Sequestering biomass in water
AssigneeAliquam Holding, LLC
InventorsLuke Gray, Alexander Slocum
Life of this patent
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Abstract
Buoyant matter, and particularly biomass such as seaweed, is sequestered deep in a body of water, fey causing the matter to lose it buoyancy and sink and remain sunk for an extended period. In some examples, the matter is pumped to below a depth at which is loses its natural buoyancy as a result of the ambient water pressure resulting in it naturally sinking to the bottom.
Claims28
An apparatus for sequestering seaweed in a body of water by changing buoyancy, wherein, in operation, the apparatus causes said seaweed to transition from having a positive buoyancy to a negative buoyancy, wherein the apparatus comprises a pump and a hose, wherein, in operation, said pump is at the water's surface and said hose extends to below a critical depth, said critical depth being a depth that ensures that, as a result of having undergone said transition, said seaweed will remain below a mixed layer of said body of water and said pump pumps said seaweed from said surface of said body of water to said critical depth.
A method comprising sequestering seaweed in a body of water, wherein sequestering seaweed comprises causing said seaweed to undergo a transition from having a positive buoyancy to a negative buoyancy and wherein causing said seaweed to undergo said transition comprises causing seaweed to enter a pump at a surface of said body of water and using said pump to pump said seaweed through a hose that extends into said body of water to a depth at which said seaweed undergoes said transition, whereby seaweed exits said hose at or below said depth.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.