CO2 GRO Inc.’s (TSXV:GROW) patented dissolving CO2 technology has shown sharply accelerated algae, lettuce and cannabis growth in trials
SmallCapPower | September 10, 2018: CO2 GRO Inc. (TSXV:GROW) focuses on commercializing CO2 gas-infusion technology and CO2 foliar spray. CO2 GRO Inc.’s mission is to increase all indoor and outdoor value plant growth naturally, safely, and economically using its patented advanced CO2 foliar technologies. The Company’s global target plant markets are retail food at US$8 trillion per year (Plunkett March 2017).
CO2 GRO Inc.’s CO2 technologies are commercially proven, scalable and can be easily adopted into existing irrigation systems. GROW’s proven crop yield enhancements and revenue model are compelling for growers and agri-industrial partners. Currently, the Company is working with plant growers and agri-industrial partners for adoption of its CO2 technologies for specific growers’ plant yield needs.
Investment Thesis
- Patented dissolving CO2 technology
- CO2 foliar spray patent application
- CO2 grow trials
Patented dissolving CO2 technology
CO2 GRO dissolves CO2 gas without bubbles into water up to 2000 ppm at one atmosphere, naturally, safely and economically. This method of using dissolved CO2 grow trials has shown sharply accelerated algae, lettuce and cannabis growth. Spraying dissolved CO2 on plant leaves lets the entire surface leaf area absorb CO2 versus just through stomata pores.
The Company has an exclusive perpetual royalty free global license to use dissolving CO2 gas infusion devices for the growth of all plants. The gas infusion patent owner (Canzone) granted this CO2 gas infusion technology license in 2012.
Since 2000, more than 1600 patented gas infusion devices have been commercially sold or leased by Canzone and its gas infusion manufacturing affiliate, inVentures. Every Province and State has had gas infusion installations, mostly for groundwater remediation and aquaculture uses. The first commercial gas infusion success was in 2000 to accelerate bacteria growth via dissolving oxygen into groundwater. The dissolved O2 helped bacteria rapidly eat hydrocarbon spills. In aquaculture, dissolved oxygen is commercially used to accelerate fish growth and reduce death rates in the ocean well boat transport of lobster and other high-value fish species.
A one million sq. ft. cannabis greenhouse can grow 5.5 crops per year at $100M/crop. The Company’s CO2 cannabis grow trials are proving one extra crop per year can be grown with larger bud weight and volume per plant. Outdoor cannabis grow-ops produce just one crop per year, so dissolved CO2 grow target is 25% more than bud weight.
CO2 foliar spray patent application
CO2 GRO has filed for a provisional global PCT patent for dissolved CO2 foliar spray to accelerate plant growth using any fogging, misting, spraying or atomizing methods of delivering dissolved CO2 water onto plant leaves. Of the 10 million U.S. patents granted, there has been no similar CO2 foliar spray patents granted to date. This is a positive development for CO2 GRO. Additionally, at the 2017 Las Vegas cannabis growers’ conference there were 673 booths providing services and growing supplies to cannabis growers. None of the services were for dissolved CO2 foliar spray.
Best suited locations for outdoor CO2 foliar spray plant yield and water retention value is California and Arizona in the U.S., and southern BC and southern Alberta in Canada. Also, the best crops for CO2 foliar spraying are cannabis, lettuce, tobacco, spinach, potatoes, and sugar beets.
CO2 grow trials
In February 2018, CO2 GRO started the first four of 20 CO2 grow trials for 2018 using the smallest CO2 gas infusers at grower sites. Monitoring and analysis of the CO2 grow trials is being done by two Canadian and U.S. master growers with guidance from the University of Guelph and third-party plant science contacts, such as Dr. Matt Julius of St. Cloud State University in Minnesota.
CO2 GRO has 50 indoor and outdoor trial opportunities in cannabis, hemp, lettuce, micro-greens, flowers, peppers, outdoor potatoes, tobacco and grapes. For now, GROW has selected 10 trial opportunities with 10 cannabis companies awaiting final approval of CO2 gas and water mixing technology.
The initial Canadian cannabis trials are with Health Canada licensed medical cannabis growers that have ACMPR licenses to grow about 500-3000 plants each. These initial trials have shown that there are no residual effects from spraying dissolved CO2 onto plant leaves. While there is no issue in using dissolved CO2 foliar spray in the U.S. on any plants, the Company is avoiding any U.S. cannabis trials for now due to concerns expressed by the TMX Exchange and U.S. Federal law.
Outlook and Valuation
CO2 GRO currently trades at a market capitalization of C$11.7 million on the TSX Venture exchange. The Company is still performing trials of its technology, thus substantial risk exists for investors.
Disclosure: Neither the author nor his family own shares in the company mentioned above.
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