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HJ3 Composite Technologies of Tucson Wins $100,000 Green Technology Contract from EPA

Release Date: 07/15/2014
Contact Information: Margot Perez-Sullivan, 415-947-4149, [email protected]

SAN FRANCISCO – Today the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced that HJ3 Composite Technologies of Tucson, Arizona will receive a $100,000 green technology contract for its innovative drinking water pipeline repair proposal. The contract is part of $2 million awarded to 21 small businesses nationwide to advance sustainable and innovative products and processes under EPA’s Small Business Innovative Research (SBIR) program.

“EPA’s small business innovation contracts are growing Arizona’s economy and green technology industry, helping companies like these develop new solutions to some of our biggest environmental challenges,” said Jared Blumenfeld, EPA’s Regional Administrator for the Pacific Southwest.

In Arizona, 500,000 small businesses employ nearly 1 million workers, nearly half of the state’s workforce, and create more than 18,000 new jobs every year. Arizona is also a major green job-producing state with over 1,700 green businesses and organizations employing more than 30,000 workers in green jobs.

HJ3 Composite Technologies of Tucson, Ariz., received a $99,693 SBIR contract for their proposal to use green materials and technology to double the life of drinking water pipelines. Nearly half of the existing concrete pipe drinking water infrastructure is nearing the end of its useful life with an estimated 240,000 water main breaks per year in the U.S. Assuming every pipe would need to be replaced, the cost could reach more than $1 trillion over the next 25 years. The company proposes to use new materials, manufacturing techniques and installation processes to repair and extend the life of existing drinking water pipes by at least 25 years. The new material is a carbon filament fabric installed and cured in the pipe using electrical current, resulting in a pipe-within-a-pipe rated for potable drinking water and the pipe's design pressure.

EPA’s SBIR program funds small businesses to develop and commercialize innovative, sustainable technologies to address current environmental issues. Annually, EPA releases a new funding opportunity for small businesses in a competitive two phase process. In Phase I, small businesses can receive up to $100,000 for “proof of concept” of their technology. Successful Phase I companies can apply to develop and market their technology with Phase II funding up to $300,000. Many of the SBIR recipient companies go on to leverage EPA’s funding to bring their designs to reality, expand business, and create products that help protect human health and the environment.

EPA SBIR Phase I awards: https://www.epa.gov/ncer/sbir/14awards
EPA’s SBIR Program: www.epa.gov/ncer/sbir