NIEHS Awards Microvi $1.5 Million Phase II Grant for Demonstration of 1,4-Dioxane Degradation Technology

HAYWARD, Calif., Jan. 22, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- Microvi Biotechnologies announced today that it has been awarded a $1.5 million grant from the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS) to demonstrate at scale a novel technology for the treatment of 1,4 dioxane in water. This follows on the success of work completed during the Phase I grant, where a prototype was developed and tested of a first-of-its-kind biological treatment technology for dioxane degradation called MB-DX™.

"1,4-Dioxane is among the most widely detected organic contaminants in groundwater and drinking water, with 13% of US drinking water sources tested in 2013 showing evidence of 1,4-dioxane. Available treatment solutions are expensive and energy intensive and often have inconsistent performance records," said Mr. Thomas Mohr, Senior Hydrologist with the Santa Clara Valley Water District and a thought leader in the field of 1,4-Dioxane. "Microvi's MB-DX™ technology uses 1,4-Dioxane degrading microbes in a way that is effective and reliable and overcomes common challenges to bioreactor performance such as system stability and clogging."

"I congratulate Microvi Biotechnologies in Hayward and their CEO Dr. Fatemeh Shirazi on receiving this federal grant to help them pursue the development of a critical technology to keep our water safe," said Congressman Swalwell (CA-15). "Technological innovations like the sustainable solutions developed at Microvi are driving our economic growth in the Bay Area and I will keep advocating for strong public-private partnerships to support this sector."

About NIEHS

NIEHS supports research to understand the effects of the environment on human health and is part of NIH. For more information on environmental health topics, visit http://www.niehs.nih.gov.

About Microvi

Microvi is a leading biotechnology company that develops, manufactures, and commercializes innovative biocatalytic technologies for water, energy and chemical industries. Microvi's pipeline of solutions, created using its proprietary MicroNiche Engineering™ platform, enable cost-effective, energy efficient and waste free bioprocesses that deliver higher performance than conventional methods. To learn more please visit www.microvi.com.

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Karin Kidder, Director of Marketing, Microvi Biotechnologies
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SOURCE Microvi Biotechnologies