Himark Licenses its Integrated bioRefinery™ Patent and its Patent-Pending Enhanced Ethanol Production Technology to Western Plains Energy LLC for a Value of $15,000,000.00

News provided by

Himark bioGas Inc.

07 Dec, 2011, 08:00 GMT

CALGARY, Alberta, December 7, 2011 /PRNewswire/ --

http://www.HimarkBioGas.com 's newest U.S. patent is now being legally exploited by Western Plains Energy LLC ("WPE") at its 50 MMGPY plant in Oakley, Kansas. The rest of the ethanol industry in the U.S. is encouraged to contact Himark about integrating Waste-to-Energy (bioGas) plants with ethanol plants, if they would like to legally attain the same measurable, significant benefits.

This digester alone will boost the total on-farm biogas production in the USA by 10%.

Key features of WPE's "powered by Himark" system include:

  • Anaerobic Digestion ("AD") consumes waste and neutralizes odor of a massive feedlot as well as other organic wastes
  • Enhanced, Integrated Ethanol Production ("EIEP") technology will result in a 10% boost to ethanol output at WPE ***with no extra costs***
  • WPE's ethanol plant will go off-grid, resulting in a dramatic decrease of its carbon intensity ("CI") across 100% of its production
  • Employment in Kansas will be 100,000 man-hours of design, engineering and construction, with an annual 20,000 man-hours per year thereafter
  • 6 million gallons of AD capacity will generate over 100,000,000.00 BTU of renewable energy **every hour of every day**
  • Plant expansion is allowed under Himark's agreement with WPE (to over 10 million gallons of AD capacity)
  • This will be the largest such plant in the whole world
  • Himark's patent covers other optional features (add-ons) including the integration of:
    • Algae systems (Himark's designs are all "Algae Ready™")
    • BioDiesel facilities
    • Animal barns/coops, open-pen feedlots, sand-laden dairy farms and other organic waste generators
    • An SRM/prion-destruction module, as well as other pathogen-destruction characteristics
    • Waste processing machinery
    • bioGas cleaning/conditioning capability
    • An electrical generator (co-gen unit), or heat/electricity exchangers
    • Nutrient Recovery (also patented)
    • …and more
  • Not only are these kinds of integrated systems patent-protected, but so are the methods of using the systems
  • Himark's patents have numerous claims forming a strong matrix for the dual benefit of flexibility and versatility in licensing discussions, as well as having better legal ammunition against potential challengers and competitors.

WPE has been an industry leader in the U.S. ethanol sector since 2004. Its proactive work and conscientious licensing agreement with Himark prove that WPE intends to remain at the forefront of innovations and ethical business practices in the ethanol industry.

Himark intends to make its know-how, trade secrets and patents available to other ethanol plants in the U.S. which also seek to dramatically raise their profits and lower their carbon intensity in an ethical and legal manner.

About Himark:

Since 1999, Himark has been developing proprietary waste-to-energy technologies in its Canadian labs and in field scale-ups around the world. Himark has enjoyed the sponsorship of the governments of both Alberta and Canada--and other sophisticated partners--totaling US$25 million of investment over the past 12 years. Alberta is an "energy superpower", thanks to approx. 3 mil. gallons/day (and growing) of oil supply to the USA….the single biggest supplier of energy to the USA, second to none.

To take its ongoing R&D innovations into the field, Himark offers consulting engineering, Feasibility Studies, and design development for the world's most economical plants for any scale of bioGas facility. Himark's IMUS (tm) technology can address hard-to-digest materials with a high proportion of solids, mixed feed stocks, integrations with other industrial processes, and bioHazard destruction, no matter what the environment (arid, tropical, arctic, or semi-arid).

Himark licenses its patented and patent-pending technology, know-how and trade secrets to project owners around the world. Himark has seven patent "families" either granted or in process:

  • Integrated Bio-Digestion Facility: US Patent and South Africa Patent both allowed-other countries pending
  • Use of Anaerobic Digestion to Destroy bioHazards and to Enhance bioGas Production
  • Enhanced Ethanol Fermentation Using bioDigestate ("EIEP")
  • Process for Removal and Recovery of Nutrients from Digested Manure or Other Organic Wastes: US Patent granted; Canada Patent granted; other countries pending
  • Nutrient Recovery Methods and Uses (patent soon to be allowed)
  • Handling and Processing Waste Material ("High Solids In-Feed System"): US Patent granted; South Africa Patent allowed; other countries pending
  • Grit Removal System ("Clean Slate™" System)

An eighth patent family is being drafted at this time, to be applied for in 2012.

For further information:
Shane V Chrapko
B.Sc. Agriculture, Professional Agrologist ("P.Ag.")
SChrapko@HimarkBioGas.com or shanechrapko@gmail.com
Tel. +1-780-700-5110
6004-118 Street, Building F-83
Agri-Food Discovery Place
Edmonton, AB T6G 2E1
http://www.HimarkBioGas.com