ADMA has announced that a national project they are leading has won a USD 3.3 million grant from the US Department of Energy. ADMA, the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory and Texas A&M University have teamed up on a design to improve the efficiency of air-conditioning units. ADMA’s role is to produce a porous metal foil that filters water molecules out as humid air streams through, reducing the amount of energy needed to cool the dehumidified air. The company has ruled out stainless steel for the membrane, and will continue testing nickel and titanium, but Vladimir Moxson, chief executive and chief metallurgist, says pretesting suggests noncorrosive titanium will win out. Mr Moxson has spent years perfecting a process for creating a titanium powder that he says is equal or superior to the currently preferred method of using expensive titanium ingots to make components. In 2009, the company received federal funding to buy the necessary equipment, and by the end of September 2010, ADMA expects to begin producing its own raw materials.