SBIR-STTR Award

Fiberglass boat manufacturing operations in the United Statesproduce large amounts of volatile organic carbon (VOC) emissions,especially styrene and acetone. It is estimated that 2 to 140 tons ofstyrene are formed per plant per year and a total of 20,150 tons areemitted each year in the United States. It is proposed to utilize theability of microorganisms to completely mineralize both acetone andstyrene from air in fiberglass boat manufacturing facilities. A mixedculture will be developed for this purpose. A biofilter will then beconstructed for the removal of these volatile and toxic substances. Thisfilter should be highly efficient for the removal of VOC in air and wouldbe inexpensive to operate. Finally, a preliminary process developmentstudy will be undertaken to identify parameters and design constraintsnecessary for a Phase II demonstration, and to attract industrialcollaborators.