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Executive Summary:

I was trained formally as a chemist and forester at U.C. Berkeley – 60 years ago. Since that time I have been fortunate to have learned from experience the amazing processes that take place in nature. Nature, that 2 billion year old development and adaptation laboratory! From some 50 years of this continuous observation work and discovery... here are some of my keenest insights.

There is currently no system, no technology, for surpassing nature’s way of sequestering carbon dioxide which is the lead-cause of global warming. Sequestration – is the separation of pollutants, molecules, and chemical radicals from the environment, and integrating them into valuable living plant tissue and biomass products, like wood. The technology that we have developed mimics nature as well as chemical and biological processes. Like nature and our bodies, our technologies do it all with solar energy as the main energy driver.

In all living things we can track the energy and nutrient cycles. Respiration – where animals breathe oxygen and generate CO2…is complemented by Photosynthesis - which converts (sequesters) CO2 to create plant tissue, water and oxygen to sustain respiration. It is like a beautiful chemical dance powered by the sun.

In chemistry Oxidation is complemented by Reduction. Our work has shown many different ways to burn biomass (rapid oxidation) it also has revealed how to reduce inorganic radicals into safer compounds, (to reduce) or sequester these metal ions and halides into living tissue, utilizing plants. This process is known as phytoremediation. The star plant in all of our work has been the remarkable redwood tree, one of the oldest living plants on our Planet.

So what are some of the processes available from Ed Burton Company? Here are some examples.

The Internal Combustion engine in your car and the Gas Turbine Engine that enables helicopters to fly uses almost half their energy to compress air. We know how to make and store Synthetic Gas SynGas (40% H2 - 30%CO) from wood-coke and steam. Therefore, we can combine SynGas, compressed air, and a spark, to make power very efficiently in our gas turbine, using only renewable energy that we have stored in the form of compressed air and compressed SynGas.

On an industrial scale, we know how to make wood coke from wood in my Kleensmoke Burner while making only a little smoke. We are now able to extinguish burning wood char to make Wood Coke by loading the char into 55 gallon steel barrels. The absence of oxygen inside the barrels, sealed with tight lids, extinguishes and stores the coke.

Our patented Bionox Gas Filter not only filters smoke, but also converts NOx (burnt air) to Nitrate (a fertilizer) and Sulphur Dioxide to Calcium Carbonate (the white stuff in wallboard).

We are now able to cut, haul, and dry Smallwood using rechargeable electric or compressed air vehicles, chainsaws and Spiralshears.

We know how to generate electricity using solar, wind, or wave power. We know how to switch to make compressed air when we cannot use or sell electricity.

We are now separating and composting Bio-solids from wastewater in our Filgester. The composting of the Bio-solids (sludge) produces carbon dioxide enriched air in our Filgester. We convey this air to our greenhouse, which then enables the plants in the greenhouse to grow faster with less light.

We are now operating our Solar Powered Wastewater Forest Greenhouse and Redwood Grove using only PV Solar Power. We are now raising single celled algae (Chlorella) in our Algae Growing Pond that convert dissolved carbon dioxide into dissolved oxygen and more algae.

We are now using PV Solar Power to pump the pond water containing chlorella, dissolved oxygen and nutrients into a Hydroponic irrigation system in the carbon dioxide enriched air in the greenhouse.

We are now growing redwood trees in these hydroponic pots that grow rapidly transpiring pure water vapor that we can condense into pure water.

Temperatures as high as 117*F Dry bulb and 112*F Wet bulb Humidity are not harmful to the hydroponically watered redwoods that grow very rapidly.

The grasses (weeds) that also grow in the hydroponically watered pots grew to six-feet high in one season.

The Burton Wastewater Redwood Greenhouse and Burton’s Wastewater Forest are designed to sequester Carbon Dioxide and Sulphur Dioxide and generate oxygen, pure water and products all year long. The scenic, cool redwood grove resists wildfires while providing a habitat for wildlife. The Burton Wastewater Forest generates income from sale of the carbon credits, pure water, wood coke, calcium sulphate, lumber and recreational use.

It is exciting work, full of inspiration and discovery, knowing that we are finally building something!

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