Date: Jan 15, 2008 Source: ARMY SBIR Success Stories (
click here to go to the source)
Each day, field and laboratory personnel are faced with potential toxic hazards. To reduce this threat, NanoScale developed the FAST-ACT formulation - immediate chemical hazard containment and neutralization system, offering protection from liquid and vapor chemical spills and releases from known or unknown origin. FAST-ACT, which received an Army's Top Ten Greatest Invention nomination in 2004, is effective against a broad array of chemicals, including chemical warfare agents (CWA).
This level of response can protect personnel in potentially deadly situations involving chemical releases; can aid First Responders in HAZMAT situations; and can be used in commercial laboratories and manufacturing facilities for toxic industrial chemical (TIC) spills.
FAST-ACT is a safe, non-toxic, non-corrosive, non-flammable, dry powder formulation that is deployed in easy-to-use, portable systems that are effective over a wide range of environmental conditions. Additionally, FAST-ACT requires minimal training to use and has no logistical burden, allowing expanded utility for many safety response applications.
In addition to all of the first response applications for FAST-ACT, the technology is being further developed for decontamination wipes and residue-free wipes, and is currently utilized in commercial odor elimination products such as OdorKlenz and NanoZorb. The commercial impact of the technology behind FAST-ACT reaches numerous markets and applications, including real estate, service industry, odor control, air quality, and environmental remediation.
The primary market for the system is for the detection and identification of chemical warfare agents following their use in military or terrorist situations, with the Department of Defense (DoD) and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) being the primary customers. However, additional civilian applications of the proposed system are easy to foresee, to include environmental monitoring, detection of toxic compound releases, and various forensic uses. Customers for these civilian applications will include both Government and private organizations.
Phase III Impacts:
NanoScale received $10M from various DoD programs to further develop and verify its technology including spin-off products and applications. Expanding the technology to commercial markets should result in $15M in revenue by the end of 2008.
