The EPA yesterday awarded funds to 11 companies working on everything from green buildings to nanotech, with the goal of helping the firms bring their technologies to market.

The 11 awards total nearly $2.5 million in funding, and follows on awards handed out last year for the companies to develop "proof of concept" of their inventions.

“The health and prosperity of our nation is due to the strength and ingenuity of our small businesses,” Paul T. Anastas, assistant administrator for EPA's Office of Research and Development, said in a statement. “These awards will help spur innovation from America's small businesses so they can continue driving our economy and powering our environmental successes."

The awards are part of EPA’s Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) program, which issues solicitations for research proposals from small science and technology firms.

The first phase of the contracts, which were awarded last year, are used to prove the technical feasibility of a concept, and yesterday's awards are used to develop and commercialize the technologies from the first phase.

Among the technologies that were awarded prizes of roughly $345,000 each are a company working to use microbial fuel cells to simultaneously clean wastewater and generate electricity, a company that is developing a chromium-free, corrosion-resistant coating for use in industrial, automotive, and aerospace facilities, and a company developing a low-cost method to create biodiesel from agricultural and forestry residues.

The full list of Phase I and Phase II award recipients are online at EPA.gov.