UAF spin-out company claims environmental innovation prize

April 15, 2020

A University of Alaska Fairbanks spin-out company captured the grand prize at the 2020 Alaska Airlines Environmental Innovation Challenge this month, winning top honors in the competition for its concept of a portable water-treatment platform that destroys contaminants.

The competition, which is dedicated to finding solutions for environmental problems, was held virtually this year from the University of Washington. Along with the $15,000 grand prize, the competition provided Aquagga Inc., with networking opportunities and a forum for promoting its technology. Aquagga also won the Domestic Grand Challenges Action Prize.

“It was good validation that what we’re working on is important and needed,” said Brian Pinkard, a University of Washington Ph.D. candidate and one of three founders of the company.

Aquagga, which was formed last August by Nigel Sharp, Jonathan Kamler and Pinkard, is developing new technology to destroy PFAS, which is a common environmental contaminant. The company negotiated the exclusive license to develop a UAF-patented technology for treating wet waste.

PFAS is an abbreviation for perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances. The chemicals, which are widely used in everything from firefighting foams to nonstick pans, don’t break down naturally. The technique for destroying PFAS uses an existing process that combines high temperatures, pressure and oxygen to break down the molecules.

“It’s sort of a pressure cooker on steroids,” said Sharp, the startups and innovation manager for UAF’s Center for Innovation, Commercialization and Entrepreneurship, or Center ICE.

Kamler, a UAF Ph.D. student, developed and patented the technology, which is scalable enough to make the system portable, able to be towed behind a four-wheeler and transported to a remote site.

Finding a solution to PFAS contamination is a huge concern for countries around the world, making it lucrative territory for a start-up company. Sharp said PFAS cleanup will be an estimated $40 billion industry by 2025.

The Environmental Innovation Challenge prize is the latest for Aquagga. The Aquagga team also won the Best New Pitch Award at Accelerate Alaska, won second place in the 2019 Alaska Seed Fund competition, and was invited to the U.S. Department of Energy’s Innovation XLab event last year.

ADDITIONAL CONTACT: Nigel Sharp, nigel.sharp@alaska.edu