“We’ve known for a long time that algae has the best potential for displacing petroleum over time, but its potential has always been held back for lack of critical enabling technology. We believe OriginOil’s technology is the missing element to enable mass production of algae oil.”
Riggs Eckelberry,
President and CEO
Quantum Fracturing in the OriginOil System:
Growth Stage:
Low Intensity: CO2 and nutrients are fractured into a micro-bubble slurry and injected directly into the algae culture for total contact.
Medium Intensity: water is fractured into microbubbles causing algae cells to rotate and float to the top of the vessel where they can be collected for extraction.
Extraction Stage:
High Intensity: Water and special catalysts are fractured at high ultrasonic intensity, using very little energy, to crack the algae membrane and extract its oil content. Extraction is further assisted by proprietary organic catalysts.
The OriginOil System
The OriginOil System
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The OriginOil Growth Cycle
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Quantum Fracturing for
Oil Extraction
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Helix BioReactor
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The OriginOil System addresses traditional algae production problems in both the growth and extraction stages.
Growth Stage
Algae growth occurs in the Helix BioReactor™, an enclosed vessel where chemical or biological reactions take place.
Nutrients and Algae In OriginOil's initial Quantum Fracturing step, water, carbon dioxide and other nutrients are fractured at very high pressure to create a slurry of micron-sized nutrition-bubbles, which is then channeled to the algae culture awaiting it in a lower-pressure growth vessel, the Helix BioReactor™.
This process achieves total and instantaneous distribution of nutrients to the algae culture without fluid disruption or aeration. The pressure differentials between the two zones substantially increase contact and exchange between the micronized nutrients and the algae culture for optimized nutrient absorption.
Light 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 growth layers. Additionally, each lighting element is engineered to produce specific light waves and frequencies for optimal algae growth.
The helix structure also serves as the bioreactor's nutrient delivery system, through which the Quantum Fractured nutrients, including CO2, is evenly delivered to the entire algae culture, monitored and tuned for optimum growth.
Collection – Cascading Production Once the algae matures, 90% of it is transferred out for harvesting, and the remaining 10% 'green' water is purified and returned to the growth tank. That remaining 10% is then allowed to expand into the replenished Helix BioReactor™, and the process is repeated.
With this system, there is no need to re-incubate each batch: The remaining algae culture is already mature and is ready to re-enter the log phase after each harvest and replenishment of growth environment.
Extraction Stage
In the extraction unit, flowing algae biomass is first sent through a shielded wave guide system where it receives low-wattage, frequency-tuned microwave bursts, weakening the cell walls. Then Quantum Fracturing is applied to these pre-cracked cells to complete the oil extraction.
Using Quantum Fracturing, the amount of energy used to crack the algae is many times less than other extraction technologies.
Finally, conventional mechanical methods are used to separate the oil, water and algae mass, and the water is recycled back into the system. The harvested oil is packaged for refining and distribution, and the algae mass is devoted to various “green” applications like animal feed, ethanol and construction materials.
Enabling a Distributed Oil Model
The OriginOil System is designed to be modular. It can function as a standalone oil producing system, or can be connected in a parallel network to produce a large number of barrels per day output. OriginOil Systems can be placed anywhere to operate as round-the-clock oil-producing plants.
By enabling distributed oil production we can help transform the oil and energy industry from a centralized to a distributed model. The ability to generate clean, carbon-neutral energy anywhere can empower industrialization in villages, townships, communities, states and countries. There will be no need to import oil.
A new oil can be cleanly manufactured in an industrialized process using the OriginOil System.
