SBIR-STTR Award

Indoor air quality (IAQ) directly impacts human health, cognitive function, productivity, and comfort. While numerous technologies (e.g. filtration, sorption, and photocatalytic degradation) have been developed to address poor IAQ, each one has its own drawbacks, and they are particularly inefficient at targeting low boiling point volatile organic compounds (VOCs) such as the ubiquitous carcinogen, formaldehyde, and ultrafine particulates (UFPs, size <0.1 µm), which are frequently found in indoor air. This NIEHS SBIR Phase I proposal will lay the foundations for a commercializable prototype that will enable safe, low-cost, and highly efficient degradation of the types of indoor pollutants that continue to constitute a significant IAQ problem. Toward this goal, Metalmark Innovations has developed a platform technology for the fabrication of low cost 3D micro- and nano-structured catalysts with enhanced activity for the decomposition of various VOCs. The high modularity and level of control over the composition and microstructure provided by the platform technology makes the development and optimization of the catalysts straightforward, allowing to create highly efficient materials. In this project, a prototypical air purification subsystem, integrating Metalmark's advanced catalysts with sorbent materials, will be designed and tested. A major goal of this SBIR is to investigate the time dependency and operating conditions for the efficient operation of the two technologies in combination and to define the optimal operating procedure for the complete decomposition of target VOCs. Such system-level design is crucial for the realization of cost-efficient treatment of indoor VOCs. Success of the projects would greatly advance the technology toward commercialization, including catalytic material scale up, product design, and manufacturing with industry partners.

Public Health Relevance Statement:
NIH (NIEHS) "‹SBIR Phase I Proposal Metalmark Innovations, Inc. Project Narrative Indoor air quality (IAQ) in contemporary residential, educational, and workspace buildings greatly influences short and long-term health effects, performance, and comfort of occupants. Metalmark Innovations has developed advanced nanostructured catalytic materials for efficient decomposition of indoor volatile organic compounds (VOCs), which are the major technological challenge in IAQ management. The proposed project focuses on the design and prototyping of an air purification subsystem, integrating Metalmark's advanced 3D nanostructured catalysts toward enabling cost-efficient, comercializable, air purifiers for the treatment of VOCs in real-world settings.

Project Terms:
Adsorption; Affect; Air; Air Movements; air flow; airflow; Aluminum Oxide; Alumina; Carcinogens; Cancer Causing Agents; Oncogens; oncogenic agent; Chemistry; Confidential Information; Couples; Exhibits; Filtration; Filtration Fractionation; Formaldehyde; Formic Aldehyde; Methyl Aldehyde; Oxomethane; Foundations; Goals; Government; Health; Human; Modern Man; Humidity; Hybrids; Intelligence; Kinetics; Laboratories; Maps; Metals; Persons; United States National Institutes of Health; NIH; National Institutes of Health; oxidation; Platinum; Platinum Black; Pt element; Productivity; research and development; Development and Research; R & D; R&D; Research Institute; Resources; Research Resources; Schools; Silicon Dioxide; Cristobalite; Sand; Silica; Tridymite; Technology; Temperature; Testing; Time; Toluene; methyl-benzene; Work; Ultrafine; Indoor Air Quality; Titania; Job Location; Job Place; Job Setting; Job Site; Work Location; Work Place; Work-Site; Worksite; work setting; Workplace; catalyst; sensor; Procedures; Home Care; patient homecare; patient home care; Site; Phase; Series; Ensure; Chemicals; Evaluation; Letters; Exposure to; cognitive function; Complex; Dependence; Home; Home environment; Protocol; Protocols documentation; Reaction; Techniques; System; 3-D; 3D; three dimensional; 3-Dimensional; Particulate; Best Practice Analysis; Benchmarking; interest; environmental stressor; metal oxide; Performance; success; pollutant; toxicant; Structure; novel; carcinogenicity; preventing; prevent; Address; nano-structures; Nanostructures; SBIR; Small Business Innovation Research; Small Business Innovation Research Grant; Process; Active Follow-up; active followup; follow up; followed up; followup; follow-up; developmental; Development; NIEHS; National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences; self assembly; cost; designing; design; nano fabricate; nano fabrication; nanofabricate; nanofabrication; manufacturing process; scale up; cost efficient; innovate; innovative; innovation; volatile organic chemical; volatile organic compound; prototype; commercialization; industrial partnership; industry partnership; industry partner; operation; indoor air pollutant; indoor pollutant; Indoor environment; Inhaling; Inhalation

Every year, eight million premature deaths and $5 trillion of societal costs are linked to air pollution. According to the US EPA, indoor air quality (IAQ) is often two to five times worse than outdoor air, which is especially alarming since we spend 90% of our time indoors. In fact, poor IAQ accounts for 48% of air pollution-related deaths. Submicron-scale pollutants, particularly volatile organic compounds (VOCs), cause serious chronic illnesses, ranging from cancer to pulmonary diseases, and reduce worker productivity and student concentration. Existing technologies rely on pollutant capturing, trapping, and sometimes destruction, but are all known to have problems from desorption to byproduct creation and ozone generation. Metalmark Innovations, Inc. is developing an advanced hybrid sorption-catalyst air purification system to capture and destroy such pollutants in an e cient and byproduct-free manner. The air purifier relies on Metalmark's proprietary 3D nanostructured thermal catalytic materials that are uniquely suited for IAQ applications, due to their significantly enhanced activity, reduced operating temperatures and associated reduction in energy consumption, exceptional catalyst stability (no nanoparticle sintering), and reduced cost compared to their commercially available counterparts. VOCs are captured in a sorbent module and intermittently released to the catalyst for complete destruction without release of byproducts. In this Phase II project, we will source and improve sorbent materials, design the Metalmark catalysts, optimize the sorbent-catalyst system, produce three generations of air purifier prototypes through an iterative learning process, and perform at least one pilot study using the final prototype. Overcoming the technological challenges posed in this SBIR Phase II project will propel this innovative indoor VOC treatment system towards a commercial product for improving the safety of indoor air of o ces, hotels, schools, homes, and other indoor or in-cabin spaces.

Public Health Relevance Statement:
Project Narrative According to the World Health Organization, poor indoor air quality is linked to high levels of cardiovascular and lung disease, cancers, allergies, asthma, poor cognition, and low productivity, among other diseases and complications. Despite a great need, there is no e cient solution for the elimination of sub-micron pollutants such as volatile organic compounds (VOCs), ultrafine particulates (UFPs), and airborne viruses. This proposal seeks to develop a novel and highly e cient air purification system consisting of a sorbent and Metalmark's advanced catalysts in order to capture and destroy tough pollutants, specifically focusing on VOCs.

Project Terms:
Acetaldehyde; Ethanal; Adsorption; Air; Air Pollution; Asthma; Bronchial Asthma; Benzene; Benzol; Benzole; Cyclohexatriene; Malignant Neoplasms; Cancers; Malignant Tumor; malignancy; neoplasm/cancer; Carbon; Cardiovascular Diseases; cardiovascular disorder; Certification; Chronic Disease; Chronic Illness; chronic disorder; Cognition; Confidential Information; Cessation of life; Death; Disease; Disorder; DNA Damage; DNA Injury; Environment; Formaldehyde; Formic Aldehyde; Methyl Aldehyde; Oxomethane; Government; Heating; Hybrids; Hypersensitivity; Allergy; Industrialization; Learning; Lung diseases; Pulmonary Diseases; Pulmonary Disorder; disease of the lung; disorder of the lung; lung disorder; Methods; Persons; O3; Ozone; pilot study; Pilot Projects; Productivity; Regeneration; regenerate; Natural regeneration; Development and Research; R & D; R&D; research and development; Safety; Schools; Students; Technology; Temperature; Testing; Time; Toluene; methyl-benzene; Vendor; Virus; World Health Organization; Ultrafine; Generations; Indoor Air Quality; Workplace; Job Location; Job Place; Job Setting; Job Site; Work Location; Work Place; Work-Site; Worksite; work setting; catalyst; base; sensor; improved; Site; premature; prematurity; Phase; Link; Ensure; Evaluation; Life; programs; Protocol; Protocols documentation; Source; System; 3-D; 3D; three dimensional; 3-Dimensional; Particulate; environmental stresses; environmental stressor; pollutant; novel; Devices; Reporting; Abscission; Extirpation; Removal; Surgical Removal; resection; Excision; Nervous System Injuries; Nervous System damage; Neurological Damage; Neurological Injury; Neurological trauma; neurotrauma; Nervous System Trauma; nano-structures; Nanostructures; Data; Small Business Innovation Research Grant; SBIR; Small Business Innovation Research; Monitor; Process; Development; developmental; Particulate Matter; National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences; NIEHS; cost; design; designing; submicron; sub micron; nanoparticle; nano particle; nano-sized particle; nanosized particle; scale up; cost effective; Consumption; innovation; innovate; innovative; iterative design; volatile organic compound; volatile organic chemical; prototype; efficacy testing; Secure; operation; societal costs; Home; pilot test; indoor air; design-build-test