BioLargo Announces Crowdfunding Offering of Water Subsidiary Opportunity to Invest in Water Treatment Technology

PR Newswire

WESTMINSTER, Calif., Feb. 19, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- BioLargo, Inc. (OTCQB:BLGO), developer of sustainable technologies and a full-service environmental engineering company, announced today that it has commenced a Regulation Crowdfunding offering (details at waterworksfund.com/biolargo) through its wholly-owned-subsidiary BioLargo Water Investment Group, Inc. ("BWIG") to support efforts to launch its patented water treatment technology into the $246 million poultry processing market.

Every year, nine billion chickens are processed in the United States, creating approximately 60 billion gallons of contaminated wastewater. The new technology, developed by BioLargo through its Alberta-based Canadian wholly-owned-subsidiary of BWIG, can efficiently treat this polluted water, enabling safe wastewater discharge and even water reuse.

BioLargo Water's treatment technology, called the Advanced Oxidation System (AOS), eliminates bacteria, viruses, and other pathogenic organisms, and can reduce pharmaceuticals and antibiotics. It is more effective in removing water contaminants than most standard systems typically used to treat industrial wastewater, and the treated water is clean enough for safe discharge to the environment or reuse in the facility. BioLargo Water's treatment technology also uses less power and is more affordable to purchase and operate than chlorination, ozonation, and UV radiation, providing additional cost savings to processors.

BioLargo Water's technology has been tested at a poultry farm in Canada, a microbrewery in Southern California, and at a stormwater site in Southern California.  After launching into the poultry processing market, BioLargo Water intends to enter the $44 billion markets of stormwater, food and beverage, municipal, industrial, oil and gas, and agriculture wastewater.

BioLargo Water has been awarded over 70 grants for development and commercialization of water treatment technology, is supported by more than 20 industry and academic collaborators from around the world, and has received financial support from innovation-centric agencies in the Canada and United States, including the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California.

To learn more, visit www.waterworksfund.com/biolargo.


About BioLargo, Inc.
BioLargo, Inc. is an innovative technology developer and environmental engineering company driven by a mission to "make life better" by delivering robust, sustainable solutions for a broad range of industries and applications, with a focus on clean water, clean air, and advanced wound care. We develop and commercialize disruptive technologies by providing the capital, support, and expertise to expedite them from "cradle" to "maturity" (www.biolargo.com). Our engineering division features experienced professional engineers dedicated to integrity, reliability, and environmental stewardship (www.biolargoengineering.com). Our industrial odor control division, Odor-No-More (www.odornomore.com) features CupriDyne Clean Industrial Odor Eliminator (www.cupridyne.com), which eliminates the odor-causing compounds and VOCs rather than masking them, and is now winning over leading companies in the solid waste handling and wastewater industries and other industries that contend with malodors and VOCs. Our subsidiary BioLargo Water (www.biolargowater.com) is preparing to commercialize its Advanced Oxidation System "AOS," a disruptive industrial water treatment technology designed to eliminate waterborne pathogens and recalcitrant contaminants with better energy-efficiency and lower operational costs than incumbent technologies. Our subsidiary Clyra Medical (www.clyramedical.com) features effective and gentle solutions for chronic infected wounds to promote infection control and regenerative tissue therapy.

About BioLargo Water Investment Group, Inc.
BioLargo Water Investment Group, Inc. is a wholly-owned-subsidiary of BioLargo, Inc., and the sole shareholder of BioLargo Water, Inc., a Canadian entity formed by BioLargo to develop water treatment technologies and products. BioLargo Water Investment Group was established to facilitate a vehicle in which investors are able to invest along-side BioLargo to advance and support the business plan of BioLargo Water through its piloting work and into commercialization. The structure is also organized to carefully preserve BioLargo Water's valuable Canadian status in order to encourage and maximize its ongoing financial support from its various federal sources of funding in Canada. Headquartered at Agri-Food Discovery Place located on campus at the University of Alberta in Edmonton, BioLargo Water, Inc. is preparing to commercialize the Advanced Oxidation System (AOS), a patented and proprietary technology aimed at providing cost- and energy-efficient treatment of water and wastewater to enable practical and affordable safe discharge and reuse of diverse water sources. Learn more at www.biolargowater.com.

About WaterWorks
"WaterWorks" refers to a group of companies that is owned by WWF Holdings, Inc., which includes WWF Platform, LLC, WWF Crowd, LLC, WWF Agency, LLC, and WWF Funding Portal, LLC. WWF Funding Portal, LLC is registered with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC") as a funding portal and is a member of the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority ("FINRA"). Investing involves the risk of loss. Past performance is not a guarantee of future results. Investments in private companies are particularly risky and you should only consider investing if you can afford to lose your entire investment and are willing to live with the ups and downs with the industry in which you invest.

Contact Information
Dennis P. Calvert
President & CEO of BioLargo, Inc.
(888) 400-2863
Dennis.calvert@biolargo.com

BioLargo Expands Global Reach, Signs Joint Venture Agreement with BKT & Tomorrow Water featuring CupriDyne Clean Based Products

Westminster, CA – February 12, 2020 – BioLargo, Inc. (OTCQB:BLGO), developer of sustainable technologies and a full-service environmental engineering company announced that it had executed a “Joint Venture Framework Agreement” with a leading wastewater treatment solution provider based in South Korea (Bookang Tech Co. Ltd., “BKT”), to create a South Korean entity that would manufacture odor and VOC control products based on CupriDyne® Clean, the award-winning product of BioLargo’s subsidiary Odor-No-More, Inc. The parties intend to form the joint venture (JV) promptly and begin operations as soon as possible.

CupriDyne Clean is Odor-No-More’s patented product that controls odors and VOCs at landfills and transfer stations operated by the largest waste handling companies in the United States. CupriDyne Clean is lauded for its gentle, non-toxic, eco-friendly, non-pesticide formula that works by eliminating odor-causing compounds rather than masking them.

BKT is a leading wastewater treatment solutions provider operating in the USA, South Korea and Vietnam with a reputation for adopting innovative, environmentally sustainable technologies and practices. Headquartered in Daejeon, South Korea, BKT has an extensive distribution network throughout Southeast Asia serving more than 400 customers in South Korea alone, and has a presence in more than eight countries globally.

CEO and Founder of BKT and Tomorrow Water Dong Woo Kim commented on the formation of the JV with BioLargo, “Odor-No-More’s products have performed extremely well in our tests, and their team has demonstrated utmost expertise in creating innovative, eco-friendly solutions for air quality control in the wastewater treatment sector. We are looking forward to introducing these products to our customers.”

Under the terms of the agreement, BioLargo will invest $100,000 in the JV, while BKT and its U.S.-based subsidiary Tomorrow Water will invest $75,000 each, for proportionate non-dilutive interests. The JV will manufacture the CupriDyne Clean-based odor and VOC control product for distributors throughout Southeast Asia, including BKT. The JV must achieve minimum sales targets to maintain exclusive rights in the Asian markets, and an annual dividend of $2 million paid to BioLargo to secure exclusive rights in perpetuity. Finally, BKT has also agreed to invest $350,000 USD directly into BioLargo, Inc. through a stock purchase priced at market prices at closing, which is contemplated within 60 days.

BioLargo President & CEO Dennis P. Calvert said, “Not only is BKT a prominent and well-established solutions provider in the Southeast Asian wastewater industry, but they have demonstrated a commitment to innovation and research in the very DNA of their company. They are well-known for their quality service offering and integrity, and we at BioLargo are confident that together we will prosper through the formation of this joint venture.”

Joseph Provenzano, President of Odor-No-More, Inc. commented, “It’s uncommon to find an international distribution partner as qualified and capable as BKT, and for this reason we are highly encouraged about the potential for this joint venture to grow sales of CupriDyne Clean and related products significantly.”

About BKT, Tomorrow Water
BKT is a leading environmental solutions provider, specialized in biological treatment, physical filtration and integrated process design. With over 20 years of experience, BKT is committed to solving the world’s challenges of today, while designing comprehensive solutions for the needs of tomorrow. Our Proteus BBF Biofilitration (https://www.tomorrowwater.com/technology-bbf) is a proven technology that combines physical and biological filtration for advanced primary treatment, which also can be applied to secondary and tertiary treatment process. Proteus (BBF), when applied primary treatment, shrinks existing process footprints up to 80%, while maximizing economic benefits such as carbon diversion and more energy production. Our unique 2-stage AMX™ (https://www.tomorrowwater.com/technology-amx) is the most resilient Anammox system and is pioneering new shortcuts in nitrogen removal. With our diverse portfolio of technologies and dedicated team of researchers and engineers, we strive to maximize recovering the most value from waste and wastewater, while minimizing the environmental impact of it.

About BioLargo, Inc.

BioLargo, Inc. is an innovative technology developer and environmental engineering company driven by a mission to "make life better" by delivering robust, sustainable solutions for a broad range of industries and applications, with a focus on clean water, clean air, and advanced wound care. We develop and commercialize disruptive technologies by providing the capital, support, and expertise to expedite them from "cradle" to "maturity" (www.biolargo.com). Our engineering division features experienced professional engineers dedicated to integrity, reliability, and environmental stewardship (www.biolargoengineering.com). Our industrial odor control division, Odor-No-More (www.odornomore.com) features CupriDyne Clean Industrial Odor Eliminator (www.cupridyne.com), which eliminates the odor-causing compounds and VOCs rather than masking them, and is now winning over leading companies in the solid waste handling and wastewater industries and other industries that contend with malodors and VOCs. Our subsidiary BioLargo Water (www.biolargowater.ca) develops the Advanced Oxidation System "AOS," a disruptive industrial water treatment technology designed to eliminate waterborne pathogens and recalcitrant contaminants with better energy-efficiency and lower operational costs than incumbent technologies. Our subsidiary Clyra Medical (www.clyramedical.com) features effective and gentle solutions for chronic infected wounds to promote infection control and regenerative tissue therapy.

Contact Information

Dennis P. Calvert

President & CEO, BioLargo, Inc.

Dennis.Calvert@BioLargo.com

(888) 400-2863

Safe Harbor Act

This press release includes “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of the safe harbor provisions of the United States Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Actual results may differ from expectations, estimates and projections and, consequently, you should not rely on these forward-looking statements as predictions of future events. Words such as “expect,” “estimate,” “project,” “budget,” “forecast,” “anticipate,” “intend,” “plan,” “may,” “will,” “could,” “should,” “believes,” “predicts,” “potential,” “continue,” and similar expressions are intended to identify such forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements involve significant risks and uncertainties that could cause the actual results to differ materially from the expected results.

BioLargo engineers top-notch, low-cost answer to PFAS water contamination problem

Source: Proactive Investors

Scared about “forever chemicals” after watching ‘Dark Waters?’

The movie is based on a true story. Rob Bilott was a high-flying corporate defense attorney for eight years. Then he took on an environmental lawsuit that would upend his entire career — and expose a brazen, decades-long history of chemical pollution.

Sadly, people still drink water contaminated with man-made “forever chemicals." The chemicals, resistant to breaking down in the environment, are known as poly and perfluoroalkyl substances, or PFASs. They are typically used in fire retardants, oil and water repellents, furniture, waterproof clothes, take-out containers and non-stick cookware.

They are called “forever chemicals” because it could take thousands of years for them to naturally break down. These chemicals have been linked to cancers, liver damage, low birth weight and other health problems.

Fortunately, BioLargo Inc’s (OTCMKTS:BLGO) subsidiary BioLargo Engineering, Science & Technologies Inc (BLEST), has confirmed the potential of a new water treatment technology to solve the global drinking water contamination problem.

Proactive sat down with Randall Moore, who is president and CEO of BLEST, to find out about progress on a device called the Aqueous Electrostatic Concentrator (AEC) that is effective in eliminating PFAS from water. The new technology eliminates more than 99% of the two most predominant PFAS compounds – perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS) and perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA).

What are some of the concerns about people being exposed to a toxic soup of PFAS chemicals?

There are numerous articles in the popular press about PFAS compounds being tied to myriad health problems, including various forms of cancer, liver and kidney disfunction, high cholesterol and weight gain. The hard, peer-reviewed science hasn’t caught up with the public demand for answers to the effects of long-term, low-level exposure as opposed to acute exposure. 

However, a couple of points are undeniable. Firstly, these compounds don’t occur in nature, so nature hasn’t yet produced a biological means to degrade them. Secondly, PFAS compounds bioaccumulate. That is, the human body doesn’t do a good job in clearing PFAS from the body, taking decades after exposure to get rid of the compounds in the bloodstream.

Can you talk about BioLargo Engineering’s PFAS technology project and the support it has received from the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)? 

BioLargo received a Phase I, EPA grant through the SBIR program. The grant supported the design, development and testing of the new bench scale PFAS treatment device, which we named the Aqueous Electrostatic Concentrator. The EPA has published a summary of the Phase 1 study on their website. 

How effective is BLEST’s Aqueous Electrostatic Concentrator (AEC) in eliminating PFAS chemicals?

The AEC performance exceeded our expectations, achieving over 99% removal of PFOA and PFOS in a single stage unit. In practice, we expect to use multiple stages, each stage optimized to target smaller and smaller concentrations of PFAS, until water is produced that has no detectable PFAS chemical present. Our original thinking was that PFAS would be treated like other water contaminants and that water below some threshold concentration would be acceptable for public use. However, recent legislation and events that have eroded the lack of public trust have pushed the acceptable threshold concentrations to the detection limit of the methods. Our Phase I work confirmed we can meet those ultra-low thresholds using the AEC.

Since BioLargo has completed Phase 1, which involved the design, build and testing of its technology to remove PFAS from water, what does the next phase involve?

Phase II work will involve confirming that the AEC is as effective on the rest of the PFAS target list compounds. Based on the principle of operation, it is logical to conclude that the AEC will be equally effective on the other polar PFAS compounds. However, it is important to make sure. And the best way to confirm the performance is to do the study. There’s also considerable support under Phase II for commercial development, market evaluation and penetration. By the end of Phase II, we expect to have commercial scale pilot systems in operation, treating contaminated plumes in real-world situations. 

Can you demystify the technology behind the AEC and why it’s so easy on the pocket?

The PFAS compounds of concern have functional groups on one end of the PFAS molecule that cause it to behave similarly to an ionized polar compound in solution. In other words, one end of the compound has a slight negative charge, while the other end does not exhibit an electrical charge in solution. Therefore, the PFAS molecule is attracted to an electrode that is positively charged. Our system puts a proprietary membrane in the migration path of PFAS compound, effectively capturing and retaining the contaminant. 

The amount of work done (energy expended) on the system can be very small, since the concentration of PFAS contamination even in highly contaminated water is very small. The Phase I tests demonstrated that the lower the PFAS concentrations, the less energy has to be expended to remove it. So, the operating costs can be very attractive compared to higher energy consuming technologies such as reverse osmosis. The AEC can be constructed from “off the shelf” components and doesn’t require exotic materials to operate effectively, which keeps the capital costs under control.   

With this proof of claim in hand, how far are we from seeing the AEC gain traction in the mainstream water treatment market?

There are two primary markets for PFAS treatment systems. The first, is the direct treatment of contaminated plumes of PFAS in ground water. The second is treatment of drinking water. The smallest system applicable for treating drinking water will be in the 10,000 gallon per minute range. Our initial target is the direct treatment of contaminated plumes, which can be addressed with smaller systems from 10 gallons per minute (GPM) to say, 500 GPM. Once a 500 GPM unit is in operation and demonstrates performance, we can move into the larger systems. Assuming we can secure private funding to match our recently secured Phase II EPA funds, we can have units to address the ground water plume treatment market within a year.

Would BioLargo license or partner the technology with a big player to secure the funds to make tens of thousands of units in the shortest time possible?

First, it is important to remember that our engineering and science teams at BioLargo have had extensive and successful careers dealing with some of the most significant remediation challenges. We've had long careers working with large customers and governments around the world. We joined the BioLargo family of companies so that we could put our skills to work to help solve some of the most difficult and pressing issues facing our planet, just like this PFAS situation.

While we have the experience of dealing with every facet of the execution of projects just like this one, including design, build and operate projects, we realize that the opportunity is global and will likely move so fast that we must explore all rational options to scale-up and deliver solutions as fast as possible. As always, we will be accessing how best to provide the greatest benefit and value to our clients. We obviously will need to build business relationships that support large-scale, national and international deployment. As we prove out our high-performance low-cost thesis, we believe business opportunities will expand around the world quickly. We are also looking into teaming with providers of other technologies to offer complete water solutions to the marketplace.  

How big is the PFAS clean-up market? 

The short answer is: Huge. The market is so large it’s hard to put a number to it. Environmental costs for the cleanup of previous contamination from PCBs, dioxin, lead, etc. were incredibly large. But the extent of contamination was contained within known geographic areas and the number of sites escalated more slowly over time. In comparison, PFAS contamination is seemingly ubiquitous and not as constrained by physical barriers, causing the contamination to spread almost unimpeded. The number of identified contaminated sites grows daily and the number will continue to escalate rapidly as water suppliers begin to look for contamination in earnest. There were 610 sites in 43 states as of May 2019. There are over 400 sites on military bases alone. I expect the final tally to exceed 2,000 identified sites in the US. Orange County California estimates the cost to treat the 90 wells already confirmed to be contaminated with PFAS at $850 million using conventional techniques. 

Based on our estimates of the cost of equipment required to address the market, we think the equipment market could be at least $200-$400 million for small units. Many municipalities are also installing “whole city” treatment systems, which could easily cost more than $40 million each. So, the total equipment supply market could easily exceed $1 billion. 

However, the larger costs will include maintenance, repair, and testing of the systems, adding another $2 billion. Additionally, the final disposal of the collected PFAS must be considered. The disposal costs could also exceed $2 billion. We would expect the total addressable market to grow to well over $10 billion before the cleanup is complete. The truth is that the world is just getting its arms around the breadth of the problem and they don’t yet know about our AEC high-performance low-cost solution that should help relieve some of the financial pain.

Contact the author Uttara Choudhury at uttara@proactiveinvestors.com

Follow her on Twitter: @UttaraProactive