SBIR-STTR Award

Significant environmental issues face inspection penetrant users and manufacturers, including minimizing the release of petroleum or solvent-based wastes into waste water, and waste water treatment. The contractor proposes to develop alternative water-based liquid dye penetrant formulations using chemiluminescent and naturally luminescent materials. The contractor proposes also to document procedures for recycling penetrants from waste water and for reducing the need to dump penetrants from large systems.

Proposal 1) to finalize the development, testing, and approval of water-based dye penetrants to be used in non-destructive testing; 2) to perform operational tests of an accumulator and appropriate methods to capture and recycle waste penetrant oils; and 3) to develop and disseminate an information base pertaining to regulations governing the use, disposal, and remediation of penetrant materials at six DOD sites.