Waste Management in the Energy IP Sector
Landon speaks to us about waste management in the energy IP sector and his predictions in the energy tech sector.
Landon Miller is an experienced Corporate Executive and Technology. Having held significant positions as the CEO, COO of multiple companies, as a large, global strategic business unit Leader, Executive, and technical Leader, as well as working at the most senior levels of large, complex organizations in a leadership role on challenging and technology intensive programs and processes, Landon speaks to us about waste management in the energy IP sector and his predictions in the energy tech sector.
How has waste management transformed the Energy IP sector?
The use of incineration as a tool for waste management should be essentially at its end in the US and other developed countries. Such technology cannot economically perform at the regulatory required emission control levels in the US and other developed countries. This is a particularly acute problem for complex waste streams, such as medical waste (infectious and complex chemistries), hazardous waste, low level radioactive waste, plastic wastes that cannot be recycled, and various industrial and construction waste, to name a few.
Energy is essential to modern society.
The waste industry has been urgently seeking a solution to these issues for more than 30 years. The Aemerge anaerobic thermal conversion technology enabled by its CarbonizerÒ system is the first large scale, economically viable technology that actuals works. It is described by senior industry Executives as “very rare” and a “tremendous achievement”. At the moment, this appears to be the only rapidly deployable conversion technology that can both attack these waste problems and use the converted-to-renewable natural gas to produce grid quality electrical energy at a scale that actually makes a difference.
What further changes do you predict in the next few years regarding this?
The need for something other than landfilling is acute; there have been many attempts to address this issue on the scale the economics require. So far, it appears that the Aemerge Carbonizer technology has a many year head start on other potential solutions, but we will see.
The need for something other than landfilling is acute
Are there any unique issues which companies in the innovative energy technology sector face?
Energy is essential to modern society. It needs, however, to evolve rapidly to be more environmentally friendly. Aemerge’s Carbonizer can be a “tool” in this evolution because it addresses all three points, which I discuss below. Every other meaningful innovation must follow this same path.
How can such companies use IP assets to rapidly expand their invention? What are your top three tips in this sense?
As the CEO of Waste Management said in a speech last year: the technology must (1) actually work, (2) at a scale that makes an impact at the US level of waste, and (3) be economically viable. Obviously, it needs to be IP worthy or it cannot be investible; and the more and stronger patents that you have surrounding the core patentable concept, the better.
In addition, as an inventor yourself, what three important things have you learnt about IP that you wish to share with inspiring inventors?
The best IP is (1) actionable, has (2) an inherent economically sound benefit, and (3) is easily detectable when in use to allow for inexpensive monitoring of your invention’s scope of exclusivity.
Landon CG Miller
COO at Aemerge, LLC
Commander Landon C. G. Miller, COO at Aemerge, LLC is an Attorney at Law, Licensed to Practice in Washington and Washington DC; a registered USPTO Patent Attorney holding a Masters in Systems Engineering and Management, BA in Zoology and Chemistry.
He was the First Chief Engineer for IBM (now retired) as well as a C level Executive, and is a Retired KPMG Peat Marwick Senior Consulting Partner, PIC for Aerospace & Defense. His other roles also include: Retired Commander, Submarine Officer and Counter/Anti-Terrorism Experiences; CIO & Senior Advisor Roles for hundreds of US National & International Corporates with 30 + years in computing including systems programming, large scale architecture, networks and complex systems. Landon is a Lead Inventor on over 50+ issued patents (US and internationally) in the fields of neuro-chemistry, electrical micro-grids, conversion technologies (currently being applied to a wide variety of waste streams), and computing.
Aemerge is the holder of the patent portfolio of my fellow coinventor and myself. See www.aemerge.com and www.aemergeredpak.com for overview. This technology is comprised of a complex of sub-systems controlled by an inventive process control architecture with over 1300 sensing and control points, and employs a “recipe” of process control narratives that allow for the assured destructionÒ via conversion (not incineration as determined by the US EPA) of complex waste streams such as medical waste. Our facilities are called virtual landfillsÒ because all incoming wastes are converted to renewable natural gas and recycled metals, glass, and elemental carbons.
