Grantee Research Project Results
High efficiency and low-pressure filter with bioinspired nanostructured material coating
EPA Contract Number: 68HERC24C0016Title: High efficiency and low-pressure filter with bioinspired nanostructured material coating
Investigators: Shirman, Tanya
Small Business: Metalmark Innovations, PBC
EPA Contact: Richards, April
Phase: I
Project Period: December 1, 2023 through May 30, 2024
Project Amount: $100,000
RFA: Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) - Phase I (2024) RFA Text | Recipients Lists
Research Category: Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) , Air Quality and Air Toxics , Air , Wildfires
Description:
Metalmark Innovations, PBC. (Metalmark) is radically improving indoor air quality through developing and integrating innovations in materials science, engineering, and data analytics and machine learning (ML). The Tatama, our first product and the world's 1st self-cleaning air purification system, provides up to 20x the lifetime of typical filters, enables low-maintenance and low-waste operations and releases no hazardous byproducts, e.g. ozone, ions, radicals, UV, or other noxious chemicals. Our novel material has demonstrated sorption and catalytic functions. When activated periodically, it aids in the renewal of the filter by breaking down captured air pollutants, such as PM2.5, especially submicron carbonaceous particulate matter (PM1.0), volatile organic compounds (VOCs), and pathogens that represent the majority of wildfire pollutants via thermal catalytic oxidation. The result is up to 5 years of filter life (~10-20x that of typical filters). The Metalmark Tatama has been fully performance tested by a certified external lab and further tested for its overall ventilation-equivalent eăectiveness.
In this Phase I project, we propose to leverage our patent-pending, bioinspired materials platform for the development of materials with new nanostructures to coat commercial fibrous filter media with the aim of upgrading the filtration efficiency of MERV 8-13 filter media upwards of MERV 15-16 without the pressure penalties associated with higher grade filter media. Metalmark has a track record in materials development, scale up, and large-scale filter media modification. Success of the project would result in low-cost and low-energy use filters to provide people the necessary protection against wildfire smoke. Commercial adoption may include integration of the new filters into the Metalmark self-cleaning air purifiers or the sale of pleated filters.
Publications and Presentations:
Publications have been submitted on this project: View all 2 publications for this projectJournal Articles:
Journal Articles have been submitted on this project: View all 1 journal articles for this projectProgress 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.