Patent Extends Clean Beef Co.'s Tech to Industrial Applications

Bion Environmental Technologies Inc. (BNET:OTCQB) announced it has been issued a new patent to broaden its Ammonia Recovery System (ARS) technology to include municipal and wastewater streams.

ARS produces valuable fertilizer products from livestock waste ammonia that would otherwise be lost. It was developed to process livestock waste streams with a focus on discharges from anaerobic digesters (ADs), where biogas is produced.

With this fifth patent, the company said its intellectual property now includes treating waste streams from industrial and municipal sources.

"The timing of this patent couldn't be better," said Bio Chief Executive Officer Bill O'Neill. "It underscores the broad applications of our ammonia recovery technology. We've already seen results at Fair Oaks that demonstrate we can configure the ARS for the economics of industrial waste streams. It's an opportunity that could both jumpstart and shorten our drive to commercialization and give us a stronger platform to launch our sustainable beef initiatives."

Bion is operating a commercial-scale demonstration facility in Fair Oaks, Ind., extracting and producing ammonia distillate and ammonium bicarbonate in several concentrations. ARS is at the core of its Gen3Tech technology, which removes ammonia from livestock waste streams, then stabilizes and repurposes it into low-carbon and organic nitrogen fertilizers, clean water, and renewable energy using only the compounds in the stream itself. This keeps ammonia out of the air, land, and water and saves the resource from being lost.

Cattle feeders and producers can also create more value for their commodity through premium pricing for the sustainable brand, the company noted.

The Catalyst: Potential for Thousands of New Sites Using Tech

The United States has more than 2,400 AD sites, including at farms and landfills, the American Biogas Council said. There is potential for 15,000 new sites.

Bion said it intended to start partnerships to market the ARS "as a standalone AD nitrogen solution" in industrial and municipal wastewater systems as well as for animal waste.

More than 1,200 water resource facilities in the U.S. and more than 100 standalone systems digest food waste. An additional 8,600 sites have development potential, the Council noted.

Technical Analyst Clive Maund rated Bion "a Strong Buy here for all time frames" in August 2023. He said the various indicators all pointed to an imminent share price breakout and steep rally. 

"Bion believes ARS ammonia treatment costs will be competitive in these markets and that its unique premium fertilizer byproducts will create an advantage, especially with waste streams that are still considered ‘organic,' like slaughter and food waste," Bion said in a release.

As for animal waste, 473 ADs are operating today, mostly on dairy farms, with more than 8,000 sites with development potential, the company said. These facilities are coming under substantially greater regulatory scrutiny and authority.

"The ARS was designed specifically for this purpose: control ammonia from livestock waste and produce the highest value byproducts with it," Bion noted.

A 'Strong Buy for 'All Time Frames'

Most grass-fed beef is sold as ground meat because it isn't tender or tasty enough for steaks. To produce a sustainable cut with the flavor and texture consumers expect from U.S. corn-fed beef requires new methods of production.

Bion said it is leading that change with the goal of beginning to produce truly sustainable beef at scale within the next two years.

The Gen3Tech system treats the waste from the indoor finishing facility, where cattle are corn-fed, and the vast majority of U.S. beef is produced, reducing pollution and upcycling it into valuable fertilizer products, clean water, and renewable energy. 

Nitrogen fertilizers will create new revenues for the industry and satisfy the need to transport excess nitrogen to where it is needed, Bion noted.

"Bion's (original) patents apply to any organic waste stream where anaerobic digestion (AD) is used to produce biogas: any livestock waste; food and food processing waste; municipal wastewater; and others," the company said. "Recent trends in Michigan and California indicate an evolving regulatory focus on ammonia, nitrates, and animal waste AD. Bion's ARS technology offers a timely solution to this problem."

Technical Analyst Clive Maund rated Bion "a Strong Buy here for all time frames" in August 2023. He said the various indicators all pointed to an imminent share price breakout and steep rally. 

"This stock has the characteristic of making sudden dramatic rallies that are then followed by long periods of reaction," added Maund.

Ownership and Share Structure

According to Reuters, nearly 20% of Bion Environmental is owned by management and insiders. President and General Counsel Mark Smith has the most out of this category at 6.57%, with 3.25 million shares. 

Nearly 2% is with Centerpoint Corp., with 0.70 million shares.

Less than 1% is held by institutions. Fisher Investments owns 0.33%, with 0.16 million shares, and Howard Capital Management Group LLC has 0.11%, with 0.06 million.

The rest is with retail.

Bion has a market cap of US$60 million. Trading over the past 52 weeks ranged from US$0.8617 per share to US$2.30.

Important Disclosures:

1.  [Bion Environmental Technologies Inc.] has a consulting relationship with an affiliate of Streetwise Reports, and pays a monthly consulting fee between US$8,000 and US$20,000. 
2. As of the date of this article, officers and/or employees of Streetwise Reports LLC (including members of their household) own securities of [Bion Environmental Technologies Inc.].
3. [Steve Sobek ]wrote this article for Streetwise Reports LLC and provides services to Streetwise Reports as an employee. 
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