These awards are part of EPA’s Small Business Innovation Research program, an annual, two-phase competition for small businesses to develop and commercialize environmental technologies that help address the agency’s mission of protecting human health and the environment. The 24 small businesses are receiving $100,000 of Phase I funding for six months for “proof of concept” of their proposed technology. Companies that complete Phase
I can then apply to receive Phase II funding of up to $400,000 to further develop and commercialize their technology.
Some of the SBIR Phase I winners and their proposed technologies are below:
- Acadian Research & Development, LLC, Laramie, Wyoming, to create an innovative low-cost method to use strength enhancing biochar-derived graphene to lower embodied carbon in concrete.
- AxNano, LLC, Greensboro, North Carolina, to create a novel, field deployable treatment process for removing PFAS from biosolids allowing beneficial reuse.
- BetR-blok, LLC, Tempe, Arizona, to produce a building block alternative made from waste biomass and recycled materials.
- Bold Reuse, Portland, Oregon, to create a novel inventory management system to transition to reusable packaging.
- Circle Concrete Tech, Inc., Gilbert, Arizona, to design an engineered recycled steel fiber product that replaces rebar for concrete reinforcement with a significantly lower carbon footprint.
- Dynamo.AI LLC, Saratoga Springs, New York, to develop a technology that leverages biochar to extend the shelf life of fruits and vegetables to reduce food waste.
- EcoaTEX, LLC., Hull, Georgia, to create a technology that converts agricultural waste into high-performance biodegradable fibers.
- KLAW Industries LLC, Binghamton, New York, to develop a new paving material utilizing waste glass to replace high-embodied carbon materials.
- Pacific Reclaimed Lumber & Supply, Sebastopol, California, to design a cutting-edge web-based platform that facilitates the reduction of embodied carbon through the purchase of reclaimed lumber and building materials.
- Phospholutions, Inc., State College, Pennsylvania, to create an activated metal oxide technology to mitigate the environmental impact of phosphorus runoff into water bodies and enhance crop productivity.
- Symmetry Wood, PBC, Los Angeles, California, to create a method of upcycling food waste into high-performance wood.
- Talon/LPE, Ltd., Amarillo, Texas, to develop a sustainable method to treat PFAS in biosolids using biochar.
- Tetramer Technologies LLC, Pendleton, South Carolina, to create a bio-renewable high-performance tire rubber additive to replace the standard use of 6PPD and alleviate its associated ecotoxicity.
Published March 2025