Second Patent Awarded for Inclined Rotary Gasifier Technology Invented by SUNY Cobleskill Professor

COBLESKILL  – SUNY Cobleskill’s Inclined Rotary Gasifier has been awarded a second patent from the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, further protecting the intellectual property of the carbon-offsetting waste-to-energy system. The gasifier, invented by SUNY Cobleskill Assistant Professor David Waage and supported by the Research Foundation of the State University of New York, is the first fully automated and portable carbon capture and harvesting system, producing biofuels, biopower, and soil supplements from almost any combustible material.  

The gasifier was awarded its first U.S. Patent (Patent No. 10,760,016) in 2010. This second patent (Patent No. 11,939,545) provides 15 intellectual property protections in addition to the 12 protections under the first patent.  

The gaseous and liquid fuels this system produces from waste materials are significantly higher in energy content than other similar gasification technologies. The fuels burn markedly cleaner than fossil fuels while reducing overall carbon emissions. The unit’s mobility allows it to be deployed directly to forests, farms, water treatment facilities, and other areas of biomass. A gasifier system was recently deployed to California for use by the state’s Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (CAL FIRE) as the agency cleared forest underbrush to mitigate the risk of recurring wildfires.  

Waage and a team of researchers and technicians are working with industry partner Caribou Biofuels on the continued development and commercialization of the gasifier. There is vast potential for this technology in domestic and community use, as the system’s economics and carbon-capture abilities, coupled with its ability to input material without the need for pre-sorting or pre-drying, are unparalleled. 

“The Inclined Rotary Gasifier can potentially revolutionize how we manage waste and produce energy, giving us cleaner and more efficient fuel solutions. Our collaboration with Caribou Biofuels and support from various grants have been crucial in advancing this project, and we are excited about this system's future applications and benefits,” said Waage. “The additional protections provided under this second patent, borne from our research and development, represent another big step toward commercializing the gasifier technology.” 

Initial research into this gasifier system was funded by a Department of Defense (DoD) grant of $1.6 million thru the Strategic Environmental Research and Development Program (SERDP), which is the DoD’s environmental and resilience science and technology program, planned and executed in partnership with the Department of Energy (DOE) and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), with participation by numerous other federal and non-federal organizations.  

SUNY Cobleskill received an additional $5.8 million grant in 2020 from (CAL FIRE). An additional $255,879 was awarded by the National Science Foundation in 2021.  

Research at SUNY produces nearly 300 new technologies a year. The SUNY Research Foundation protects the valuable intellectual property generated at SUNY campuses and works with industry and businesses, like Caribou Biofuels, to translate research discoveries into commercial products that benefit society and spur economic development.