Company uses bacteria to power generator

A Hubbard company plans to turn sewage treatment sludge into electricity.

By DON SHILLING

VINDICATOR BUSINESS EDITOR

HUBBARD — Powering up some light bulbs isn’t normally news.

But for a tiny Hubbard company, it was the occasion for a press release and release of a YouTube video.

NanoLogix, 843 N. Main St., eagerly announced its achievement Monday because the electricity for the bulbs came from a generator that was running on hydrogen. And the hydrogen came from bacteria that ate sugar residue in juice tanks at Welch’s Foods in Erie, Pa.

It was the first time that electricity was generated in this manner, said Dr. Harry Diz, professor of environmental engineering at Gannon University in Erie and the company’s bioreactor development chief.

The bioreactor is where the bacteria do their work. In time, the company hopes enough electricity is produced to power the juice plant.

In fact, the next step is to build test equipment that would be used to produce electricity for the plant, not just a string of light bulbs.

“We look forward to the potential of building upon these developments to scale up and use this energy for our operation,” said Paul Zorzie, Welch’s engineering manager.

Even so, other projects offer the potential of changing NanoLogix in a much bigger way, said Bret Barnhizer, the company’s chairman and chief executive.

Sewage project

First, it is working on a similar project at the Erie sewage treatment plant. There, it is using different bacteria to produce hydrogen from the sludge that comes out of the plant, Barnhizer said.

This project has more commercial potential because of the large number of treatment plants in this country and abroad, he said.

Perhaps enough power could be produced so that electricity would be sold to utilities through the power grid, he said. Also, hydrogen could be stored to be used as fuel in vehicles that are being developed by automakers, he said.

The beauty of the sludge project is that little energy is needed to make hydrogen, he said. The bacteria only need to be fed, and the feeding produces more hydrogen-producing bacteria.

It’s too early to say when the work will be far enough along to produce electricity or hydrogen that could be sold, Barnhizer said.

Another technology, however, is ready to be marketed.

Barnhizer said the company has been running tests for the Department of Defense on confirming the existence of anthrax, an infectious disease that’s been used in biological attacks.

Current methods require seven days for samples to be cultured, he said. NanoLogix’s technology can provide confirmation in seven hours, he said.

Barnhizer said he hopes to receive a contract soon for providing the testing services for federal buildings. That could lead to other work in the federal government and contracts with private companies, he said.

After NanoLogix’s announcement on the Welch’s project, the company’s stock gained 13 cents, or 16 percent, Monday to close at 93 cents a share.

The stock trades on the Over-the-Counter Bulletin Board, which is set up for stocks that aren’t able to trade on larger exchanges. The company said in July that it is progressing toward meeting federal requirements on making full financial reports to shareholders.

The company employs five in Hubbard and several other scientists and executives in other areas.

The company was founded under the name Infectech in 1989 in Sharon, Pa., by two medical doctors, Robert Ollar and Mitchell Felder. Felder remains with the company as a director.

It was bought by Nutra Pharma Corp. of Florida in 2003 and then became an independent company again two years ago.

Barnhizer, a Poland resident, said he started buying company stock in late 2005 when he heard about the company. At the time, he was overseeing operations in Europe for a Canadian oil and gas exploration company. He became NanoLogix CEO last year.

XTo view the company’s YouTube video on its Welch’s project, go to www.youtube.com/watch?v=cS_jmMwy9D8.

shilling@vindy.com