Project Grant N629092312010

This National Science Foundation (NSF) grant under the Engineering program (CFDA 47.041) provides $360,000 to the University of Tennessee to develop innovative microbial communities capable of converting organic waste into renewable biogas through a process known as electro-methanogenesis. The key objectives are to: Build robust electro-methanogenic microbial communities by continuously switching the direction of electricity, enabling both organic-consuming and biogas-producing microorganisms to...

This NSF Project Grant award to Mvmnt-X, Inc. in the amount of $275,000 under the NSF Technology, Innovation, and Partnerships (CFDA 47.084) program supports the development of new optical methods to improve the productivity of microalgae cultivation systems. The key products or services to be delivered through this 12-month project include: New illumination methods to enable ultra-high density, high-efficiency microalgae hybrid-photobioreactor scrubbers for capturing carbon dioxide and other...

This $275,000 federal Project Grant award from the National Science Foundation (NSF) Technology, Innovation, and Partnerships (CFDA 47.084) program supports the development, modeling, and validation of a novel technology to enhance the efficiency of anaerobic digestion for biogas generation from organic waste. The project, led by Elif Environmental LLC, aims to leverage microwaves and electromagnetic fields to improve anaerobic fermentation efficiency by at least 20% across a range of...

This National Science Foundation (NSF) Early-Concept Grants for Exploratory Research (EAGER) award under the NSF Engineering program (CFDA 47.041) provides $150,000 to researchers at the City University of New York (CUNY) City College to investigate using hydrogen peroxide, a toxic waste product generated by certain bacteria, as an energy source for efficient biofuel and biochemical production. The key objectives are to: 1) develop an E. coli strain platform to control and monitor hydrogen...

This $360,000 project grant awarded by the National Science Foundation's (NSF) Engineering program (CFDA 47.041) to Temple University supports research to develop synthetic microbial communities capable of robust electro-methanogenesis. The goal is to improve the process of converting organic waste into renewable biogas by leveraging microorganisms that can use electricity as an energy source. The research aims to build resilient electro-methanogenic communities, quantify the drivers of...

This $1.5 million Project Grant from the National Science Foundation Office of International Science and Engineering (NSF OISE) will fund the development of a climate-resilient and sustainable food production system utilizing controlled environment hydroponic agriculture with novel wastewater treatment and reuse technologies. Led by Clemson University in collaboration with universities in South Korea, the award will support five key activities over a two-year period from January 2023 to December...

This three-year, $390,261 National Science Foundation project grant will fund research at The Washington University to advance the production of volatile fatty acids from organic wastes through anaerobic digestion. Specifically, the university will investigate using hydrogen peroxide generated via bioelectrochemical conversion to inhibit methanogenesis and maximize valuable chemical yields. Researchers will study inhibition mechanisms, evaluate membrane separation systems, and explore...

This SBIR Phase I project, awarded by the National Science Foundation (NSF) under the Technology, Innovation, and Partnerships (TIP) program (CFDA 47.084), aims to develop a novel platform for accelerating the strain development process for precision fermentation. The $275,000 grant, awarded on January 15, 2025, will fund the recipient, Terraferma Foods, Inc., to leverage machine learning and experimental biology to enhance the industrial-scale production of animal proteins in yeast. The project...

The National Science Foundation (NSF) Directorate for Engineering (CFDA 47.041) awarded a $200,000 EAGER grant to Auburn University to develop and validate a novel multi-tray dry biofilm reactor that can directly capture methane (CH4) from the air. The goal is to convert the captured CH4, a potent greenhouse gas, into valuable single-cell proteins for animal feed. This research aims to advance understanding of biofilm-based conversion of atmospheric CH4 and provide a quantitative assessment of...

This three-year, $399,820 project grant from the National Science Foundation's Integrative Activities program (CFDA 47.083) supports research at Florida A&M University to characterize the mutually beneficial interactions between algae and bacteria and leverage this knowledge to enhance wastewater treatment and bio-product development. The award funds innovative experiments using isotopically-labeled cells to study shifts in the proteomes and metabolomes of a newly isolated algal-bacterial...