Dr. Brian Gallagher the founder of Ecotonics.
VERO BEACH — Dr. Brian Gallagher, founder of Ecotonics, LLC, a research and development firm located in Vero Beach, Florida, has just announced the approval of a new patent for technology poised to change the future of sustainable resources.
The new patent, US 9,932,552 B2, issued by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, and now accepted in 42 countries, is titled, “Lateral Circulator and Agitator for Pond Cultivation,” and as Dr. Gallagher explains, “I invented a new and disruptive method of circulating water in algae growth ponds to improve algae productivity.” In other words, this newly-patented technology will be capable of producing significantly more algae biomass than traditional ponds, without genetic modification.
Traditionally, algae are circulated around a raceway-type pond by a paddlewheel that moves water unreliably around large ponds. With Dr. Gallagher’s innovative method, algae production can be increased while reducing operating energy consumption. An increased algae-biomass productivity will lead to more economical production of algal oil, which can then be sold to and refined by oil companies into a multitude of bio-fuels such as bio-diesel and bio-jet aviation fuel.
In addition to the bio-fuel possibilities, the algae biomass production can also provide many beneficial by-products, like high-protein animal and fish feedstock. In order to do this, Ecotonics’ circulation system moves water through the pond with consistent lateral flow and efficient circulation. Additional benefits to the new technology include: better flow control, reduced evaporative water-loss, increased output with decreased downtime, and lower maintenance costs.
This new technology must be optimized and validated by extensive testing, and over time, will have the capability to lead to considerable environmental and economic benefits, notably a reduction of carbon dixiode emissions into our atmosphere, and increase in jobs. Ecotonics is a research and development firm located in Vero Beach, Florida, founded to develop new technologies to produce algal oil as a sustainable alternative to declining crude-oil resources. Dr. Gallagher has his BS in Mathematics and Physics and MS in Water Resources Engineering, both from the University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee; and his Doctorate in Environmental Science and Engineering from UCLA. Dr. Gallagher also holds an MBA in Finance from the Keller Graduate School of Management.
For more information about existing market and economic data, or this new technology and thefuture of oil resources, please visit ecotonics.net.
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