News Releases from Region 04

EPA Awards $2.3 Million in Funding for 21 Small Businesses to Develop Innovative Environmental Technologies

Contact Information: Dawn Harris-Young (region4press@epa.gov) (404) 562-8421 (Direct)

ATLANTA (July 18, 2019) – Today, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced $2.3 million in funding for 21 small businesses to develop technologies that will help protect human health and the environment by monitoring air quality, treating drinking water, cleaning up contaminated sites, and creating greener, less toxic materials. Region 4 will receive $200,000 to focus on water quality and debris management.

“These funds support small businesses that have developed new technologies to monitor air quality, test for PFAS, and address other pressing environmental challenges,” said EPA Administrator Andrew Wheeler. “Through EPA’s Small Business Innovation Research program, we provide important assistance to entrepreneurs as they develop innovative solutions that will strengthen both environmental protections and economic growth.”

“Mainstream Engineering and PTP Strategy are examples of small businesses that are working to revolutionize the way we protect human health and the environment,” said EPA Region 4 Administrator Mary S. Walker. “These small business leaders are essential to creating new jobs to strengthen the economy while increasing environmental sustainability.”

These 21 small businesses are receiving Phase I contracts from EPA’s Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) program, which awards contracts annually through a two-phase competition. Companies compete for a Phase I award of up to $100,000 by submitting research that addresses key environmental issues. After receiving a Phase I award, companies are eligible to compete for a Phase II award of up to $300,000 to further develop and commercialize the technology.

Region 4 SBIR Phase I recipients include:

Mainstream Engineering Corporation, Rockledge, Fla., Field-deployable Measurement of Fluorocarbons in Water

PTP Strategy LLC, Gainsville, Fla., CDD-SORT: A Next-Generation System to Detect Hazardous & Recyclable Materials in Discarded C&D Debris



"Our team is tackling a very challenging, two-sided problem of item detection and logistics, and the EPA's SBIR funding has rapidly accelerated our team's progress,” said PTP Strategy LLC CEO and Founder Dr. Jon Powell. “Our technology will help to fundamentally reduce short- and long-term environmental risks while unlocking new economic and materials recovery opportunities at thousands of waste handling facilities across the US and globally."

EPA’s SBIR funding supports both the economy and the environment by creating jobs and promoting small businesses to bring environmental technologies to market. One EPA SBIR small business, GreenTechnologies, LLC, in Jacksonville, Fla. is commercializing a sustainable and innovative treatment and nutrient recovery process for wastewater. Their processes recover nutrients such as phosphorus, carbon and nitrogen in wastewater and convert the excess nutrients into sustainable slow-release fertilizers, branded under the name GreenEdge®, which are being sold commercially throughout the country and internationally.

EPA is one of 11 federal agencies that participate in the SBIR program, enacted in 1982 to strengthen the role of small businesses in federal research and development, create jobs, and promote U.S. technical innovation. To be eligible, a company must be an organized, for-profit U.S. business and have fewer than 500 employees.

For more information on EPA’s SBIR Phase I recipients, visit https://cfpub.epa.gov/ncer_abstracts/index.cfm/fuseaction/recipients.display/rfa_id/641/records_per_page/ALL

Learn more about EPA’s SBIR program at www.epa.gov/sbir and learn about the current open Phase 1 SBIR solicitation, which closes on July 31, at www.epa.gov/sbir/sbir-funding-opportunities.

Learn more about the federal SBIR program at www.SBIR.gov.