IBP Receives Patent for Low-Cost Algae Production System
Independence Bio-Products (IBP) has received a patent for a low-cost open-pond system for producing algae for biofuels and animal feeds system year-round, regardless of climate or season. IBP’s system uses heat recovered from power plants and other manufacturing facilities to maintain water temperatures within precise temperature ranges that optimize algae production. The patent provides description of methods and systems for growing algae in water with a heating source; drying the algae with a heat source; and alternatively partially covering the body of water where the algae are grown. Heat recovery systems, algae processing and covers are also included.
IBP’s low-cost open-pond system was validated in an 18-month demonstration project adjacent to a power plant in Shadyside, Ohio. The project used CO2 from the power plant to feed the algae while waste heat recovered from the plant was used to ensure proper water temperatures. This newly patented system enabled IBP to grow algae year-round, even during harsh winter months. The algae oil produced thus was tested by the US Air Force, a few days back, as a fuel for jet engines.
IBP’s founder and President Ron Erd claims that using the heat recovered from an adjacent industrial facility, their patented process will offer a cost-effective approach to producing biofuels and animal feeds along with high-value co-products such as carotenoids for nutraceuticals, apart from its role in carbon capture. Further, it allows IBP to operate in regions where algae operations have previously not considered viable.
The patented system will be installed next to coal-fired power plants and other industrial facilities. The company is now developing a 400-acre project in Texas on reclaimed mining land. The facility is scheduled to open in 2012, with potential future expansion to more than 20,000 acres.
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