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An accredited investor is an individual with net worth, or joint net worth with that person's spouse, at the time of purchase, exceeds $1,000,000

OR

An individual with income in excess of $200,000 in each of the two most recent years or joint income with that person's spouse in excess of $300,000 in each of those years and has a resonable expectation of reaching the same income level in the current year.

What are feeds? I see "RSS", "XML", and "Atom" out there, but I don't know how I might use these links when I find them.

Feeds are a way for websites large and small to distribute their content well beyond just visitors using browsers. Feeds permit subscription to regular updates, delivered automatically via a web portal, news reader, or in some cases good old email. Feeds also make it possible for site content to be packaged into "widgets," "gadgets," mobile devices, and other bite-sized technologies that make it possible to display blogs, podcasts, and major news/sports/weather/whatever headlines just about anywhere.

Why is This a Good Thing?

Subscribing to feeds makes it possible to review a large amount of online content in a very short time. Feeds permit instant distribution of content and the ability to make it "subscribable." Advertising in feeds overcomes many of the shortcomings that traditional marketing channels encounter including spam filters, delayed distribution, search engine rankings, and general inbox noise.

How do I read feeds?

If you want to browse and subscribe to feeds, you have many choices. Today, there are more than 2,000 different feed reading applications, also known as "news aggregators" (for text, mostly) or "podcatchers" (for podcasts). There are even readers that work exclusively on mobile devices. Some require a small purchase price but are tops for ease-of-use and ship with dozens of feeds pre-loaded so you can explore the feed "universe" right away. Free readers are available as well; a search for "Feed reader" or "Feed aggregator" at popular search sites will yield many results. A handful of popular feed readers are listed at the bottom of this page. A typical interface for a feed reader will display your feeds and the number of new (unread) entries within each of those feeds. You can also organize your feeds into categories and even clip and save your favorite entries (with certain applications). If you prefer, you can use an online, web-based service to track and manage feeds. Online services give you the advantage of being able to access your feed updates anywhere you can find a web browser. Also, upgrades and new features are added automatically.

Popular Feed Readers

Applications

• NewsGator - FeedDemon 2.0 (Windows, more info)
• NewsGator - Inbox for Microsoft Outlook (Windows)
• NewsGator - NetNewsWire (OS X)
• Firefox (via "Live Bookmarks" feature)
• Safari (feed support in the Apple OS X native browser)
• Pulp Fiction (OS X)

Online Services

• Google Reader
• NewsGator (Online)
• My Yahoo!
• Bloglines
• Pageflakes
• Netvibes

Products/Technology

• Biological Research
• Rapid Algae Farming
• Rapid Algae Concentration
• Harvesting, Dewatering, & Drying
• Algae Oil Extraction

faq

More Information

Q: Can you send me more information on your company, or have someone contact me?

A: Yes, please tell us about your business or research interests, so we can route your questions to the appropriate team for a response. Please feel free to keep informed by going to www.algaevs.com, click: “Subscribe to Newsletter” and sign up for our e-mail updates.

Tours

Q: Do you have tours? Can I schedule a visit?

A: Yes, we have an Open House at our Marysville plant about once per quarter. Sign up for announcements at www.algaevs.com, and click: “Subscribe to Newsletter” and sign up for our e-mail updates.

Collaboration

Q: I’m working on algae-related projects, and I’d like to talk with someone at AVS about collaborations - how can I get in touch with the right person?

A: The best way to start is to tell us about your project and your interests. Go to “Contact Us” at www.algaevs.com, and click:“Submit Questions/Comments”. The more detailed you can be, the better we will be able to respond to your inquiry.

Algae Blooms

Q: I was wondering if your systems are being used as algae mitigation in public waterways, to stop the cycle of nutrients producing harmful algae blooms.

A: We are working on just such a project for Ohio’s Grand Lake St. Mary’s, and we’re in discussions with the Natural Resource Conservation Service, EPA, and other agencies who are interested in algal remediation. We believe that our low-energy breakthrough will make on-lake and upstream remediation economically feasible.

Wastewater Treatment

Q: Do your systems have anything to do with algae in wastewater treatment?

A: Yes, algae has been part of wastewater treatment for decades, but only in limited applications. We believe our low-energy solutions should lead to widespread application of algal remediation for wastewater treatment in municipal, commercial, and environmental settings.

Bioplastics

Q: What is the current status of algae-to-plastics technology?

A: Plastics from algae are in a research and developmental cycle. Quantities to test could be available in 18 months. Harvesting Low Concentration?

Q: How would you go about harvesting algae with 0.1% concentration of algae biomass (grams/liter)?

A: We are developing a new concentrating system - the Rapid Algae Concentrator (RAC), which can take microalgae from 0.1g/l up to 16 g/l, with very low energy input. The higher concentrate from the RAC can then be processed with the HDD system.

Growth Systems

Q: What type of growth systems have you worked with - closed systems, open ponds, both?

A: We have been focused on covered growth systems initially, but as part of our ARPA-E project, we will expand to cultivated open-pond systems, and even natural-growth open water systems (lakes and rivers). We think that the great leap in energy cost reduction that our HDD brings to algae harvesting opens the door to making open-air algal growth commercially viable.

Algal Species

Q: What type of algae do you recommend growing?

A: There are about 300,000 named species of algae, and there are a lot of variables that make some species better than others, depending on growth conditions, environment, and nutrient optimization. Microalgae have the best growth potential, and the class known as “diatoms” tends to be highest in lipid content. We have many partners, each of which has worked with their own portfolio of species. In our Marysville lab, we have mainly focused Chlorella vulgaris, Botryococcus braunii and Euglena gracilis.

RAF FAQs:

Q: What about seasonality. Does weather have an effect on the growth of algae?

A: A good reference for seasonality is the NM study, where, even in NM it cold enough to crash the cultures in the winter, but for the most part, their winter low-end production was still about 4.5g/m2/day. We know that there are cold-hearty algae, based on research at BGSU on Lake Erie, where they found algae growing under the ice in the winter.

RAC FAQs:

Q: Is open-water harvesting on natural lakes economically viable?

A: Since our breakthroughs with the HDD and the RAC we’ve totally changed our thinking. There’s still a long way to go to prove that it’s going to be economically viable, but we’ve come so far that we’re ready to start pulling algae from lakes, to define the baseline, and determine how we will improve efficiencies to make it viable.

HDD FAQs:

Q: What is the pore size for the membrane?

A: We use different (pore size) membranes, based on specific processing needs.

Q: What sizes are used for most typical algae species?

A: We want to use the largest pore size possible while continuing to capture algae. If we have mixed species, we have size the membranes according to the smallest species found in the mixture.

Q: What is the gap between the belts? (Screen belt, Cap belt).

A: There’s no gap - we need the cap belt to touch the membrane belt to break the menisci of the water molecules. That’s how we create the capillary effect that takes advantage of the intermolecular forces in the water. Our process taps into those tiny electrical charges, to supply the energy to move the water away from the algae, rather than us having to generate electricity to run a centrifuge.

Q: Do you use chemicals (to aid the water separation?).

A: Rarely but, depending on the material being harvested, the option of adding chemicals to facilitate the flow of water is consistent with our technology.

Q: When will the HDD system be commercially available?

A: The purpose of the ARPA-E project is to create and sustain future jobs while commercializing an energy reducing technology Production on the AVS-HDD 500*series began Q2’10. This model is currently in development and being offered under collaborative license.

Q: What is the moisture content of the algae when it leaves the HDD?

A: The HDD can dewater algae up to 50% depending on the concentration, size, and water makeup. Then, with added drying capability, the algae can be dried to 97% solids in process.**

Q: What concentrations of algae can the HDD process?

A: We have been working with concentrations that are between 2 grams/liter and 6 grams/liter. Higher concentrations are easier to capture. For applications where the solutions are more dilute we are creating technologies for pre-concentrating algae without the use of flocculants.

Q: What types of algae have been harvested (micro, macro and monoculture, multi-species)?

A: We have been most successful at harvesting several distinctly different kinds of micro-algae: Chlorella Vulgaris, Botryococcus Braunii and Euglena Gracilis, and Scenedesmus Dimorphus. We have been able to harvest Chlorella Vulgaris, which is about 5 - 10 microns in size. We have tested some nano-algae and found that it will require a finer filter membrane.

Q: Can the HDD be used to dewater materials other than algae?

A: Yes, our HDD system has successfully dewatered over 16 species of algae, duckweed, coal fines, 1 micron plant starch, 10 micron plant protein, rice gluten, and fungi.

In addition to the low-energy use, the HDD does not pressurize the membrane. It doesn’t squeeze nutrients out of food with the water, letting food processors dewater food and keep the higher nutrient value intact.

Q: What is the production capacity of the HDD, and what are the dimensions of the system?

A: The AVS-HDD Lab50 processes 50l/h of clear water.* The overall dimensions are 48” L x 22” W x 33.5” H.

The current prototype/collaborator model AVS-HDD 500 processes up to 500 l/h of clear water*, the rates change significantly depending on the particle size, membrane size, and water makeup. The overall dimensions are 96” L x 34” W x 15” H.

The AVS-HDD 15,000 will process up to 15,000 l/h of clear water. This unit is currently in a prototyping phase, and the overall dimensions are yet to be determined. The effective well area is 750” sq., approximately 30 times larger area than the HDD 500.

Q: How hard is it to open the HDD to clean or change the membrane (screen, belt)?

A: For both Web 1 (screen) and Web 2 (capillary belt), we’re targeting 1% of operating expense for belt replacement. The frequency and replacement cost will depend on the material. It is not difficult to change belts, and they can be cleaned using normal household cleaning agents; however, our goals are to minimize cleaning and changing belts while maximizing their life cycle.

Q: What type of water has been tested (fresh water, salt water, brine) with the AVS HDD?

A: We have not tested the harvesting of salt water species in depth, but do not believe this to be of significant concern. Additionally, we have taken steps to address issues such as the effect of salt on metals and salt accumulation on belts. We also have preliminary plans for designing an inline belt cleaning module should we find that it is necessary.

* Indicates volumetric capacity based on flow tests using clear water.

** Based on internal studies of known algae species, using conventional drying methods.

Q: What are your plans or terms for licensing your technology?

A: AVS has two types of licensing agreements:

1. Research Licensing
2. Commercial Licensing

The following is a link to options on purchasing licenses and/or licenses of the harvesting technology. Please take the opportunity to review the information provided.

http://www.algaevs.com/products-technology/avs-harvester-licensing

After review of the information, please let us know what questions or additional information you may need.

Q: What is the required electrical supply for the system? (Volts, Amperes, Watts, frequency, phase)

A: The HDD can be adapted to most electrical supply scenarios. A step transformer can be implemented to accommodate almost any voltage or frequency. The current prototype/collaborator model AVS-HDD 500 is designed to operate using 120VAC, 15A, 60Hz. The combined power consumption of the belt drive and optional pump is approximately 40W. The optional drying unit is not considered as a factor in overall power consumption as we believe that waste heat from other processes may be implemented when the unit is properly co-located.