Pilot-Scale Oxidation Catalysts, Phase I

Catalytic oxidation of contaminants in air and water remains a key unit operation available to NASA. Its advantages include production of high-quality effluents, good microbial control, and extremely low expendable rates. Extensive research by both NASA and industry demonstrates an order of magnitude more activity for catalysts supported on carbon versus any other support. Carbon supported noble metal catalysts have previously shown susceptibility to physical degradation (due to shear forces and metal leaching) and chemical degradation (by oxidation of solid carbon). Previous studies have demonstrated that at small (bench) scale, physically robust catalysts can be manufactured that could provide a significant advancement in performance. The purpose of this effort is to accomplish several innovations that will allow the catalysts to be produced at a scale that is suitable for direct integration into NASA's water processor hardware.

This is a mature technology (TRL 7+) — the realistic path in is usually NASA's Technology Transfer Program: licensing an existing NASA patent, or a Space Act Agreement to use NASA facilities/expertise directly. NASA also runs a startup licensing program with no upfront fee for companies formed to commercialize a specific NASA technology.

None of these are guaranteed paths for this specific project — TechPort itself doesn't have an "apply" button. Reaching out to the contact(s) above with a specific question is usually the fastest way to find out what's actually open.