EBC, with 23 utility patents, is the inventor of many environmental technologies. Our principal has been developing sustainable technologies for the last 50 years. Some of our products and projects include:

• MULTI-USE INDUSTRIAL PARK: We have a system for clearing the forest of slash and brush as part of a fire prevention program. The bundles of biomass are delivered to a mobile Biomass center where brush is converted into charcoal which is used to dry larger chips and firewood chunks. These bundles are then delivered to a permanent Multi-Use Industrial Park where bio gas produces energy co generation of electricity, heat, and other industrial processes. A Working prototype exists.

• BIONOX SEQUESTER: We have a technology patented in 1999 which allows one to “scrub” the gas emissions of internal combustion engines. The system is capable of removing large amounts of NOx and SOx utilizing biological matter instead of catalytic separation. This should be of extreme interest to the California Air Quality Board and to private polluters in the 50 Air Quality Board districts. A working prototype exists and the technology is available for licensing, leasing or purchase.
  
• SOLAR-POWERED ARTIFICIAL WETLANDS (SPAW): Phytoremediation (biological treatment of toxic chemicals) is a scientifically-proven system of using growing plants to treat and absorb toxic wastewater. The plants use the water for growth, extract and convert the toxins, and transpire pure water and oxygen. The SPAW does not spray or surface irrigate the wastewater, eliminating risks from spray drift or aerosols. Instead, the aerobic water is taken up by the roots from a flowing stream of dissolved oxygen from the algae-growing pond. A Test unit is in operation.

• AQUAPONIC GROWING SYSTEM AND FRESH WATER MAKER: A symphony of a number of biological effects including, human wastewater treatment, carbon dioxide generation, small tree-crop greenhouse, evapotranspiration of fresh drinkable water, aqua culture pond with algae production and fish culture, leading to underground release of nutrient-rich water to irrigate and propagate redwood trees. A Patent is pending.

• RAIL VILLAGES: A new living paradigm which includes villages and towns built along the rail corridor. From Ed's weekly column:

  "Try to imagine how nice it would be if the three railroad tracks leading into Willits had little villages of about 30 homes of 100 people each every mile or so. Small well maintained four-foot wide miniroads will make it pleasant for the folks to convert the Smallwood (wood under 9” in diameter) into easily handled bundles. All of this is done using only solar or compressed air powered vehicles, chainsaws and Spiralshears. The bundles will be converted into wood charcoal in the village’s Energy Center. The charcoal is converted into SynGas in a Roche Retort, then stored and used to generate electricity, compressed air and water. Food crops, pure water and redwood trees will be hydroponically watered with treated wastewater in the carbon dioxide enriched air in the greenhouse.

  The young families and us old seniors will work, study, and communicate with the “outside” using the computers and the passenger service on the railroad.

  It may sound like the fanciful dreams of an eccentric old inventor, but I am now operating the most important parts of the above at our home.. The End of Oil and Global Warming may make it soon the only way to survive."
  

Developers of Wastewater Forests, Carbon banks, and Oxygen Generators:

• WASTEWATER FORESTS and a carbon sequestration plan: This white paper has come to the conclusion that even if we wanted to reverse global warming by planting trees, there would not be enough fresh water on the Planet to do the job. This paper written in 1996 and updated this year suggests that we utilize municipal wastewater to grow large stands of trees. These trees will make it possible for cities and municipalities to "grow their own wealth", while turning a waste product into a valuable resource.

• WASTEWATER FORESTS: We are completing a master contract with CO2e.com and Cantor Fitzgerald to sequester carbon dioxide utilizing wastewater fed underground to a plantation of redwood trees. This document, in process, is the full description of the wastewater plan, sub-terrain eco-chambers, redwood seedling greenhouses, and resulting redwood plantation.

• WASTEWATER FORESTS, a proposal for the California Clean-Tech Open: This executive summary was submitted in July of 2006 to the design competition for California Clean Tech Open. It explores the value proposition of wastewater forestry from another vantage point

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Research and Development of forest-maintenance Technologies:

The sustainable forest needs maintenance as a protection against forest fires. The following tools have been developed to harvest the forest biomass. Should you have an interest any of these technologies, or have a desire to collaborate with our Bio energy and sustainable forests projects, don’t hesitate to contact us for more information.

SPIRAL SHEAR: mechanically shears through wood branches producing wood chunks of manageable size, quietly. Can be powered remotely by solar energy.

BRANCH CLAMP BUNDLER: for ease of cutting and bundling of wooden branches. This device simplifies the labor intensive cutting and handling of small wood under 9" in diameter.

J BARROW: is an electric powered cart which can process & haul bundled brush from hillside locations to transfer points or end-use locations. The cart can be charged from a variety of sources including photovoltaic panels. The built-in inverter changes battery power into 110 VAC and can run different kinds of equipment including electric chain saws. The dump bed carries up to 400 lbs. of materials.

BIOMASS ENERGY HARVEST, a proposal for the California Clean-Tech Open: This executive summary was submitted in July of 2006 to the design competition for California Clean Tech Open. It explores the value proposition of clearing the forest of fire-risk while producing valuable biomass energy. Before going there please read the following summary of the energy in a forest fire.

Recently the so called Day Wildfire in Southern California burned about 162,000 acres before it was contained. Millions of tons of brush were converted into smoke, oxides of nitrogen, heat, methane and carbon dioxide. Hundreds of fire trucks, helicopters and airplanes burned thousands of gallons of fossil fuel in the fire fighting effort that cost millions of dollars. I am certain that many endangered species were killed.

Common sense and the OHSA Safety Laws specify that firefighters on foot cannot be sent to the fight the fire without an escape route (road or trail) for them to retreat to a safe spot. They carry a “Shake and Bake” tent that they hope will protect them in case they cannot escape. Those of us that have had a wildfire badly burn a companion in a brush-covered canyon know that the “Black Humor” described above is not funny. However a bit of humor does help sometimes when you have to face dangerous situations in war or peace.

It is funny that some good people continue to think that they have protected the Brush, Forests and Endangered Species by creating road-less areas. There are also restrictions on the equipment and methods used in Wilderness Areas that make it more difficult to contain or put out wildfires.

Many years ago I participated in a CDF Study in Lake County where we cut and weighed the Manzanita growing on one acre. We left some so that a “Firesafe Manzanita Orchard” was left. Thus creating a good site for planting pine trees. The weight of the Manzanita removed from that one acre was approximately 45,000 pounds.

If you burn Manzanita it produces about 11,000 BTU’s (heat) per pound. When gasoline burns it produces about 110,000 BTU’s per gallon. So every 10 pounds of wood burned produces the same amount of carbon dioxide as burning a gallon of gas. If you divide 45,000 by 10 you get 4500 gallons. Thus each acre that burns is equivalent to burning 4500 gallons of gas. If you multiply 162,000 acres times 4500 you get about 73 million gallons of gas, which the Day Fire released. That is about the same amount (probably more) of heat, carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide and methane as burning approximately 73 million gallons of gas. You also should add much more to the above for the gas that was used by the fire fighting equipment. A worldwide study estimated that 30% of Global Warming is due to the wildland fires.

Now you have the bachground to appreciate the following summary : BIOMASS ENERGY HARVEST

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Patents, Newsletters, and articles of our work:

Patents of Robert Edward Burton:

Patent Number	Title	Issued	Expires
2,611,401	Hydraulic Log Barker having Kerf-Cutting and Bark Removing Jets	9-23-52	1969
2,661,782	Bark Peeler Having Pivoted Jaws Spread by Fluid Pressure	12-08-53	1970
2,888,051	Bark Peeler Having Pivoted Jaws Spread by Fluid Pressure (Improvement)	5-26-59	1976
2,995,434	Process of Preparing a Soil Conditioner from Subdivided Bark	8-08-61	1978
3,192,154	Separation of Colloidal Solids from Liquids	6-29-65	1982
3,238,124	Method and Apparatus for Treating Waste Liquids	3-01-66	1983
3,407,935	Liquid Distribution Means in Apparatus for Treating Liquid Wastes	10-29-68	1985
3,577,678	Combined Waste Treatment and Growth Chamber Process (HERBOSMIA)	5-04-71	1988
3,700,590	Separation of Organic Solids from Waste Liquids	10-24-72	1989
4,086,161	Ecological System and Method	4-25-78	1995
4,263,142	Marsh Forest System & Eco-Raft	6-13-79	1996
4,329,931	Burning System & Method (Kleensmoke Inverse Pile Burner)	5-18-82	1999
4,429,645	Burning System and Method (Kleensmoke) Improvement	2-7-84	2001
4,572,064	Method & Apparatus for Bundling Brush & Small Trees (Brush Bundler)	2-25-86	2003
4,584,099	Sewage Sludge Filtering System	4-22-86	2003
4,774,894	Smokeless Burning System & Method	10-04-88	2005
4,882,058	Organic Waste Disposal & Recycling System (BIO-GEST)	11-21-89	2006
5,215,625	Method for Producing Articles from Waste Fiber, Waste/Surplus Paint & Inc	6-01-93	2010
5,240,611	Organic Waste Recycling System & Method ( ConEqui)	8-31-93	2010
5,609,733	System & Method for Converting Toxic Wash water to Distilled Water	3-11-97	2014
5,885,319	System & Method for Processing Effluvia Gas to Produce Enriched. Fertilizer	3-23-99	2016

 

Newsletters:

California Onsite Wastewater Association: COWA Fall 2006 Newsletter.

WWW articles:

BIO-MASS to BIO-GAS: Ed Burton Uses Wood "Chunkettes" to Produce a Hydrogen Rich Bio-Gas

Other organizations allied with our work:

Ocean Arks: The Center for the Restoration of Waters

Biomass Energy Foundation

Zero Emissions Research and Initiatives, (Z.E.R.I.)

Synergy International Inc.

Renewable Energy Development Institute (R.E.D.I.)