M. Bruno
Aequor Inc.,
United States
Keywords: biofuel, biomass, biofilm, crop protection, algae, yeast, fermentation, carbon capture, carbon offset
Summary:
The biofuel industry needs renewable feedstocks to meet the fast-growing demand for alternatives for fossil fuels. Aequor is a member of the DOE DISCOVR Consortium for the past 3 years. Our products have been validated by Lawrence Berkeley National Lab, Sandia National Lab and the Arizona Center for Algae Technical Innovation to improve the profitability of renewable feedstocks for the biofuel industry and associated industries producing biobased co-products (food, feed, nutraceuticals, fertilizer, chemicals, plastics, pharmaceuticals, materials, etc.). Aequor’s proprietary drop-in treatments are customized for each type and size of production system. They boost the yields of algae and fermented crop and other waste by eliminating the problems of bacterial contamination, clumping, etc. that block light and nutrients from reaching the feedstocks and requiring that the system be shut down, disinfected, reseeded and started up again. For algae cultivation in bioreactors, Aequor's treatment increases biomass by up to 40% in half the time. In algae open ponds, Aequor’s treatments additionally provides full crop protection against water-borne predators, allowing harvest cycles to be extended by weeks. For fermenting crop and waste residues into bioethanol, Aequor’s treatment completely eliminates the need for antibiotics (which dangerously remain in residues sold as animal feed). This alone helps to avoid FDA scrutiny and control the currently high emergence of new antimicrobial-resistant bacteria -- the Superbugs -- for which there is no cure. Bioethanol use is rising fast, as it is blended 10-15% with gasoline at the pump in the U.S. because it is considered the fastest way for countries to meet emission reduction targets. Bioethanol is now the #1 U.S. agricultural export. Most major airlines have committed to converting from jet fuel to sustainable aviation fuel (SAF). A technoeconomic analysis of Aequor's product performance conducted by the National Renewable Energy Lab shows that Aequor’s treatments save energy, water, and the costs of genetically-modified strains, biocides/antibiotics/cleaning, enzymes, mechanical agitators, biostimulants, accelerants, labor, downtime, etc., improving biomass profitability. Aequor’s treatments also stabilize biofuels, including SAFs, reducing the separation, biofouling and rapid corrosion in delivery, use and storage that impact performance. The value added for customers includes improved profits and a "green" footprint, new job creation and a growing profit center. The U.S. government is mandating procurement of biobased products, further increasing demand. Additionally, since algae captures 300x more carbon dioxide from the air than a tree, algae is an unmatched method for carbon capture and is eligible for carbon offsets. Aequor provides consulting services to quickly and inexpensively set up algae bioreactors on urban and industrial rooftops (feeding bioreactors CO2 directly from flue pipes) and on marginal/inarable/desert/unused land in rural areas and recycling any water source (including brackish water). Algae can be cultivated for the offsets alone, or harvested, dried and sold for multiple biobased end uses. Aequor makes renewable feedstock production profitable to meet the demands of the growing bioeconomy.