Millstone-Augmented Shipboard Elemental Reducer System Navy SBIR FY2012.1 Sol No.: Navy SBIR FY2012.1 Topic No.: N121-072 Topic Title: Millstone-Augmented Shipboard Elemental Reducer System Proposal No.: N121-072-0322 Firm: Physical Optics Corporation Applied Technologies Division 1845 W. 205th Street Torrance, California 90501-1510 Contact: Kang Lee Phone: (310) 320-3088 Web Site: www.poc.com Abstract: To address the Navy's need for a shipboard cardboard preprocessor, Physical Optics Corporation (POC) proposes to develop the new Millstone-Augmented SHipboard Elemental Reducer (MASHER) system. MASHER continuously reduces cardboard waste to its basic constituents (paper, plastic, etc.), followed by automatic triboelectrostatic sorting of the sub-millimeter-sized constituents. Our innovation in solid waste preprocessing virtually eliminates manual labor because Sailors will only need to drop in entire boxes, instead of manually cutting them up and removing labels one at a time - also greatly reducing Sailor injuries. The high separation efficiency, estimated at 92%, also reduces the burden on pulpers. As a result, MASHER offers fully automated removal of plastic and metal from the cardboard waste stream, processing rates up to 500 lb/hr, and handling of cardboard boxes up to 65 in. x 43 in. x 36 in., which directly address the Non-Propulsion Engineering Systems Office's (PMS-312) requirements. In Phase I, POC will demonstrate the feasibility of MASHER by building a prototype and clearly defining the system's size, cost, processing rate (speed), labor burden, and support requirements, for shipboard applications. In Phase II, a formal test and evaluation plan will be documented and applied to a second-generation prototype to ensure MASHER shipboard compatibility. Benefits: In addition to helping the Navy meet shipboard waste disposal requirements by providing a shock-resistant, non-labor-intensive cardboard waste preprocessor for integration with shipboard incinerators and large and small pulpers. MASHER will offer benefits to other DoD branches (e.g., Army and Air Force) as well as other governmental agencies, such as the Department of Energy (DoE), when applied to their land-based solid-waste recycling systems. In the private sector, clean technology companies will also be able to derive benefits from the MASHER technology by increasing the effectiveness of their solid waste recycling systems and operations while dramatically cutting labor costs. Return