HAMPTON, Va. (January 4 2021) — Pancopia LLC, an environmental technology company based in Hampton, presented its NASA-backed water and nutrient recovery technology at the Virginia Air & Space Science Center's Sigma Series, demonstrating how research originally developed to help astronauts recycle water in space is now solving pressing environmental challenges in American agriculture.
The presentation, titled "From Swine Lagoons to Space and Back Again," traced Pancopia's six-year research journey that began when NASA sought biological treatment systems capable of rapidly starting and stopping for long-duration space missions. Pancopia's solution uses a novel consortium of naturally occurring organisms nitrifiers, denitrifiers, and anammox bacteria to remove nitrogen and organic carbon from wastewater without the energy-intensive mechanical systems traditionally used in space.
"Water is our most precious resource, and NASA knows its true value better than anyone," said William Cumbie, PE, Pancopia's Principal Investigator and CEO. "It costs $83,000 to deliver a gallon of water to the International Space Station. That economic reality drove NASA to invest in biological treatment research—and now that same technology is helping farmers manage nutrients at a fraction of the cost of alternatives."
From Space Stations to Swine Barns
Animal agriculture produces five to ten times more nutrient waste than human systems, with North Carolina alone housing more than 3,000 swine treatment lagoons. Traditional management approaches have proven either cost-prohibitive or environmentally challenging. Pancopia's technology—proven through five NASA SBIR contracts totaling over $2 million in research funding—offers a practical path forward.
The research has been conducted in partnership with USDA's Agricultural Research Service, which provided the patented anammox bacteria strain used in the system, and Hampton Roads Sanitation District, which contributed technical expertise and denitrifying organisms. Additional academic partners include Texas Tech University, Virginia Tech, Purdue University, and Old Dominion University.
Accelerating Natural Processes
Pancopia's systems accelerate natural biological processes to convert harmful ammonia into stable nitrogen forms. When applied to swine operations, the technology reduces airborne ammonia in barns, improves animal health and productivity, and enables water reuse—unlocking value from what has traditionally been agriculture's most challenging waste stream.
"We've learned that most innovation is making something practical," Cumbie noted in the presentation. "NASA supported the foundational research, and now we're applying that knowledge where it can have the greatest impact—in the agricultural sector that feeds America."
About Pancopia LLC
Pancopia LLC is an environmental technology company headquartered in Hampton, Virginia, that accelerates natural processes to recover water and nutrients in animal agriculture. The company's NASA-heritage technology helps farms unlock value inside their largest waste streams while reducing operating costs. Pancopia has received five NASA SBIR contracts and has research partnerships with USDA, DOE, Virginia Tech, and Texas Tech University. For more information, visit www.pancopia.com.
About The Sigma Series
The Sigma Series is a public lecture program presented by the Virginia Air & Space Science Center, the official visitor center for NASA Langley Research Center. The series features presentations on cutting-edge aerospace and technology research.
Media Contact:
William Cumbie, PE
Pancopia LLC
bill@pancopia.com
Hampton, Virginia
