Bion Environmental Technologies Inc., New York, a developer of livestock waste treatment technology, announced that it has filed an application under the Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT) for international recognition of its process to produce a quick-release organic nitrogen fertilizer from livestock waste. The PCT application allows Bion to file patent applications and seek protection in most major market countries throughout the world.
Bion said the U.S. Patent Office issued Patent No. 10,106,447 B2 on Oct. 23, 2018, the first patent issued on Bion’s third-generation technology. It describes a process to recover stable concentrated ammonium bicarbonate from the volatile ammonia in the livestock waste stream, using gas separation, condensation, filtration, and crystallization under controlled operating temperatures, and without the addition of chemicals. Ammonium bicarbonate had a long history of use as a quick-release nitrogen fertilizer until the advent of modern synthetic fertilizers.
Bion said its 3G platform was designed to recover ammonium bicarbonate in a process that will qualify the product under the USDA’s National Organic Program. Bion anticipates making an initial application in the first quarter of 2019 to the Organic Materials Review Institute (OMRI) for certification for use in U.S. organic food production. Bion expects the product to have broad applications in the organic market, including production of row crops; horticulture, greenhouse, and hydroponic production; and potentially retail bagged products.