October 4, 2004—Circle Group Holdings has entered into an agreement with Gassman Engineers, Inc. and Meridian Mechanical Corporation to develop a commercial version of its Lidar and ThraxVac technologies, which were originally developed at the U.S. Department of Energy’s Brookhaven National Laboratory. When the final phase of development is completed, the system will have the potential to provide for the detection and destruction of biohazard, chemical, and other hazardous materials. It will be integrated with a building’s HVAC system to provide a strong defense against chemical and biological attacks or accidents involving hazardous materials.
Gassman Engineers, a Chicago Engineering firm, will complete the design phase of the project, and then Meridian Mechanical, an Elk Grove Village firm, will complete the fabrication phase. The Phase One design will be completed within 30 days. “Ultimately, it will be possible to treat any type of hazardous situation with this apparatus,” said Ken Gassman, President of Gassman Engineers.
“In response to recent accelerated concerns about terrorist activities, and greatly expanded federal budgets for homeland security, we have improved the timetable to commercialize our defense technologies,” said Greg Halpern, Circle Group Holdings CEO. “This comes on the heels of heightened interest in our unique ThraxVac and Lidar technologies.”
ThraxVac is an Anthrax/Bacterial Spore Collection and Elimination device technology developed at the U.S. Department of Energy’s Brookhaven National Laboratory, Department of Energy Science & Technology, by Dr. Carl J. Czajkowski and Dr. Barbara Panessa-Warren under its federally funded Threat Reduction Program.
