California, the awardees are as follows:
· Instrumental Polymer Technologies, LLC, Westlake Village, $295,000 for creating Silane-Terminated Aliphatic Polycarbonate Dendrimer Solutions for Environmentally Green Coatings , useful in nanotechnology;
· Mobius Technologies, Inc., Lincoln, $294,760 for the Development of Micronized Polyurethane as a Comprehensive, 100 Percent Recycled Resin for Green Building Materials and Systems , useful in green buildings and in manufacturing;
· Membrane Technology and Research Inc., of Menlo Park, $375,000 for creating a Novel Membrane Process to Utilize Dilute Methane Streams and a Novel Membrane for Natural Gas Dehydration, useful in green buildings;
· Intelligent Optical Systems Inc., of Torrance, $294,996 for creating a Distributed Optical Fiber Sensor for Long-term Monitoring of Groundwater Trichloroethylene Levels, useful in waste management.
Winners include small businesses in Colorado, Florida, Massachusetts, Michigan, and New Mexico. This year’s innovative projects include reducing toxic chemicals from landfills, producing an environmentally friendly adhesive, reducing methane emissions by converting dilute methane waste gas streams into useful fuel, and designing a real-time environmental water monitoring sensor.
“The SBIR program demonstrates how meeting environmental challenges can help create jobs,” said Dr. Paul T. Anastas, Assistant Administrator for EPA’s Office of Research and Development. “These small businesses are simultaneously leading the way toward a sustainable planet and a healthy economy.”
Earlier this year, the companies received "proof of concept" awards from EPA through its Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) program. The companies will use these additional funds to move their technologies towards commercialization and implementation.
Each year, the EPA’s SBIR program gives small businesses the opportunity to compete for funds to develop technology addressing key environmental areas, such as green building, innovation in manufacturing, nanotechnology, greenhouse gases, drinking water monitoring and treatment, wastewater and sustainable infrastructure, air pollution monitoring and control, biofuels, waste monitoring and management, and homeland security.
There are approximately 25 million small businesses in the U.S. today. As the leading source of employment growth, these firms have generated 60 to 80 percent of new jobs over the past decade and are responsible for developing most of the country’s new technologies. To be eligible to participate in the SBIR program, a company must be an organized, for-profit U.S. business and have fewer than 500 employees.
To see the list of 10 awardees and the abstracts of their proposals, visit https://www.epa.gov/ncer/sbir, where you can also find more information about the SBIR program.
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