ICP-Funded Collaborative Demonstration Pilot Project at Craft Brewery Validates Wastewater Disinfection Performance of BioLargo’s AOS in Field Setting

In April this year (2019), BioLargo’s subsidiaries BioLargo Water and BioLargo Engineering, Science & Technologies installed an Advanced Oxidation System (AOS) unit at a craft brewery in Joshua Tree, CA, as part of a pre-commercial demonstration pilot project. The AOS was installed as part of a treatment train including the BioElectrochemical Treatment Technology (BETT^TM) designed and manufactured by BioLargo’s collaborator in the project, AquaCycl. This demonstration pilot, funded by the Innovative Conservation Program (ICP), aimed at treating the brewery’s wastewater with the AOS and BETT^TM systems to California’s wastewater discharge standards and avoid non-compliance for the brewery. AquaCycl’s BETT^TM provided low-energy primary treatment of wastewater, and the AOS provided low-energy, high performance disinfection of wastewater.

Our work on this pilot project has now concluded! In this pilot, the disinfection capabilities of BioLargo’s AOS were validated in a real-world industrial context, and the AOS performed well in its low-energy disinfection role at the brewery. We are thankful to have had this amazing opportunity to work with our partner Aquacycl in this project, and look forward to other potential opportunities in the future to tackle tough wastewater treatment challenges with them. Our engineering team (BLEST) gained significant understanding of Aquacycl’s innovative new technology and expect that the BETT^TM has significant potential to provide value in energy efficient wastewater treatment for food & beverage applications.

The pilot provided valuable “techno-economic” data about the AOS, enabling BioLargo’s engineers to pinpoint the technology’s long-term disinfection performance, operational cost metrics, and create data sets useful for marketing the AOS to future customers. The pilot was particularly important for the AOS as it helped demonstrate that the AOS is capable of functioning in wastewater treatment applications where the input water is especially laden with organic contaminants (as is common with breweries). The high degree of challenge inherent in this wastewater allowed BioLargo engineers to “stress test” the AOS, providing crucial intel to inform the design and optimization of commercial AOS units and enabling the company to execute future pilots and commercial trials successfully.

BioLargo Water President Dr. Richard Smith commented, “We would like to thank TMA BlueTech (formerly The Maritime Alliance) for helping BioLargo Water connect with Aquacycl for this pilot project, which was a tremendous boon for our efforts to commercialize the AOS. This project illustrates the power of technology cluster organizations, especially TMA BlueTech which provides its members with terrific networking support.”

This pilot project also offered an opportunity for BioLargo Engineering, Science & Technologies (BLEST) to provide wastewater treatment engineering services to the craft brewery, potentially paving the way for additional industrial food & beverage wastewater clients for BLEST. Given the increasing pressure put on industrial facilities to manage and reduce their wastewater, and the increasing cost of fresh water globally, breweries and similar food & beverage facilities stand to benefit greatly from BLEST’s wastewater engineering services.

BLEST President Randall Moore commented on the task of treating this craft brewery’s wastewater, “Many small craft breweries like this one contend with tougher standards than large brewers. These requirements posed significant technical and economic challenges to the enterprise, and we at BLEST are more than pleased that we could provide components for a system that will ensure compliance with minimal maintenance, operational costs and capital outlay.  While the situation at this particular brewer was unique, it provided valuable data and experience in the craft brewery industry. We look forward to future challenges and opportunities across the industry and with small generators across the country”.

About BioLargo, Inc.

BioLargo, Inc. is an innovative technology incubator 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 incubate 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.

About Aquacycl, LLC.

Founded in 2016 and headquartered in San Diego, California, Aquacycl™ (www.aquacycl.com), Aquacycl provides the only technology for onsite wastewater treatment plants that can eliminate up to 80% of primary sludge, recover energy as direct electricity (no methane), and enable onsite water reuse at operational costs that are 50%-95% lower than incumbent technologies for high-strength wastewater. Aquacycl offers the only technology for treating chemical oxygen demand concentrations up to 100,000 ppm and eliminating total suspended solids up to 3,000 ppm for organic waste streams. Aquacycl’s modular and scalable treatment systems help customers save capital through competitive equipment rental and the Aquacycl service plan guarantees discharge quality per customer requirements.

About TMA BlueTech

TMA BlueTech (www.themaritimealliance.org), previously The Maritime Alliance, is the non-profit industry association and cluster organizer for the San Diego maritime technology community. Its tag line is Promoting BlueTech and Blue Jobs®. We believe in creating BlueTech and Blue Jobs by promoting sustainable, science-based ocean and water industries. We bring education, policy and technology resources together to promote innovation and economic development in the Blue Economy. We create a strong Blue Voice via unique events, information sharing, national and international outreach, networking, research, and workforce development. Our sister non-profit, TMA Foundation focuses on workforce development (including our signature OceanSTEM program), research and community outreach. Its tag line is Fostering Innovation through Collaboration®. The joint Mission of TMA BlueTechand TMA Foundation is to promote sustainable, science-based ocean and water industries.