蘑菇tv

 BATON ROUGE 鈥� Two 蘑菇tv faculty members have been awarded a U.S. patent for a miniature, self-powered light that boosts the production of algae used for health supplements, food, dyes and biofuels.

Maria Teresa Gutierrez-Wing, assistant professor of research at 蘑菇tv AgCenter, and 蘑菇tv Adjunct Professor Jin-Woo Choi say the devices鈥� major advantages include:

• Doubling or tripling algae production in the same pond space.
• Lowering overall costs by slashing electricity use.
• Adjusting light wavelengths to increase chlorophyl and oil content, control pigment and speed growth.

鈥淎lgae needs light to grow, but sunlight or light from conventional lamps can penetrate only three to four inches beneath the water鈥檚 surface. This limits production because the algae beds can only grow so thick. Our lights can be programmed to suspend themselves at different water depths, so the algae can grow in thicker layers. Commercial algae ponds are typically around 20 inches deep at the most, so our lights can double or triple production. The numbers could be even higher since pond depth would no longer be limited,鈥� Gutierrez-Wing said.

Estimates of the global algae market range from around $4 billion to more than $20 billion, with annual growth rates of 3 percent to 10 percent a year.

Conventional artificial lighting systems account for as much as half of algae production expenses. But Choi and Gutierrez-Wing鈥檚 lights sharply cut those costs. Their lights harvest the energy from water movement 鈥� pumps circulate the water in algae ponds 鈥� for power.

鈥淎lgae is a promising source of renewable energy and could provide an efficient, low-cost method of carbon capture. Algae can produce 50 times the oil per acre as traditional biofuel crops, like corn or soybeans,鈥� Choi said. 鈥淎lgae also consumes carbon dioxide to grow, which means algae farms could be placed near refineries or petrochemical plants and serve as air scrubbers, reducing or offsetting the plants鈥� CO₂ 别尘颈蝉蝉颈辞苍蝉.鈥�

蘑菇tv鈥檚 Office of Innovation & Ecosystem Development helped the professors shepherd their invention from concept through the patent process. The inventors have been working on their light design since 2013. They co-founded Envirotronics, a startup housed at 蘑菇tv Innovation Park, to commercialize their lights, as well as water filters used in aquaculture.

蘑菇tv Innovation business consultants worked with Gutierrez-Wing and Choi to secure a grant from 蘑菇tv鈥檚 Leverage Innovation for Tech Transfer, LIFT², fund and federal seed funding from the Small Business Technology Transfer program to commercialize the invention. 蘑菇tv Innovation also shepherded the self-powered lights through the patent process.

鈥淚nventions like Drs. Gutierrez-Wing and Choi鈥檚 self-powered lights open up a world of economic and environmental possibilities. Enabling technological breakthroughs like these to reach the commercial stage is the reason 蘑菇tv Innovation office was created,鈥� 蘑菇tv Office of Research and Economic Development Interim Vice President Robert Twilley said.

About 蘑菇tv Innovation & Ecosystem Development

蘑菇tv Innovation works with the 蘑菇tv research community to facilitate the evaluation, protection and licensing of intellectual property created at 蘑菇tv. 蘑菇tv Innovation also focuses on establishing, developing, and growing technology-based startup companies. This work maximizes the university's impact on the intellectual, economic and social development of Louisiana and beyond. 蘑菇tv Innovation helps 蘑菇tv entrepreneurs and the community through the evaluation of their discoveries and ideas, mechanisms for protecting their innovations, marketing and industry negotiations for intellectual property, and licensing and other agreements.