Grantee Research Project Results
Electrostatically Charged Aerosol Decontamination System for Small Building Decontamination
EPA Contract Number: 68D02083Title: Electrostatically Charged Aerosol Decontamination System for Small Building Decontamination
Investigators: Athanassiu, Christos
Small Business: Foster-Miller Inc.
EPA Contact: Richards, April
Phase: I
Project Period: September 30, 2002 through March 31, 2003
Project Amount: $69,992
RFA: Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) - Phase I (2002) RFA Text | Recipients Lists
Research Category: Air Quality and Air Toxics , SBIR - Air Pollution , Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR)
Description:
Existing decontamination procedures are time-consuming, labor-intensive, and produce low-yielding results, and they have a high risk of personnel exposure and equipment damage. Foster-Miller, Inc., has teamed with Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory and other reagent suppliers to bring an innovative decontamination delivery system together with the latest developments in universal decontamination reagents for chemical and biological building decontamination. Foster-Miller, Inc., brings more than 30 years of experience in the development of aerosol spray and charged spray systems (originally designed for dust control systems in coal mines for the U.S. Bureau of Mines) to address the challenging problem of protection from chemical or biological warfare agents.
This project involves an Electrostatically Charged Aerosol Decontamination (ECAD) System that combines the advantages of aerosols with electrostatic charging to preferentially cover contaminated surfaces and neutralize atmospheric agents. The ECAD System results in: (1) significantly shorter decontamination times; (2) more effective and efficient coverage; (3) minimized personnel involvement; (4) simplified cleanup; and (5) faster re-occupancy of the facility, relative to existing decontamination techniques. Efforts during the Phase I research project will develop the technology to meet the specific requirements of building decontamination, including testing the most effective reagents against biological threats, establishing their compatibility with this effective means of delivery, and testing the combination in a simulated small building/office environment. The environment will simulate typical office equipment and materials, as well as the heating, ventilation, and air conditioning ducting normally associated with these spaces.
Supplemental Keywords:
small business, SBIR, EPA, electrostatically charged aerosol decontamination, ECAD, bioterrorism detection, reagent., Scientific Discipline, Air, Environmental Chemistry, Analytical Chemistry, Biochemistry, Atmospheric Sciences, Engineering, Chemistry, & Physics, homeland security, decontamination, chemical treatment, biological warfare agents, pathogenic microbes, bioterrorism, smallpox, anthrax, microbial contaminantsProgress and Final Reports:
The perspectives, information and conclusions conveyed in research project abstracts, progress reports, final reports, journal abstracts and journal publications convey the viewpoints of the principal investigator and may not represent the views and policies of ORD and EPA. Conclusions drawn by the principal investigators have not been reviewed by the Agency.