Firm With Iowa State U Roots Nets $2M for New Algae Project
AMES, Iowa — Gross-Wen Technologies, a company founded by two Iowa State University professors, will share in a $2 million grant with project partners to develop carbon-sequestering molecular films to capture carbon dioxide with algae.
In addition to Gross-Wen Technologies, the partners in the endeavor are the Mississippi-based biotech firm Algix and the National Renewable Energy Laboratory.
The grant is the first the collaborators have received from the Department of Energy’s Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy.
In 2000, Gross-Wen Technologies itself was awarded a DOE grant of $240,000 to develop the next generation of their algal wastewater treatment process to improve phosphorus removal from wastewater.
The partnership’s project utilizes Gross-Wen’s existing Revolving Algal Biofilm system, which removes nitrogen, phosphorus and other pollutants from wastewater, while producing algae biomass from waste nutrients and carbon dioxide captured from the air.
Dr. Karsten Zengler, of the University of California, San Diego, and Dr. Michael Guarnieri, of NREL, are working together to study, model and modify the genome of the fast-growing algae, P. renovo.
The idea is to modify the algae to increase its productivity when grown on Gross-Wen’s patented algae growing system.
The team is also working to create modified molecular films, which will result in the capture of 20% more carbon dioxide than conventional systems.
Through their work, the team also hopes to increase the revenue potential for algal biomass. When all is said and done, the algae grown during the research will be converted into a sustainable bio-based plastic by Algix.
“This project is bringing together the top minds from around the country in an effort to create a more sustainable and lower carbon future,” GWT Founder Dr. Martin Gross said in a written statement.
The company, now headquartered in Slater, Iowa, performed much of its early research at the Iowa State University BioCentury Research Farm.
Other university entities including the Startup Factory and the Center for Crops Utilization Research have been a pivotal part of GWT’s growth since it began in 2014.
All this is grounded in the university’s philosophy of supporting industry research to accelerate innovations and commercialization in cutting-edge bioeconomy science and engineering.
Gross-Wen Technologies founders Dr. Zhiyou Wen and Gross, still hold faculty positions at Iowa State University.
“One of our primary roles has always been to support ISU faculty to engage industry for economic development in Iowa,” said Andy Suby, assistant director of the BioCentury Research Farm, in a written statement.
“GWT is an excellent example of talented entrepreneurial ISU faculty making a tangible impact by successfully commercializing technology in this very important emerging market,” Suby said.
Dan can be reached at [email protected] and @DanMcCue
