CHICAGO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Krebs & Sisler LP, a suburban Chicago energy research firm, has developed a low-cost CO2 separation and recycling method called Enhanced Photosynthesis and Photocatalysis Water Treatment/Biomass Growth Process. It is described in U.S. Patent No. 8,673,615 granted March 18, 2014. It neatly complements the O2/CO2 combustion and condensing boiler system of our U.S. Patent No. 6,907,845 which separates and recovers CO2 and all other combustion-generated exhaust gases.

“We discovered economical CO2 recycling in the finding that hydroponic biomass growth can be increased more than 100 times the natural rate by continuous CO2 infusion and simultaneous LED visible light saturation. This improvement is outlined in the 8,673,615 patent,” stated inventor Bill Krebs.

In O2/CO2 combustion, oxygen is diluted with CO2 for temperature control of the fuel oxidant used to combust coal, petroleum coke or natural gas. Excluding the nitrogen that is present in air-fired combustion enables cost-free recovery of both the condensate and the CO2 from a condensing boiler. The condensate and CO2 are pumped into deep and slowflowing water channels, saturated in the visible light spectrum of light-emitting diodes (LEDs). A photocatalyst mineralizes organic and inorganic compounds for absorption into a cynobacterial biomass like Spirulina. The absorption of minerals in the growing biomass concurrently purifies the flowing water. These processes when optimized will reliably operate at high efficiency with no harmful emissions or effluents into the environment. They will also produce a carbohydrate and protein-rich biomass useful for fuel, fertilizer, animal feed or a human food supplement.

“We are now developing a combination coal, rotary kiln, O2/CO2 combustion condensing boiler. It will have significant cost, efficiency and emission advantages,” Krebs explained. “A critical factor for heat transfer efficiency is that the crushed coal rotary kiln method of combustion allows three to five minutes or more for complete fuel-burn and heat-transfer time, whereas the pulverized coal combustors presently in use allow only three to five seconds.” Krebs continued, “Today’s air-fired plants operate at an average 34% fuel efficiency. Our O2/CO2 combustion method, when combined with a condensing boiler, can more than double plant fuel efficiency and thereby reduce both the fuel and oxygen requirements by half.”

“The many applications and advantages of this combination of processes include the conversion of waste CO2, wastewater and saltwater to profitable biomass and demineralized drinking water, improved electric power production efficiency, virtually no harmful emissions, relatively low capital and operating costs at large scale, improved fuel flexibility, improved revenues and compact use of space compared to presently operational electric power production methods which waste CO2, heat and water vapor into the atmosphere,” summarized Mr. Krebs.

“Sequestration has been proposed as a method of disposing of CO2, but it is expensive and wastes carbon and oxygen, two elements essential for life on Earth,” Mr. Krebs noted.