ORLANDO, Fla.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--ecoSPEARS, the exclusive licensee of NASA’s patented Sorbent Polymer Extraction and Remediation System (SPEARS) technology, announced today that they have moved from a start-up incubator office to a large commercial space in Altamonte Springs to accommodate their growing workforce. ecoSPEARS also announced that Dr. Phillip Maloney and John Omana are joining their team, to serve as Principal Scientist and as Director of Government Affairs and Land Use Entitlement, respectively.
Dr. Phillip Maloney is joining the company as the Principal Scientist. One of the creators of the SPEARS technology, Dr. Maloney most recently was with NASA, where he had served in an appointment to the Postdoctoral Program at the Kennedy Space Center. Dr. Maloney received a Ph.D in Environmental Chemistry from the University of Central Florida, where he conducted research on the remediation of persistent organic pollutants. Dr. Maloney’s other work at NASA included the Green Solvents Project, which was awarded the 2015 GreenGov Presidential Award, as well as the development of analytical instruments for the detection of volatile compounds on the lunar surface.
John Omana is joining the company as Director of Government Affairs and Land Use Entitlement; he comes equipped with over thirty years of government experience at federal, state, and local levels. Omana has secured land development approvals and entitlements valued in excess of $600 million over the course of his career. Omana specializes in negotiating with regulatory agencies and drafting development and redevelopment agreements for public and private clients.
“Dr. Phillip Maloney is one of the world’s preeminent experts in how chemicals, including PCBs, behave and create challenges in waterway cleanup. His experience in advancing remediation technologies for pollutants in sediments at NASA make him an invaluable asset to the ecoSPEARS team,” said Serg Albino, ecoSPEARS Chief Executive Officer.” John Omana’s decades of experience and vital skill set in negotiation and public and private collaboration will be incredibly helpful as we mobilize our efforts to revitalize underdeveloped land in communities impacted by PCB contamination.”
SPEARS is a long-term, permanent environmental solution that has also shown to have powerful short-term effectiveness; when placed in lake or riverbed sediment, SPEARS absorb PCBs and other harmful chemicals, effectively trapping the contaminants and limiting the threat of re-suspension.
ecoSPEARS has commercialized the NASA technology to be both scalable and cost-effective. When site-specific PCB levels are achieved, ecoSPEARS removes the SPEARS with the trapped PCBs from the sediments and uses a proprietary post-process technology to destroy the harmful chemicals. SPEARS is a green remediation technology that the world can rally behind to rid rivers of persistent contaminants.
ecoSPEARS has received key funding support from Kirenga Partners, an early stage venture capital manager based in Orlando, Florida. Since its founding in 2017, ecoSPEARS has seen tremendous global interest and continued demand for its SPEARS clean technology.
About ecoSPEARS
ecoSPEARS is providing polluted waterways with a second chance at life through the commercial deployment of NASA-developed, transformative technology. The company's Sorbent Polymer Extraction and Remediation System (SPEARS) can permanently clean up the world's most pervasive and persistent toxins from water at a fraction of the cost of dredging and without disturbing the aquatic ecosystem and local community. To learn more about ecoSPEARS, please visit www.ecospears.com.