Algae-Growing Firm Poised to Move into Former Car Dealership

Algae – you know, that slimy stuff that grows on standing water especially during warm weather – what’s it good for anyway? Well, other than producing oxygen, which is pretty important, some local entrepreneurs have come up with a couple of commercial uses as different as face cream and soil conditioner. AlgEternal is a startup company in Fayette County which owns a patented process to produce large quantities of red and green algae, according to CEO David Ramjohn. They have been in the research and development phase for several years at a rural location, but they are in the process of entering their commercialization phase and will be moving operations to the old Oviedo Dodge building at 3637 W. State Hwy 71 La Grange in La Grange. They are actually moving some production equipment to the new site in La Grange this week.
And like most startups, they are seeking investors. The products they have developed so far – the face cream and soil conditioner – are commercial applications of their algae-growing system which is capable of growing and harvesting large quantities of algae in vertical tubes under strictly controlled conditions. Last Thursday, a class of Montessori students from Austin was bused out to the countryside location of AlgEternal’s current laboratory to hear Ramjohn and other staffers explain the process. Afterward, they were given an educational presentation on algae and its beneficial uses and applications by AlgEternal’s CEO and treated to a lunch at Frisch Auf! The class visit was an example of Ramjohn’s belief that “education remains critical to the success of the entire algae industry.”
By H.H. HOWZE
February 28, 2017
Source: The Fayette County Record
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