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Fort Worth Small Business Receives EPA Research Contract

Release Date: 3/9/2005
Contact Information: For more information contact the Office of External Affairs at (214) 665-2200.

     Today, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced that Materials Processing, Inc. of Fort Worth, Texas, received $70,000 from the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) contracts program.  Materials Processing was chosen from a pool of 363 applicants from across the country.

     "I applaud Materials Processing for its success in this highly competitive program and look forward to sharing its proven technologies with industries across the country.  The vitality and innovation of small business like Materials Processing continue to find better ways to fuel the nation's economy while protecting natural resources," EPA Regional Administrator Richard E. Greene said.

     Materials Processing, Inc. will work to develop an environmentally benign substitute for lead. Lead is a soft, low melting point, high-density, and inexpensive material that can be easily shaped. These attributes have made lead useful in applications such as bullets, fishing rod sinkers, weights for balancing tires, hunting shots, etc.  However, lead is also a major environmental contaminant due to its toxicity and it can be stored in biological tissues with devastating results.  

     An ideal substitute material would be recyclable and environmentally benign. In this project, Materials Processing, Inc. will develop a conceptual, inorganic material that has the density of lead-based alloys, is moldable into complex shapes, can be recycled, and can degrade in a benign manner in special cases.

     EPA's competitive SBIR program offers critical financial support to small businesses to develop the best innovative technologies.  The SBIR program focuses on important areas related to environmental protection, including clean air and water, hazardous and solid wastes, pollution prevention, remediation, and monitoring.  Recent issues include homeland security, clean-up technologies, and technology solutions for specific environmental needs.  

     To learn more about EPA's SBIR program and research projects, please visit https://www.epa.gov/ncer/sbir.