Algae Systems

“Design science is more than the application of engineering and technology. It is more than a plan or a design. Design science means the total responsibility and capability for development, production, and distribution – of not just a product – but a total service system on a worldwide basis.” –R. Buckminster Fuller

Inspired by Buckminster Fuller’s assertion that “pollution is nothing but resources we’re not harvesting,” Algae Systems uses a closed-loop, systemic approach to generate value from wastewater, providing a crucial, economically and environmentally sustainable service. Algae Systems integrates a suite of technologies into a process that grows native algae species to provide cost-effective wastewater treatment, removing CO2 from the atmosphere and yielding only clean water, carbon-negative bio-fuels, and fertilizers as its end products. The process is currently demonstrated at commercial scale in Daphne, Alabama and is in negotiation for deployment in Jamaica, Brazil, Mexico, and Honduras, with goals to disseminate the service worldwide.

“At Algae Systems, we are recovering resources from what others deem to be waste streams, and in doing so we are helping to build a more sustainable and livable planet for us all to share.” Rob McElroy, Vice President of Operations, Algae Systems

Algae Systems innovatively addresses the old problem of wastewater treatment with a paradigm-shifting approach that not only provides effective treatment and generates clean water, but does so at a lower cost than current treatment technologies, and harvests valuable resources from what are currently waste streams. Their energy net-positive, closed-loop system has the potential to unlock the economics of both wastewater treatment and biofuel production, resulting in a cost competitive system that would allow for entirely off-grid wastewater treatment plants. Aiming to provide carbon-negative infrastructure, Algae Systems would stabilize wastewater treatment price rates and turn waste into multiple resources. The system is developed not only to provide these beneficial impacts in developed countries, but also to be adapted and deployed in less developed regions where untreated sewage currently causes immense harm to public health. By removing disease vectors and providing low-cost, carbon-negative fuels and fertilizers, the system has the potential for wide-ranging global impact. Algae Systems has deep connections in the utilities industry throughout the Western Hemisphere and is working hard to build acceptance for this new, disruptive model of wastewater treatment.

For more information, please visit the Algae Systems website: http://algaesystems.com