Porifera awarded Phase 1 NSF SBIR grant
Porifera was awarded a Phase 1 Small Business Innovation Research grant by the National Science Foundation for the development of ultra permeable carbon nanotube membranes for forward osmosis.
Osmosis-based industrial processes have a number of advantages over evaporation and pressure-driven membrane processes, including low energy use, low operating temperatures and pressures, and high product concentrations. The project aims to synthesize a new membrane using a composite structure consisting of carbon nanotubes embedded in a polymer matrix. The main factor limiting the industrial use of osmosis-based technologies is a lack of optimized membranes. The unique nanofluidic properties of the proposed nanomaterials-based membrane would make it ideal for osmosis-based applications, offering improvements in all relevant aspects of membrane performance: 1) improved structural integrity, 2) high permeability; 3) chemical stability, and 4) low propensity to foul.
This project will enable numerous applications in the areas of wastewater treatment, industrial separations, industrial and emergency desalination, and energy generation. The analysis using the planned desalination plant at the city of Santa Cruz as an example demonstrates that the availability of optimized membranes creates real opportunities for making a strong impact on the commercial use of osmosis-based technologies. In the future the nanomaterials-based membranes developed over the course of this project could be deployed on a global scale for osmosis-based applications, making a measurable impact on this $2.6 billion annual market. Applications of these technologies to water purification and energy generation could provide not only commercial but high societal impact, improving the living conditions in the US and worldwide.
Other team members in this STTR include Prof. David Hoagland’s and Prof. Todd Emrick’s groups of the Polymer Science and Engineering Department at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, one of the most prominent polymers science departments in the US and Mr. Erik Desormeaux from CDM who contributes extensive experience in desalination plant operations.
Porifera Inc. is a San Francisco Bay Area based company whose goal is commercialization of carbon nanotube membrane technology. Porifera combines groundbreaking research advances with solid technological and marketing expertise to develop solutions that will revolutionize the membrane industry and provide clean drinking water and air free of pollutants.
This project will enable numerous applications in the areas of wastewater treatment, industrial separations, industrial and emergency desalination, and energy generation. The analysis using the planned desalination plant at the city of Santa Cruz as an example demonstrates that the availability of optimized membranes creates real opportunities for making a strong impact on the commercial use of osmosis-based technologies. In the future the nanomaterials-based membranes developed over the course of this project could be deployed on a global scale for osmosis-based applications, making a measurable impact on this $2.6 billion annual market. Applications of these technologies to water purification and energy generation could provide not only commercial but high societal impact, improving the living conditions in the US and worldwide.
Other team members in this STTR include Prof. David Hoagland’s and Prof. Todd Emrick’s groups of the Polymer Science and Engineering Department at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, one of the most prominent polymers science departments in the US and Mr. Erik Desormeaux from CDM who contributes extensive experience in desalination plant operations.
Porifera Inc. is a San Francisco Bay Area based company whose goal is commercialization of carbon nanotube membrane technology. Porifera combines groundbreaking research advances with solid technological and marketing expertise to develop solutions that will revolutionize the membrane industry and provide clean drinking water and air free of pollutants.