$BNET ~ Technology Platform
A Bion system is comprised of several process units combined in a ‘process train’, much like a municipal wastewater treatment plant. The platform utilizes a combination of mechanical, biological, and thermal processes and can be configured in a variety of ways (based on the needs and economics of the location) to provide the level of environmental treatment required, while separating and aggregating the various components of the waste stream for processing. A key attribute of the Bion platform is that the performance of the system can be measured, quantified and verified through a proprietary data collection system, providing a level of oversight and verification on par with a municipal plant.
Bion’s 2G treatment solutions are scalable, proven in commercial operations and have been accepted by EPA, USDA and other regulatory agencies. Bion’s 2G core processes are protected by seven U.S. patents and six international patents, with applications pending in the EU, New Zealand, Mexico, Brazil, Argentina and Australia. There is no other known cost-effective technology that provides Bion’s 2G system’s level of treatment of wet livestock waste: dairy, beef and swine. At this time, revenues from Bion’s 2G platform are 90 percent dependent on developing nutrient trading markets (See Nutrient Reductions below).
Bion’s 3G technology platform was developed over the past three years to maximize byproduct values from large scale facilities (or multiple facilities). The 3G system captures ammonia (versus its destruction in the 2G system), allowing for the recovery of substantially more nitrogen that can be processed into a natural nitrogen-rich fertilizer. Further, the technology platform can now incorporate anaerobic digestion to recover methane that qualifies for various credits and subsidies as a clean renewable compressed natural gas (or other energy source). At this time, two U.S. patents, filed in 2014 and 2015, are pending on the 3G platform.
The 3G system reduces dependence on nutrient credits to approximately half of total project revenues, just from the recovery of renewable energy and nitrogen (from ammonia) byproducts. Bion is evaluating a potential high-value feed additive that it believes can be produced from the residual solids that still contain additional nitrogen, as well as phosphorus and micronutrients, and fiber.
