Tech co.'s innovation nets interest from algae venture
A Pennsylvania company growing algae for biofuel has entered into a strategic partnership with Yarmouth-based Fluid Imaging Technologies Inc. to use the Maine company's high-powered microscope at its algae production plant.
Fluid Imaging Technologies has developed an instrument called a FlowCAM that combines rapid digital imaging with microscopy to monitor and characterize particles and cells in fluids. The FlowCam is used in oceanographic research as well as for monitoring municipal water supplies, food and beverages, pharmaceutical formulations, biofuels and other industrial applications, according to a press release from Fluid Imaging.
BARD Holding, based in Fairless Hills, Pa., in March launched a commercial-scale algae production and algae oil extraction facility in Morrisville, Pa., using its patented algae-growth technology. Algae can be eaten by humans, fish and animals, and lipid-containing algae can be processed into biofuel and other chemicals, according to the press release.
BARD will use the FlowCAM to help grow the algae. Algae on a commercial scale require constant monitoring to detect contaminants and determine the correct amount of nourishment for the marine plants, the company says.
Fluid Imaging Technologies' CEO Kent Peterson was the Mainebiz Small Company Business Leader of the Year in 2008. "The FlowCAM was originally developed for algal analysis, so it is optimally suited to serve in this burgeoning, global market," Peterson says in the release. "What's more, it is rewarding for Fluid Imaging to participate as part of an environmentally friendly solution to the growing problem of fossil fuel shortages and excessive carbon emissions."
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