Patents by Inventor Melanie Pickett

Melanie Pickett has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

  • Patent number: 11891321
    Abstract: A modular system for waste treatment, water recycling, and resource recovery includes a buffer tank to receive and pre-treat raw organic waste, at least one reactor tank configured as an anaerobic bioreactor that receives and digests pre-treated waste from the buffer tank, a membrane module having a membrane configured to filter waste from the digested waste from the at least one reactor tank to produce a permeate, a permeate collection tank configured to collect and store the permeate generated by the membrane module, a pump system having a plurality of pumps, and a control system configured to monitor the flow of waste and to control the pump system to control the flow of waste between the buffer tank, the at least one reactor tank, the membrane module, and the permeate collection tank.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 21, 2021
    Date of Patent: February 6, 2024
    Assignees: UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH FLORIDA, UNITED STATES OF AMERICA AS REPRESENTED BY THE ADMINISTRATIOR OF NASA
    Inventors: Daniel H. Yeh, Luke Roberson, Talon Bullard, Melanie Pickett, Robert Bair, Ahmet Erkan Uman
  • Publication number: 20230033254
    Abstract: In one embodiment, an algae cultivation system includes a basin that contains a liquid and a photobioreactor at least partially immersed in the liquid of the basin, the photobioreactor comprising a closed container including multiple panels that together define an interior space in which algae can be cultivated, at least one of the panels being transparent, the photobioreactor further comprising an inflatable float associated with the container that can be filled with a gas to change one or both of the position and orientation of the container within the liquid.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 3, 2022
    Publication date: February 2, 2023
    Inventors: Daniel H. Yeh, Ivy Lea Cormier Drexler, Melanie Pickett, David Fulcher
  • Patent number: 11459535
    Abstract: In one embodiment, an algae cultivation system includes a basin that contains a liquid and a photobioreactor at least partially immersed in the liquid of the basin, the photobioreactor comprising a closed container including multiple panels that together define an interior space in which algae can be cultivated, at least one of the panels being transparent, the photobioreactor further comprising an inflatable float associated with the container that can be filled with a gas to change one or both of the position and orientation of the container within the liquid.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 14, 2016
    Date of Patent: October 4, 2022
    Assignee: University of South Florida
    Inventors: Daniel H. Yeh, Ivy Lea Cormier Drexler, Melanie Pickett, David Fulcher
  • Publication number: 20210395125
    Abstract: A modular system for waste treatment, water recycling, and resource recovery includes a buffer tank to receive and pre-treat raw organic waste, at least one reactor tank configured as an anaerobic bioreactor that receives and digests pre-treated waste from the buffer tank, a membrane module having a membrane configured to filter waste from the digested waste from the at least one reactor tank to produce a permeate, a permeate collection tank configured to collect and store the permeate generated by the membrane module, a pump system having a plurality of pumps, and a control system configured to monitor the flow of waste and to control the pump system to control the flow of waste between the buffer tank, the at least one reactor tank, the membrane module, and the permeate collection tank.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 21, 2021
    Publication date: December 23, 2021
    Inventors: Daniel H. Yeh, Luke Roberson, Talon Bullard, Melanie Pickett, Robert Bair, Ahmet Erkan Uman
  • Patent number: 10633628
    Abstract: In one embodiment, an algae cultivation system includes a photobioreactor adapted for immersion in growth media contained within the growth media reactor, the photobioreactor including a closed container including multiple panels that together define an interior space in which algae can be cultivated, at least one of the panels being transparent, a porous membrane filter incorporated into one of the panels that enables water, carbon dioxide, and nutrients contained within the growth media to pass into the interior space but prevents contaminants contained within the growth media from passing into the interior space, and a gas control valve incorporated into one of the panels that when open enables photosynthetic gas produced by algae growth within the container to escape but when closed prevents the photosynthetic gas from escaping so as to build pressure within the container that forces water out from the container and dewaters the algae.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 14, 2016
    Date of Patent: April 28, 2020
    Assignee: University of South Florida
    Inventors: Daniel H. Yeh, Ivy Lea Cormier Drexler, Melanie Pickett, David Fulcher