MICROVI BIOTECH, INC. — Department of Health and Human Services SBIR Phase I: DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Hundreds of different harmful pollutants have contami

MICROVI BIOTECH, INC. — SBIR Phase I award from Department of Health and Human Services.

Amount
$149,988
Agency
Department of Health and Human Services · National Institutes of Health
Program / Phase
SBIR · Phase I
Solicitation
PA13-234
NAICS
Place of performance
CA
Period

Description

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Hundreds of different harmful pollutants have contaminated valuable water supplies and resources. Many of these contaminants are recalcitrant (resistant to degradation), and their safe and effective removal from water can be cost prohibitive. For example, chlorinated solvents like trichloroethylene and chloroform are likely human carcinogens with myriad health effects at varying kinds and levels of exposure. The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has established amaximum contaminant level (MCL) for TCE in drinking water of 5 (ug/L). Another recalcitrant compound N-Nitrosodimethylamine (NDMA) is also a probable carcinogen with maximum notification levels of 10 ng/L in many states. Collectively, recalcitrant organicpollutants in water affect hundreds of thousands of sites in the United States and severely confound public and private water treatment efforts. Compared with physical and chemical technologies, biological treatment offers the potential for low-energy