USPTO Grants Early Algae Patents to OriginClear Inventors

“We contributed these early patents to our French joint venture, Ennesys, to support that fast-growing startup,” said Riggs Eckelberry, OriginOil CEO. “Eleven additional inventions covered by 68 filings are in the pipeline, with more innovations on the way. Our respect and congratulations to my brother Nicholas for his innovation leadership.”

The first patent, “Algae growth system for oil production” (US#8,993,314), was dubbed “Quantum Fracturing” by the OriginClear co-founders. It was the first patent filing by OriginClear, then called OriginOil. It focused on the challenge of feeding enough CO2 to algae cells to enable their production at industrial scale. It was subsequently referenced in 107 other industry patents, making it a key early innovation for the fledgling algae sector. (video: Quantum Fracturing demonstration)

The second patent, “Bio-energy reactor” (US# 8,986,531), showed how hydrogen could be generated as a continuous by-product of algae production. It was called the Hydrogen Harvester. In November 2010, the company announced lab data that indicated energy production per square meter that was similar to solar cells. Inventors were co-founder Nicholas Eckelberry and Michael Green, at the time a senior company engineer.

“We are gratified that the US Patent and Trademark Office has accepted these inventions,” said Nicholas Eckelberry, OriginClear co-founder and chief research officer. “At the time, we were researching new solutions for the entire spectrum of algae production. From that early experience, we focused our interest on Electro Water Separation™, which is supported by 11 separate inventions. We have every expectation that a substantial number of US patents will come out of that series of inventions.”