Patent Awarded for Bacterial Phosphorus Removal Process

(USPTO.gov)

Bion Environmental Technologies Inc. in Crestone, Colorado says it has been granted a U.S. patent for its treatment process for organic wastes, particularly livestock wastes. The company’s patent for “Micro-Electron Acceptor Phosphorus Accumulating Organisms” uses bacteria to remove phosphorus from livestock and other animal wastes.

Phosphorus is a chemical found in animal waste, which can run off from farms and lead to surface and groundwater pollution, as well as contamination of food supplies. Bion uses a process that encourages the growth of naturally-occurring bacteria to convert phosphorus as well as nitrogen in the waste stream.

In Bion’s technology, most of the phosphorus and some nitrogen are converted by the bacteria into solid or particulate forms that are removable by centrifuge and other processes. The rest of the nitrogen is released to the atmosphere in the form of harmless and inert nitrogen gas.

The company says that with this patent, it now has six U.S. patents, as well as patents in Canada, New Zealand and Mexico.  Bion has applied for two more U.S. patents and are pending, along with international patent applications under consideration in the European Union, Brazil, Argentina, and Australia.

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