Biolargo Water Joined by Leading Researchers Across North America

              It takes an enormous amount of time, money, and talent to carry a new technology from concept to commercialization. To surmount these hurdles, we engaged brilliant, hardworking university researchers across the continent. The result? We’ve created the most ground-breaking water treatment system in recent memory, the AOS, which is looking to disrupt countless water markets in ways that some of our largest competitors cannot dream.

              How did we get here? A substantial amount of AOS R&D was done by BioLargo Water’s own science staff, but a good portion of it required specialized equipment, niche research expertise, and years of arduous work, so we took a collaborative strategy. We fostered an extensive network of leading researchers across North America to further our research goals using world-class equipment and techniques. Much of this is attributed to Dr. Richard Smith, President of BioLargo Water with a keen eye for R&D talent. Under his guidance, we’ve established government-funded research collaborations at the University of Alberta, University of Calgary, Northern Alberta Institute of Technology (NAIT), University of Saskatchewan, Centres des Technologies de L’eau (CTE), and University of South Carolina. All of this work was funded in part by government grants from agencies such as NRC-IRAP and NSERC, who have recognized BioLargo Water for its powerful technology, strong leadership, and research acumen.

              At the University of Calgary, we’ve engaged Dr. Robert Edwards, an electrochemistry expert who is aiding BioLargo in its effort to fine-tune the electrochemistry of the AOS reactor. Dr. Edwards’ findings have already informed design decisions for future iterations of the AOS. At the University of Saskatchewan, our scientists have teamed up with the Canadian Light Source (CLS) and Dr. Kerry McPhedran to examine the chemistry of the AOS reactor in situ using Canada’s only synchrotron reactor.  At the Centres des Technologies de L’eau in Montreal, a recent research collaboration is elucidating the mechanisms of decontamination by the AOS. Finally, Dr. Susan Richardson at the University of South Carolina will soon be commencing research on disinfection byproducts of the AOS, and the mitigation thereof.

At the University of Alberta, we have four research collaborations:

• Dr. Ben Willing is an esteemed microbiologist whose group is studying the benefits of BioLargo’s iodine-based technologies for gastrointestinal health of livestock animals.
• Dr. Dan Barreda is a well-respected immunologist studying the efficacy of treating poor-quality drinking water for poultry farms.
• Dr. Nick Ashbolt is an renowned expert in advanced water treatment technologies, and is beginning a research project to assess the ability of the AOS to treat contaminated greywater for reuse and recycling.
• Dr. Michael Gänzle runs a molecular microbiology lab and is conducting studies on the physiological response of bacteria treated by the AOS.
• Dr. Douglas Ivy, who has more than thirty years experience in electrochemistry research will soon be conducting advanced materials science studies on the AOS.

              Research is clearly at the heart of BioLargo Water’s AOS development efforts. It took grit and resourcefulness to develop our AOS to its current state, and we’re incredibly proud of technology now that it’s nearing market adoption.

Stay tuned for more updates that dive deep into each of these research collaborations. I'll be doing a focused post for each one in the coming weeks!