Westminster, CA – April 22, 2021 – BioLargo, Inc.
(OTCQB:BLGO), a developer of sustainable technologies and a full-service
environmental engineering company, has achieved a critical technical milestone
in the development and commercialization of its sustainable treatment
technology for PFAS-contaminated water (per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances),
called the Aqueous Electrostatic Concentrator (AEC). This development, which
involved a re-design of the AEC’s electrical configuration, dramatically
improves its operating and maintenance costs. With this technological hurdle
out of the way, the company can now finalize agreements for the technology’s
first demonstration pilots and commercial trials.
PFAS are a group of man-made chemicals used in the
manufacture of countless household, commercial, and industrial goods. Because
of their resilient chemical structure, they accumulate in rivers, lakes, and
groundwater, as well as in humans and other living things. They have been linked
to chronic health problems such as cancer, hormone disorders, and increased
cholesterol. The Biden administration has made regulation of PFAS in drinking
water a top priority, having recently issued final regulatory determinations
for the two most common PFAS compounds under the Safe Drinking Water Act
(SDWA).
The most common water treatment process for removing PFAS is
filtration by granulated activated carbon (GAC). This technique has a
significant downside, however: it generates huge volumes of PFAS-laden carbon
waste that requires disposal, usually at a landfill or by incineration, both of
which are costly and have poor environmental outcomes. In comparison, the
BioLargo AEC uses electrophoresis to collect PFAS onto proprietary membranes,
using little electricity and requiring a diminutive physical footprint. The AEC
is projected to have significantly more affordable operating costs and generate
a fraction of the PFAS-laden waste compared to carbon filtration.
BioLargo Engineering, Science & Technologies has
succeeded in modifying the AEC to extend the useful lifespan of its specialized
membranes, which are a crucial component of the technology. This advancement
has improved the operating and maintenance metrics for the technology,
potentially reducing the frequency of membrane replacement by a factor of six.
While the AEC was already being prepared for its first commercial pilots, this
enhancement improves the technology’s long-term costing metrics for customers
and is expected to improve the technology’s rate of adoption by PFAS treatment
customers. BioLargo has already patented the AEC and has filed at least one
patent application to expand the existing intellectual property coverage for
the AEC with the new modification.
Dennis P. Calvert, BioLargo’s CEO commented on the
technology’s future, “With this advancement to the AEC’s design, our next step
is commercial trials. We can now finalize the details of several trials at
municipalities on the West Coast and in the American Midwest as well as a major
federal government organization. BioLargo Engineering is already working to
build the demonstration units for those projects. We believe the success of
these initial pilot projects will provide the commercial validation data that
will convince State authorities to adopt the technology en masse.”
About BioLargo, Inc.
BioLargo,
Inc. (OTCQB:BLGO) invents, develops, and commercializes innovative platform
technologies to solve challenging environmental problems like PFAS
contamination, advanced water and wastewater treatment, industrial odor and VOC
control, air quality control, and infection control. With over 13 years of
extensive R&D, BioLargo holds a wide array of issued patents, maintains a
robust pipeline of products, and provides full-service environmental engineering. Our
peer-reviewed scientific approach allows us to invent or acquire novel
technologies and develop them to maturity through our operating subsidiaries.
With a keen emphasis on collaborations with academic, municipal, and commercial
organizations and associations, BioLargo has proven itself with over 80 awarded
grants and numerous pilot projects. We monetize through direct sales, recurring
service contracts, licensing agreements, strategic joint venture formation
and/or the sale of the IP. Several of our technologies are commercially
available and are advancing as disrupters in their respective markets. See our
website at www.BioLargo.com.
Contact Information
Dennis P. Calvert
President and CEO, BioLargo, Inc.
888-400-2863
Safe Harbor Act – caution regarding forward
looking statements
This press release contains forward-looking
statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act
of 1995. These forward-looking statements include without limitation those
about BioLargo’s (the “Company”) expectations regarding the impact of the
COVID-19 pandemic; anticipated revenue; and plans for future operations. These
statements involve risks and uncertainties, and actual results may differ
materially from any future results expressed or implied by the forward-looking
statements. Risks and uncertainties include without limitation: the effect of
the COVID-19 pandemic on the Company’s business, results of operations,
financial condition, and stock price; the effect of regional economic
conditions on the Company’s business, including effects on purchasing decisions
by consumers and businesses; the ability of the Company to compete in markets
that are highly competitive and subject to rapid technological change; the
ability of the Company to manage frequent introductions and transitions of
products and services, including delivering to the marketplace, and stimulating
customer demand for, new products, services, and technological innovations on a
timely basis; the dependency of the Company on the performance of distributors
of the Company’s products. More information on these risks and other potential
factors that could affect the Company’s business and financial results is
included in the Company’s filings with the SEC, including in the “Risk Factors”
and “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of
Operations” sections of the Company’s most recently filed periodic reports on
Form 10-K and Form 10-Q and subsequent filings. The Company assumes no
obligation to update any forward-looking statements or information, which speak
as of their respective dates.
