(August 25, 2026) OrganoTech Named a Finalist in $3 Million Grow-NY Business Competition. Empire State Development and Cornell University’s Center for Regional Economic Advancement today named OrganoTech LLC, a Syracuse-based startup founded by researchers at the SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry (SUNY ESF), a top 20 finalist in Grow-NY, a global food innovation and agriculture technology business challenge. OrganoTech has developed STROP™, a chemical-free, modular system that recovers phosphorus from wastewater and dairy waste and converts it into a granular, slow-release fertilizer, making it the first in the U.S. able to produce an OMRI-eligible phosphorus fertilizer for certified organic farms. https://www.grow-ny.com/2026-finalists/
(September 2025) Two doctoral students at SUNY ESF have joined the startup to accelerate the commercialization of the STROP technology.
(May 2025) A new working prototype has been assembled and used for pilot tests of VaSA at a WRRF and a dairy farm with NSF STTR Phase I funding.
(July 2023) Research Foundation for SUNY invested in VaSA from Technology Accelerator Fund:
(Aug 2022) The California Association of Sanitation Agencies has awarded VaSA pilot testing of sludge digestate and pressate at City of San Luis Obispo Water Resource Recovery Facility its 2022 Award of Excellence in Innovation and Resilience.
NSF Partnerships for Innovation Program funded pilot study of VaSA at The City of San Luis Obispo's Water Resource Recovery Facility, CA and Regional Landfill, Ava, NY from January 2022 to July 2023