Savannah State University has received a letter of approval from the US Patent Office for a process invented by Christopher Hintz, Ph.D., an associate professor of marine and environmental sciences, and Amber Wilkinson, graduate student.

Under a federal research grant from the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, Hintz and Wilkinson discovered an alternate way to harvest algae material using a procedure viable for space travel and colonization.

Current methods for the harvesting process are notoriously difficult and often severely damage the algae itself, making it unusable. Some systems created to solve this problem – to remove the algae from its culture medium – are very expensive and often require more energy than would ultimately be harvested. Hintz and Wilkerson’s version can be made with a few low-energy components, compressed air and plastic pipe.

SSU, as an original patent holder, has a number of options. The university can sell it to another company or license it out for agreed-upon terms. NASA, or any other US government agency, has free use since they originally funded the research that led to the discovery.

Hintz thinks there could be multiple applications for the process, not just for space travel. Pharmaceuticals that need to make compounds and harvest yeast cells could benefit by being able to harvest without damaging cells.

SSU’s Intellectual Property Policy helps research professors register their findings for patent consideration. The policy allows both the inventor and the institution protection for the discoveries.