License ERDC’s Patented Environment and Energy Technologies

ERDC’s numerous innovations are revolutionizing the environmental and energy sectors, from water analysis and purification to remediation of soil contaminants. Explore these technologies for more information on how they can benefit your business.

Digital Panning for Rare Earth Elements

• Uses ICP-MS proxy signals and digital processing to rapidly screen large sample sets for likely rare-earth-element presence
• Prioritizes promising samples for full quantitative analysis, reducing the time and analytical effort spent on low-value samples
• Applicable to mineral exploration, resource evaluation, mine-waste reprocessing, environmental sampling, and strategic mineral mapping

Underwater Blast Shield

• Contains explosions and captures debris
• Reduces shock waves and secures explosive remnants for safer cleanup
• Supports unexploded ordinance remediation, mine clearance, and blasting for dredging projects

UV-C Treatment for HAB Suppression (CyanoSTUN™)

• Contains UV-C within the reactor, preventing unintended impacts on the surrounding ecosystem
• Adjusts UV exposure dynamically based on water clarity and treatment goals
• Treats blooms without chemicals or permanent infrastructure

Automated Bead Width Control for 3D Concrete Construction

• Achieves ±¼ inch accuracy in bead width, enabling high-fidelity printing of complex geometries and structural features
• Dynamically adjusts gantry speed and pump settings to accommodate different material properties and design requirements
• Designed for expeditionary and remote use, ensures reliable performance in variable environments

Autonomous UV and Brush Apparatus for Well Fouling Prevention (Wellbot)

• Cleans faster and better without hazardous chemicals or heavy machinery
• Delivers cost-efficient, multi-year performance with remote control connectivity for optimal functionality
• Reduces personnel needs through rapid, non-technical deployment, easy mobilization, and minimal power demands

Hydrogel-Enzyme Systems and Methods

• Enable enzyme activity in extreme conditions with a protective hydrogel that resists heat, pH, and chemicals
• Reduce risk and delays by allowing earlier, safer deployment in hazardous environments
• Support diverse applications from industrial clean-up to manufacturing and chemical spill response

Acoustic Camera Systems and Methods

• Captures 2D velocity maps across large areas
• Uses compact, simpler equipment for easy field use
• Supports comprehensive flow analysis in rivers, coastal areas, and industrial water systems

Predictive Environmental Modeling System (PEMS)

• Provides simple tools for conducting cost-effective computational testing of a range of chemicals and materials, avoiding unnecessary lab-based testing
• Normalizes emission concentration values, enabling appropriate comparisons
• Includes a cumulative repository of scientific data, making automatic real-time adjustments to impact models as the database is updated

Sand Boil Filter

• Is inserted into a sand boil to relieve underground hydrostatic pressure and inhibit subterranean erosion that can cause levee failure
• Can be installed by one worker in 15 minutes, making it 47% faster than installing sandbags, significantly cheaper, and less labor-intensive
• Reduces the time workers and people downstream are exposed to a potential levee failure as well as speed up the pressure reduction in the levee

Modular Bathymetry

• Distinct CNC programming digitally creates expanded polystyrene foam (EPS) blocks that can be easily employed to create more detailed and accurate bathymetric models than traditional concrete
• EPS foam blocks can be easily and rapidly placed and removed in situ, allowing prototype refinement, use in limited space areas, and storage
• Using EPS reduces construction costs by 30-60% and allows up to 60% faster construction time compared with concrete modeling

Self-Regenerating Biofilter

• External maintenance via human intervention not required
• Shorter downtime leads to an estimated 10x decrease in operational costs
• Offers scalability via a compact footprint for continuous water treatment and higher daily flow-through volumes

Real-Time Digital Buoy Tracking and Mapping System

• Low-cost, low-power, and low-maintenance
• Bypasses need for expensive infrastructure and offers extended range between nodes
• Supports emergency navigations

Bacterial Process for Production of Active Coagulant Protein

• Potential to significantly reduce operational costs
• Eliminates the need for inorganic coagulants
• Scalable
• Economical
• Advantageous use of B. subtilis

Bedload Transport Measurement Method

• Quick, real-time measurement of bedload flow rates
• Precise transport rate of bedload using quantitative data
• Less intrusive and potentially damaging than samplers
• Prevents costly navigation delays

Munitions Compound Detection and Removal System

• In situ detection/removal of MEC from water in concentrations as low as one part per million
• Reaches final color and intensity after just 24 hours of exposure
• Scalable to treat larger bodies of water such as rivers, as well as small ponds and runoffs
• Uses abundant and inexpensive AFC materials
• Reusable

High Volume Air Stream Water Recovery System

• Recovers water using less than 40 watt-hours of energy per gallon
• Adjustable airstream (speed and temperature) to optimize energy usage
• Scalable and adaptable for broad applications

Photocatalytic Water Treatment

• Breaks target contaminants down into benign products
• Relies on non-toxic, earth-abundant photocatalysts with filterable particle diameters (> 0.1 μm)
• Uses energy-efficient solar radiation
• Degrades nitrobenzene & carbamazepine at rates equal to that of existing commercial systems