Solon, OH (October 17, 2022) - Last month, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) awarded over $3 million in SBIR Phase II contract funding to eight small national businesses to stimulate innovative technology solutions aimed at tackling pressing environmental issues. As part of this effort, Ohio Lumex received $400,000 to move forward with field testing of the new method for measuring toxic metals air emissions that our team began developing during SBIR Phase I which focused on the proof of concept.
SBIR Phase II testing will include sampling flue gas from several sources of metal hazardous air pollutants (HAPs). “We will use our new sorbent trap method, which is specifically designed to capture these metals for subsequent off-site laboratory analysis”, said Jonathan Cross, our Director of Technical Services. “Currently, the only option for measuring these metals is periodic stack testing, which is expensive, cumbersome, and does not provide continuous data. Our goal is to develop a sorbent trap that can collect metal emissions semi-continuously, with traps replaced every 7 days. The method will be performance-based, with well-defined QA/QC and pass/fail criteria modeled after the EPA Performance Specification 12B for mercury.”
We look forward to seeing how this sorbent trap method performs in the field and discovering further opportunities on the mission to simplify emissions testing methods.
About SBIR
US EPA is one of 11 federal agencies that participate in the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Program, a competitive program that supports small businesses in the development and commercialization of technological solutions. This program stimulates high-tech innovation while encouraging small businesses to meet the country’s research and development needs.
About Ohio Lumex
Ohio Lumex began over 20 years ago with a cutting-edge mercury analyzer that quickly became the industry standard and continues to be a critical tool for industrial hygienists, first responders, and EPA offices throughout the United States. Now a worldwide leader in emissions, air quality, gaseous fuels, biogas, and process monitoring and consulting, the company has expanded into four core areas of focus: Instruments, Sorbent Traps, Laboratory Services and Field Services. In 2020, Ohio Lumex introduced Elemental Instruments as a new product division with a focus on analyzers for process, emissions, and air quality monitoring applications. Our sustained focus on research and development, drive to innovate, commitment to quality, and dedication to supporting our customers has made us into a recognized industry leader in our areas of expertise.