Volatile organic compound (voc) effluent streams are a serious air pollution problem. control technologies for vocs have been oxidation or carbon absorption but recently memranes have shown effectiveness. present membrane processes work by preferentially passing vocs (versus air) through the… More

Computer and engine studies demonstrated a 100% increase in diesel engine power with the use of 31% oxygen enriched air (OEA) versus standard 21% oxygen air. Additional benefits from OEA include: (1) improved fuel efficiency, (2) compatible with lower grade (volatility) fuels, (3) reduced CO and… More

The investigators will develop a new class of perfluoropolymers with exceptionally high oxygen fluxmembranes for enhanced bioreactor performance. Propagation of animal cells for biopharmaceuticals iswidespread along with optimization of environmental constraints and procedures to increase… More

Many lung disorder patients (cystic fibrosis, COPD) require supplemental oxygen. Studies showboth quality and length of life improves if these patients maintain active mobile lives. Their mobility islimited, since many need to stay near their supplemental oxygen source. Portable oxygen enriching… More

Automobile three-way catalyst (TWC) are quite efficient at steady state operatingtemperature typically destroying 98% of incoming hydrocarbons (HCs) and carbonmonoxide (CO). However, up to 80% of emissions occur during the first fewminutes of Federal Test Procedure when the engine is running rich,… More

Extracorporeal life support (ECLS) is used for newborn infants with respiratory failure. Improvedlong term ECLS efficiency is desirable and would allow broader (children/adults/ cardiac support) andsafer use. Systems are based on microporous (hollow fiber) membranes or silicon non-porousmembranes.… More

First Point Scientific November 8, 1996 40031 The potential of thermonuclear fusion as a source of abundant, low cost energy has long been recognized. As a fusion driver, a heavy-ion accelerator offers the advantages of efficient target coupling, high… More

40067 November 4, 1996 First Point Scientific Advanced neutron-based sensors are required in support of treaties to enforce international non-proliferation and national security goals pertaining to weapons of mass destruction. Reliable, long-life… More

Success in aquaculture depends heavily on delivery of oxygen to fish. Currently, liquid oxygen and on-site generation by pressure swing adsorption (PSA) are two methods for supplying oxygen to aquaculture. Both are costly and have absorption efficiency problems. Membrane contractors, paddle… More

Disinfection is a critical process step in potable water treatment. Chlorine is currently the most widely used, and least costly disinfectant. An unfortunate by-product of chlorine disinfection is the formation of carcinogenic trihalomethanes (THMs) when chlorine reacts with organics dissolved in… More

Osteoporosis is a major worldwide public health problem with over 20 million individuals affected in the united states. Over 1.5 million fractures occur in the united states annually, resulting in 750,000 visits to the physician and long term hospitalization with a total impact to the health care… More

Ozone treatment of wastewater to destroy organic contaminants prior to discharge into the environment is an extremely effective advanced oxidation technology. To date the use of this powerful technology has been limited in part by the relatively high capital costs of an efficient ozone to water,… More

Lean burn spark engines are a promising technique to further reduce both NOx and hydrocarbon/carbon monoxide (HC/CO) engine emissions. Higher lean burn levels improve HC/CO oxidation while simultaneously reducing NOx formation. The NOx reduction is due to cooler flame temperatures. While the lean… More

Ultrafiltration membranes offer great potential for compact, low cost clean-up of Navy surface ship graywater and blackwater. A major limitation of these ultrafiltration membranes is significant loss in flux with time associated with membrane fouling from proteins, polysaccharides, and other waste… More

Lean burn spark engines are a promising technique to further reduce both NOx and hydrocarbon/carbon monoxide (HC/CO) engine emissions. Higher lean burn levels improve HC/CO oxidation while simultaneously reducing NOx formation. The NOx reduction is due to cooler flame temperatures. While the lean… More

Not Available Ultra-Wideband (UWB) antennas for Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) have been a challenge for some time, due to size and weight requirements. Such antennas can aid a number of missions in a cost-effective manner, including Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR), Foliage Penetration (FOPEN),… More

Not Available Conducting Materials Corp. Proposes to support the antimalarial structure-based discovery efforts at Walter Reed Army Institure of Research, Division of Experimental Therapeutics. Specifically, serine hydroxymethyltransferase, an enzyme intimately linked to the metabolic functions… More

Not Available Essential elements of today's highly mobile military services are effective mobile and temporary shelters. Increasingly, there is a demand for large, easily deployed, temporary shelters for many aspects of military activities. Current shelters are generally not well insulated… More

Not Available Portable shelters and tents used by the U.S. Army in field operations for maintenance of vehicles and aircraft, as hospitals, and as billeting for personnel have no built-in insulation capability and rely on huge environmental control units (ECU) to establish a reasonable working… More

Not Available Composite tubes for cryogenic cold-to-warm support structures with an isogrid structure will be developed that have lighter weight, lower thermal conductance, and equivalent compressive strength to those currently in use. Previous attempts to produce composite isogrid tubes, using the… More

Not Available DSR proposes development of new innovative display formats that will facilitate multi-disciplinary and multi-sensor presentation of data in surface combatant combat systems. The results of this Phase I effort will provide prototype displays that efficiently present, manage, and… More

Not Available Makel Engineering Inc. proposes to develop a compact, rugged, smart sensor module capable of measuring multiple gas species and physical parameters. The sensor module will provide measurement of hydrogen, oxygen, ambient pressure, and temperature. This mu

65445 Consumption of diesel fuel and gasoline have led to significant dependence on foreign fuel as well as increased carbon dioxide emissions with the associated concern for global warming. Diesel engines are much more fuel efficient than spark/gasoline engines, but unfortunately diesel engines… More

Diabetic foot complications result in over 67,000 lower extremity amputations annually and cause more hospitalizations than any other single complication of diabetes. Foot wounds precede 84% of these amputations and usually occur when patients with diabetes have peripheral neuropathy and cannot feel… More

60311 There are economic and environmental justifications for replacing conventional distillation processes with simpler membrane separations in certain applications. However, at present, there are no commercial membranes able to withstand the aggressive conditions associated with important… More

60311 There are economic and environmental justifications for replacing conventional distillation processes with simpler membrane separations in certain applications. However, at present, there are no commercial membranes able to withstand the aggressive conditions associated with important… More

60395 Emissions of volatile organic compounds (VOC) from gasoline refueling facilities continue to be an energy, safety, and environmental issue. In such applications, it is desired to vent the air in the system and keep the VOC behind. This project will develop a reverse separation membrane… More

60395 Emissions of volatile organic compounds (VOC) from gasoline refueling facilities continue to be an energy, safety, and environmental issue. In such applications, it is desired to vent the air in the system and keep the VOC behind. This project will develop a reverse separation membrane… More

The ozonation of drinking water is attractive for small communities that employ local wells or surface water sources provided it can be done at a reasonable cost. Although chlorine is widely used and is cheaper to use that ozone, its use results in the formation of carcinogenic trihalomethanes. … More

Intravenous access is an essential part of successful therapy and comfort of hospital patients, nursing home residents and homebound patients. About 4% of homebound patients and over 100,000 nursing home residents require indwelling Foley Catheters. While catheters play an important part in… More

The threat of terrorist or military attack using biological or chemical warfare agents is one of the largest concerns to U.S. military forces. Development of defense initiatives that can be implemented to decontaminate personnel, equipment and buildingsare required to counter the effects of such an… More

The 1990 Federal Clean Air Act mandated the incorporation of oxygenates into gasoline in ozone and carbon monoxide nonattainment areas. Methyl tertiary butyl ether (MTBE) is the oxygenate of choice due to economic and supply considerations. Despite federal and state programs to improve handling of… More

Historically blood oxygenators for short-term by-pass surgery or newly developing long-term strategies use systems that are liquid side mass transfer, limited. Long-term therapies require non-porous coatings to limit blood oxygenator wet out. Design advances led to improved fluid dynamics which… More

This study will focus on the further development and optimization of a new method to deliver ozone into process waters employed for washing fruits and vegetables. The FDA has just approved the use of ozone to control pathogens in the food processing industry. Key objectives of this study include… More

65445 Consumption of diesel fuel and gasoline have led to significant dependence on foreign fuel as well as increased carbon dioxide emissions with the associated concern for global warming. Diesel engines are much more fuel efficient than spark/gasoline engines, but unfortunately diesel… More

This study will focus on the further development and optimization of a new method to deliver ozone into process waters employed for washing fruits and vegetables. The FDA has just approved the use of ozone to control pathogens in the food processing industry. Key objectives of this study include… More

There is a recognized need for more effective and economical treatment processes for oily bilge waters. Direct filtration through currently available ultrafiltration (UF) membranes is a mechanically simple process that can provide excellent effluent quality. A limitation to more extensive use of… More

65445 Consumption of diesel fuel and gasoline have led to significant dependence on foreign fuel as well as increased carbon dioxide emissions with the associated concern for global warming. Diesel engines are much more fuel efficient than spark/gasoline engines, but unfortunately diesel… More

Concentration of fruit juices is a valuable unit operation. The current preferred method of juice concentration is triple effect evaporation. This technique cannot concentrate to high (75%) solids content without (1) developing a burnt taste to the sugar content and (2) driving off the low molecular… More

Fugitive emissions of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) from gasoline marketing facilities continues to be an energy, safety, and environmental issue. Beginning in model year 2000, all vehicles are required to have an onboard refueling vapor recovery (ORVR) system, which will increase fugitive… More

DECRIPTION (Provided by applicant): Pyrogen-free water (PFW) is required in many applications. Laboratories use it as solvent for compound preparation, culture media, and equipment rinse. Hospitals use it for cleaning to prepare solutions for injections, lV's, and hemodialysis. Pharmaceutical… More

Diesel generator sets (gen-sets) are used routinely to supply electrical power. Hospitals, businesses, and small communities use gen-sets to help reduce costs by load leveling and provide emergency power during blackouts (either scheduled or unscheduled). Recent power outages in California have led… More

Diesel generator sets (gen-sets) are used routinely to supply electrical power. Hospitals, businesses, and small communities use gen-sets to help reduce costs by load leveling and provide emergency power during blackouts (either scheduled or unscheduled). Recent power outages in California have led… More

Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) continue to be major air pollutants. Existing technologies (e.g., thermal oxidation, catalytic oxidation) are costly processes that limit their commercial viability. Compact Membrane Systems, Inc. (CMS) proposes a novel enhanced VOC oxidation process. CMS' novel… More

A new class of antimicrobials based on dendrimer technology has been identified and shown to possess potent biocidal activity. Laboratory evaluation of these polycationic dendrimers has shown that they are more than 100 times more effective than a comparable amount of free quaternary ammonium… More

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Total Artificial Heart (TAH) and related devices (e.g., ventricular assist device) are emerging that provide the potential for almost unlimited patient mobility and near-normal lifestyle for the patient. The new devices being developed are totally implantable,… More

Diesel generator sets (gen-sets) are used routinely to supply electrical power. Hospitals, businesses, and small communities use gen-sets to help reduce costs by load leveling and provide emergency power during blackouts (either scheduled or unscheduled). Recent power outages in California have… More

For long duration exploratory space missions, reclamation of water for potable and hygiene uses from waste water is of vital importance. Approximatesly 230 kg of waste water are generated from four person crew during course of normal daily activities. Physicochemical methods presently in place (e.g.… More

Conventional volatile organic compound (VOC) recovery membranes (silicone rubber) preferentially transport organics over air. Although this silicone rubber has shown some success, it is not appropriate upstream of catalytic oxidation. Catalytic oxidation requires modest increases in VOC… More

Diesel generator sets (gen-sets) are used routinely to supply electrical power. Hospitals, businesses, and small communities use gen-sets to help reduce costs by load leveling and provide emergency power during blackouts (either scheduled or unscheduled). Recent power outages in California have… More

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): This project will significantly enhance bioreactor product Mty by significantly increasing the bubbleless oxygen delivery to bioreactors. Sales of major biopharmaceuticals currently exceed $18 billion. Oxygen limitations often control cell growth and viability… More

This Small Business Innovative Research (SBIR) Phase I project addresses the reduction of NOx emissions from coal-fired power plants. The concept uses existing burner technology plus nitrogen enriched air (NEA) based on membrane technology to reduce NOx emissions. Modeling work projects 300-fold NOx… More

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Dental Unit Waterlines have come under increasing scrutiny as residents of biofilms which harbor and release bacteria and in some instances harmful pathogens. As a result ADA has pro actively recommended that the water delivered by dental equipment have 3 mg per… More

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Dental Unit Waterlines have come under increasing scrutiny as residents of biofilms which harbor and release bacteria and in some instances harmful pathogens. As a result ADA has pro actively recommended that the water delivered by dental equipment have 3 mg per… More

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Freeze-drying is commonly employed to concentrate temperature-sensitive pharmaceuticals. Freeze-drying is expensive and causes product degradation. Osmotic distillation (OD) is a candidate for gentler and lower-cost concentration but has not been commercially… More

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Freeze-drying is commonly employed to concentrate temperature-sensitive pharmaceuticals. Freeze-drying is expensive and causes product degradation. Osmotic distillation (OD) is a candidate for gentler and lower-cost concentration but has not been commercially… More

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Proper medical equipment disinfection is critical to protect patient and health care provider. Aging and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) compromised populations are more prone to infection. Chemical disinfectants (e.g., glutaraldehyde), while effective,… More

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Current management of acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) is suboptimal. Arteriovenous carbon dioxide removal (AVCO2R) combined with mild oxygen ventilation has shown promise. AVCO2R is mild pumpless technique using low-pressure drop membrane oxygenators,… More

No simple/convenient process exists to concentrate wine without developing a burnt taste. This program develops the osmotic distillation process to concentrate wine at room temperature. Osmotic distillation enhances dewatering approximately 10-fold and in so doing makes the process economically… More

Ethylene is a growth hormone for plants and therefore, removal of ethylene plays an important part in maintaining the freshness of plants, especially fruits and flowers. Ethylene is generated by the fruits themselves, and is therefore a self-ripening component. In shipping of fruits and vegetables… More

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Long-term blood oxygenator (BO) therapy requires non-porous coatings to limit BO wet out. Compact Membrane Systems (CMS) has identified novel materials that can minimize wet out while simultaneously maintaining needed gas-liquid transport of gases. In order… More

The Bush Administration recently proposed a 90 percent reduction of air pollution emissions from off-road diesel equipment. The Administration indicated that diesel emissions are responsible for large amounts of particulate and NOx emissions from off-road construction, farm, mining, and locomotive… More

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): There is a significant interest in displacing chlorine with ozone in a variety of water treatment processes. Some processes include wastewater treatment, purification of drinking water and bleaching operations. While chlorine is seen as a low cost disinfectant,… More

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Oxides of nitrogen are well-known environmental pollutants. They have been the subjects of extensive regulations including the Clean Air Act. Nitrogen oxides are collectively referred to as NOx, which is the total amount of nitric oxide (NO) and nitrogen dioxide… More

76045-The capture of carbon dioxide at the source of its emission has been a major focus in greenhouse gas emission control. Solutions must be both compact and economic, and also address the removal of other acid gases from natural gas streams. Current technologies used for capturing CO2 suffer… More

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Current fire suppression systems employ either water, chemical agents, gaseous agents (such as Halon , carbon dioxide, and heptafluoropropane) or a combination thereof. Virtually all of them are ozone depleting, toxic and environmentally unfriendly. This… More

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): By instituting a number of precautions (e.g. personal monitoring, enhanced ventilation) dentists have been able to reduce the risk of mercury escaping into the environment. While these precautions are significant there are still numerous instances of mercury… More

78204SThe conversion of corn and other biomass to fuel grade ethanol not only would reduce U.S. dependence on foreign energy sources but also would be a major industrial application for agricultural products. However, the process of drying the ethanol from a 95% ethanol-5% water mixture (the… More

78749S Distillation is a very valuable chemical engineering unit operation, but it is both energy and capital intensive. This is especially true when components either form azeotropes or have small relative volatility differences. A hybrid, robust membrane process could eliminate azeotropes and… More

78243S Substantial amounts of natural gas reserves contain large amounts of non-methane gases, such as carbon monoxide and hydrogen sulfide, which make them uneconomical to market. While commercially available membranes offer the potential to remove these gases and produce pipeline grade natural… More

Osmotic distillation is an excellent method for highly concentrating thermally sensitive liquids at low temperatures. However, commercial success of this process has been limited due to lack of membrane stability during the processing of economically interesting liquids. We believe that our high… More

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): The EPA continues to restrict air emissions including mercury emissions. While coal based power plants are the major sources of mercury emissions, smaller incinerators including medical incinerators are under EPA regulations. These EPA requirements can be a… More

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Long-term blood oxygenators (BO) therapy requires non-porous membranes to limit BO wet out. Compact Membrane Systems (CMS) has identified (1) novel materials that can minimize wet out (while simultaneously maintaining needed gas-liquid transport of gases) and… More

Current Technology for CO2 removal from enclosed air of spacecraft utilizes LiOH canisters for CO2 absorption. This absorption is irreversible so longer flights require more LiOH. For long duration flights it is essential that a small, lightweight system that recovers the CO2 be developed. This… More

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): There are numerous needs in the pharmaceutical industry to recover high purity solvents. In many cases these solvents are contaminated with water. While the simplest and lowest cost method of separation is distillation, unfortunately in many cases these solvents… More

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): The effectiveness of ethylene oxide (EtO) for destroying pathogens in the case of heat and moisture sensitive materials has led to its wide spread use in sterilization processes. Products that are often sterilized wi th EtO include medical equipment, medical… More

Ethylene is a growth hormone for fruits and vegetables that is generated by the plants themselves; that is, it acts as a self-ripening agent. Hence, the removal of ethylene gas can play a central role in maintaining the freshness of these products. Whereas the temperature and the levels of oxygen… More

The conversion of corn and other biomass to fuel grade ethanol not only would reduce U.S. dependence on foreign energy sources but also would be a major industrial application for agricultural products. However, the process of drying the ethanol to fuel grade consumes significant amounts of energy,… More

The need for natural gas continues to grow, and recent increases in petroleum prices have been paralleled by large increases in the price of natural gas. However, natural gas at the source often has high concentrations of carbon dioxide and hydrogen sulfide, which must be removed. Although… More

New engine diesel pollution is addressed in the EPA Clean Diesel Truck/Bus and low sulfur diesel rule and non-road diesel rule. Unfortunately, slow fleet turnover with extend full implementation. EPA is interested in both retrofit technologies that reduce emissions (particulate matter, volatile… More

A. Water must be removed from biodegradable hydraulic fluids as they react with water and degrade insitu. B. Biodegradable hydraulic fluids for farm equipment provide a significant improvement over traditional petroleum based fluids due to decreased pollution. Increase the use and value of… More

The use of biodiesel offers significant advantages with regards to the reduction of total harmful engine emissions with the exception of NOx. Biodiesel is a renewable resource and soybean oil is known to be economically viable as a biodiesel fuel. Recent studies from the Environmental Protection… More

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Most pharmaceutical synthesis involve condensation or dehydration reactions at some point in the process that generates water as a by-product. This water must be removed since (1) water is often not a desirable component of the finished product, (2) water limits… More

In the electrical power, steel production, and aluminum production industries, flame retardant, phosphate-ester hydraulic fluids are used to minimize fires. Although these fluids accomplish the fire-minimization task, they are unstable, which causes performance to suffer with attendant losses in… More

Distillation is a major chemical unit operation and consumer of significant energy. Often, water or another intermediate boiling component can become trapped within the distillation column and accumulate. This causes various operating difficulties such as flooding, slugging, cycling, instability,… More

Catalysis plays a substantial role in the synthesis of the most U.S. commodity chemicals, with huge implications for energy usage. Membrane reactors have been proposed for a number of these syntheses. However, to be competitive with conventional technologies, membrane reactors must demonstrate… More

The use of ethanol as a fuel would impact U.S. reliance on foreign oil. However, among the economic obstacles to it widespread use are the costs of shipping fuel-grade ethanol by truck. Shipping ethanol by pipeline would be significantly less expensive, but, unfortunately, pipeline ethanol is… More

This proposal addresses development of highly oxygen permeable perfluoromembranes for Lithium-Air organic electrolyte batteries. These batteries have demonstrated very high specific capacity (greater than 500 Wh/kg) at low rates in pure oxygen. Oxygen from the air can be utilized if a membrane is… More

Compact Membrane Systems, Inc. (CMS) has been a pioneer in modifying the air charge to diesel engines with air separation membranes. Nitrogen-enriched air (NEA) supplied from polymeric membranes mounted on highway truck diesel engines have been shown to substantially reduce the NOx formation and… More

Membrane reactors have the potential to improve the reactivity, productivity, and energy efficiency of various chemical syntheses including transesterification. To be of value, the membrane reactors must provide a higher use temperature, improved chemical resistance and better mass transfer. This… More

Refinery product streams, particularly those from Ultra Low Hydrodesulfurisation units, are prone to haze due to water emulsions. Hazy fuel cannot be used until the haze is removed, which creates costly scheduling and shipping delays. This project will develop a novel membrane process to rapidly… More

Farm equipment and other industries use biodegradable hydraulic fluids (BHF), esters based on agricultural raw materials, that provide rapid decomposition and reduced environmental problems associated with spills. Hydrolytic stability is major problem, since BHFs react with dissolved water creating… More

There continues to be a need for production of fuel-grade ethanol from agricultural sources. The Federal Government is actively looking for biomass renewable feed stocks for enhancing gasoline and reducing our dependence on foreign oil. Ethanol from agricultural sources has many advantages… More

The development of new technology that can facilitate natural food and flavor biochemistry reactions has potential to have fundamental and tremendous impact on food science and nutrition and other high value products. Reactor time and temperature are an extraordinarily expensive aspect of food and… More

In the electrical power, steel production, and aluminum production industries, flame retardant, phosphate-ester hydraulic fluids are used to minimize fires. Although these fluids accomplish the fire-minimization task, they are unstable, which causes performance to suffer with attendant losses in… More

Distillation is a major chemical unit operation and consumer of significant energy. Often, water or some other intermediate boiling component can become trapped within the distillation column and accumulate. This causes various operating difficulties such as flooding, slugging, cycling,… More

Membrane reactors have been proposed for a number of syntheses. However, to be competitive with conventional technologies, membrane reactors must provide better selectivity, permeability, and stability. This project will develop a novel platform with enhanced membrane permeability and stability,… More

This Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) Phase I project will introduce a simple online system to continuously remove dissolved water and oxygen from transformer oil. The insulating materials used in large transformers consist of paper and dielectric oils, which provide a means of cooling.… More

This Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) Phase I project is to develop a reactor for the processing of vegetable oils or their resulting fatty acids to sugar esters. The membrane reactor system is envisioned to be permeable to small molecules, hydrogen and water. The esterification of fatty… More

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): In Phase I we exceeded all key objectives. We demonstrated in both pervaporation and vapor separation the combination of high membrane permeation and high membrane separation when evaluating isopropyl alcohol (IPA)-Wate r separation. Membrane stability, which had… More

This Small Business Technology Transfer Phase I project will develop novel chemically and thermally stable, highly fluorinated mixed matrix polymeric membranes with high selectivity. The program's objective is to apply enhanced membrane separation as an alternative to distillation separations that… More

This program exceeded all key milestones. Using cellulose Waste, CMS demonstrated novel ethanol drying membranes via small scale dephlegmation process that yields fuel grade ethanol (FGE) at a lower cost than large switch grass ethanol plants. This success yields positive value for cellulose waste.… More

Membrane reactors have the potential to improve the reactivity and productivity of various chemical syntheses, including enzymatic water sensitive reactions. To be of value, reactors with higher use temperature, improved chemical resistance, and better mass transfer systems are desired. This… More

There continues to be need for production of fuel grade ethanol (FGE) from biomass. This has many advantages including: development of fuel independence; zero net greenhouse gas emissions; strengthen U.S. agricultural base; and excellent replacement for MTBE as oxygenate. CMS has identified novel… More

Many refinery product streams, particularly those from Ultra Low Hydrodesulfurisation units, are prone to haze due to water emulsions. Haze is also problematic for biodiesel production, as hazy fuel cannot be used until the haze settles or is removed, which creates costly scheduling and shipping… More

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): This program will develop a new stable, high flux membrane for osmotic distillation (OD) as a concentration technique for the unprocessed pharmaceutical products from aqueous fermentation broths. Osmotic distillation (O D) is a potentially useful procedure to… More

Process intensification methodologies are need for the chemical processes and bioprocesses used in a biorefinery, in order to make the biorefinery a viable commercial alternative to the production of fuels and chemicals. Because the molecular mixing of reactants can enhance reactions, it is a key to… More

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): The objective of this Compact Membrane Systems (CMS) program is to develop a new platform technology for fire suppression and fire prevention systems around membrane supplied nitrogen enriched air (NEA). The limitation that the atmospheres used in the fire… More

Fugitive emissions of VOCs from gasoline marketing facilities are an energy, safety and environmental issue. All new vehicles made after the year 2000 must have an Onboard Refueling Vapor Recovery System (ORVR) which increase fugitive emissions of refueling stations because of interface between ORVR… More

Vegetable oil is commonly extracted from oil seeds using hexane. Separation of oil and solvent (hexane) from this extracted mixture (known as miscella) is usually carried out by solvent evaporation or distillation. Solvent recovery from miscella consumes about 50% of the total energy required for… More

Higher gas transport membranes would enhance membrane separations, especially those associated with energy savings (e.g., oxygen or nitrogen enriched air). In these systems, gas transport is inversely proportional to the thickness of the membrane¿s active layer. This project will explore a novel… More

Biomass fast pyrolysis fuel (BioOil) is a liquid fuel made from wood chips and the low-grade wood byproducts of timber harvesting. However, when BioOil is stored, its chemicals polymerize, aided by the oxygen present in the BioOil. As a consequence, the viscosity of the BioOil increases over time,… More

Natural gas offers cost and environmental benefits over other conventional energy sources and decreases our dependence on oil imports. However, many sources of natural gas also contain large amounts of non-hydrocarbon gases, which make them uneconomical to market. Removal of these non-hydrocarbon… More

There continues to be a need to produce fuel-grade ethanol from renewable sources. However, the cost of agricultural-based ethanol is quite severe, despite the fact that existing and new legislation provides significant incentives for its use. This project addresses novel routes to enhance the… More

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Most organic pharmaceutical chemical syntheses are done in organic solvents. Oxygen and/or water contaminants in organic solvents will destroy many organic reactants and organometallic reagents and catalysts. As such, t he removal of oxygen and water are critical… More

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Compact Membrane Systems, Inc. is proposing a revision to grant 1 R43 GM084478-01A1 entitled Contaminate Removal for Laboratory Pharmaceutical Synthesis in response to notice NOT-OD-09-058, NIH Announces the Availab ility of Recovery Act Funds for Competitive… More

Solvent extraction by hexane is the most common choice for extraction of oil/lipids from algae. However, hexane is not the best choice of solvent for algae oil extraction because of the need to market byproducts for human and animal consumption. Oil and hexane from the solvent extraction process are… More

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Compact Membrane Systems, Inc. proposes to develop novel blood oxygenator membranes with enhanced blood biocompatibility. These will be used to enhance conventional cardio bypass surgery minimizing post operative effect s. In addition, they will provide a key… More

DOE-ITP Nanomanufacturing Initiative has given high priority to commercializing catalysts for chemical industries. There is ongoing need to develop low cost manufacturing infrastructure to support this objective. Using commercially available nanoparticles and related commercial materials, CMS will… More

This project will develop a unique membrane reactor system for the production of tetrahydrofuran. In 2004 about 200 million kg of tetrahydrofuran were produced. The most widely used industrial manufacturing process for this chemical involves the acid-catalyzed dehydration of 1,4-butanediol. In many… More

The conventional process for making dry tetrahydrofuran is very energy intensive because of the need for azeotropic distillation. Substituting distillation by membrane drying can reduce the energy consumption for heating by a factor of 50. A membrane based process for purifying tetrahydrofuran with… More

Distillation is a very valuable chemical engineering unit operation but is energy intensive and capital intensive. This is especially true for removing water from organic and inorganic acids where components either form azeotropes or have small relative volatility differences. With a hybrid robust… More

There continues to be a need for production of fuel-grade ethanol from renewable sources. Ethanol from agricultural sources has many advantages including development of fuel independence. While there continues to be a significant need for ethanol, the cost of agricultural based ethanol is quite… More

Bio-oil is a liquid fuel made from biomass such as wood chips and low grade wood byproducts by fast pyrolysis process. Presence of carboxylic acids in raw-bio-oil makes the bio-oil very acidic and corrosive. Raw bio-oil has low heating value primarily because of its high water content (up to 35… More

In crude oil refining, asphaltenes are removed from heavy oil fractions to upgrade the quality of oil by solvent-deasphalting process. Solvents used in the solvent deasphalting process are recovered by either flash evaporation or super critical extraction. These conventional solvent recovery… More

The membrane drying process for ethanol plants should be of great value in increasing capacity and/or reducing energy consumption for existing ethanol plants. We will manufacture modules of the novel membrane with a commercial partner. A pilot demonstration unit will be constructed and deployed at… More

Industrial hydrogen production relies primarily on natural gas and hydrocarbon feedstocks to drive the various reaction chemistries that lead to hydrogen generation. Carbon dioxide, the ultimate co-product when such feedstocks and processes are employed, necessarily becomes a major contaminant of… More

This program will provide low cost routes for biosynthesis of these and many other organics. Using biomass for production of fuels and chemical provides for a domestic, renewable and green route to address our fuel and chemical needs. This program provides a simple and inexpensive route for… More

Ethylene and propylene are major chemical industry raw materials and consume a great deal of energy related to their production. Significant energy consumption is employed when cryogenically separating ethane from ethylene and propane from propylene. These cryogenic separations are difficult and are… More

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Transition metal catalysts are widely used in the pharmaceutical industry for the production of active ingredients, precursors and new drug candidates. These products must be very pure, often requiring labor and energyintensive separation processes, to achieve… More

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): The overall focus of this application is to develop nanofiltration membranes to recover the spent solvents generated from drug manufacturing processes allowing the solvents to be reused resulting in elimination of waste. This is also responsive to NIH RFP… More

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Novel Nanofiltration Membranes for Isolation of Pharmaceutical Compounds Project Summary: In the chemical manufacturing of pharmaceutical compounds, organic syntheses are often carried out in organic solvents and involve intermediates and final products with high… More

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): The commercial syntheses of many pharmaceutical active ingredients and intermediates require acid catalysts and the removal of water to drive reactions to completion. Typical reactions include esterifications of carboxylic acids with alcohols, Friedel-Crafts… More

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Compact Membrane Systems (CMS) proposes to develop a perfluoro membrane reactor technology that will provide a generally applicable tool for removing water and oxygen from pharmaceutical synthesis processes. This innovation aims to improve product quality and… More

Fossil fuels currently supply more than 85% of the worlds energy needs with the ensuing generation of 80% of all anthropogenic emissions of carbon dioxide. Carbon dioxide as a greenhouse gas is considered to be a major contributor to global warming. There is a concerted effort towards capturing… More

Industrial hydrogen production relies primarily on natural gas and hydrocarbon feedstocks to drive the various reaction chemistries that lead to hydrogen generation. Carbon dioxide, the ultimate co-product when such feedstocks and processes are employed, necessarily becomes a major contaminant of… More

Ethylene and propylene are major chemical industry raw materials and consume a great deal of energy related to their production. It is estimated that 230 trillion BTU/yr are consumed in olefin/paraffin separations. Significant energy consumption is employed when cryogenically separating ethane from… More

Solvent extraction by hexane is the most common choice for extraction of oil/lipids from algae. However, hexane is not the best choice of solvent for algae oil extraction because of the need to market byproducts for human and animal consumption. Oil and hexane from the solvent extraction process are… More

Vapors produced during the process of refueling cars are a significant source of Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) emissions. Uncontrolled emissions cause economic losses and pollute the environment. This problem is exacerbated when the gasoline contains bioethanol because its presence increases the… More

Soybean is the major source for production of edible oils worldwide and in United States. Pressing of the soybean into flakes followed by the solvent extraction with hexane (solvent) is most widely practiced for extraction of oil. Separation of solvent from oil-solvent mixture for solvent recovery… More

There continues to be a need for production of biofuels from agricultural sources. Butanol is a more attractive fuel than ethanol because it leads to better gas mileage, it achieves higher blends with gasoline than bioethanol, it has greater compatibility with existing fuel infrastructure, it is… More

There continues to be a need for low cost production and shipment of fuel-grade ethanol from agricultural sources. Ethanol from agricultural sources has many advantages including developing fuel independence and significantly reducing greenhouse gases. Also, bio-ethanol has significant value as an… More

Ethylene and propylene are the primary feedstocks for the manufacture of polyethylene and polypropylene, respectively. These olefins represent a major component of the polymer manufacturing cost. Consequently, there is significant economic benefit in minimizing losses of unreacted olefin from the… More