AXNANO LLC — Department of Defense SBIR Phase I: AF203-CSO1

Description

Per- and polyfluorinated substances (PFAS) are a group of >5,000 chemicals used across wide ranging applications from water-repellent surfaces to Aqueous Film-Forming Foams (AFFF). These “forever chemicals” are known to cause critical health conditions and are not degraded by normal hazardous waste treatment methods. The Air Force has spent $546M on PFAS actions to date and is believed to have 2 million gallons of decommissioned C8 PFAS-containing AFFF awaiting proper disposal. Currently used incineration methods are halting around the US due to concerns of ineffectiveness. AxNano LLC has developed RemRx™ ZVI, a patent-pending zero valent iron/nickel (FeNi)-carbon composite engineered to trap and degrade environmental contaminants through effective reductive chemistry. Purdue University has demonstrated FeNi-carbon composites promising efficacy for breaking down a wide range of PFAS compounds into inert byproducts. ?The objectives of this Phase I STTR collaboration between AxNano and Purdue are 1) test preliminary value proposition canvas and confirm product-market fit for specific defense and non-defense stakeholders; 2) test RemRx™ ZVI against a military grade AFFF; and 3) engage end user(s) identified in Obj 1 within Air Force as well as non-defense markets for teaming on pilot field testing in a Phase II program.