OriginOil Files Patent for Enhanced Algae Growth System
– Breakthrough Bioreactor Design to Make Around-the-Clock Algae Production a Reality –
Los Angeles, CA — May 27, 2008 — OriginOil, Inc. (OTCBB: OOIL), the developer of a breakthrough technology to transform algae, the most promising source of renewable oil, into a true competitor to petroleum, announced today the recent filing of its second patent application.
The patent application, “Apparatus and Method for Optimizing Photosynthetic Growth in a Photo Bioreactor,” discloses OriginOil’s invention of a system designed to increase and optimize photosynthetic growth of an algae culture. This system, known as the Helix BioReactor™ , is the core algae growth system that will be used in OriginOil’s prototypes, pilots and full-scale production systems.
“The key to dependable, high algae yield is continuous lighting of multiple growth planes,” said Nicholas Eckelberry, Director of Development and an inventor of the Helix Bioreactor. “In a natural pond, the sun only illuminates one growth plane, down to about half an inch below the surface. In contrast, the Helix Bioreactor features a rotating vertical shaft with very low energy lights arranged in a helix or spiral pattern, which results in a theoretically unlimited number of layers. Additionally, each lighting element is engineered to produce specific light waves and frequencies for optimal algae growth. By giving algae only the light it needs, throughout the growth tank, all of the time, we’re growing algae quickly and cost-effectively.”
“Our field needs researchers who think outside the box and apply multi-disciplinary approaches to their work, and this team has it,” said Paul Reep, Senior Technical Advisor to the Company. “OriginOil has succeeded in a major development — one I believe is a critical next step in the process for algae production to replace petroleum as a fuel feedstock.”
