U.S. SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington, D.C. 20549
FORM 10-Q
x QUARTERLY
REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE
SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934
For the quarterly period ended September 30, 2021
o TRANSITION
REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE
SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934
For the transition period from _______ to _________
Commission File No. 000-19333
Bion Environmental Technologies, Inc.
(Name of registrant in its charter)
Colorado
84-1176672
(State or other jurisdiction of incorporation or formation)
(I.R.S. employer identification number)
9 East Park Court
Old Bethpage , New York 11804
(Address of principal executive offices)
516 - 586-5643
(Registrant’s telephone number, including area
code)
Not Applicable
(Former name, former address and former fiscal year,
if changed since last report)
Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Securities Act:
Title of each class
Trading Symbol(s)
Name of each exchange on which registered
Common Stock
BNET
OTCQB
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant (1)
has filed all reports required to be filed by Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 during the preceding 12 months
(or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to file such reports), and (2) has been subject to such filing requirements
for the past 90 days.
x Yes
o No
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has
submitted electronically every Interactive Data File required to be submitted pursuant to Rule 405 of Regulation S-T (§232.405 of
this chapter) during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to submit such files). x
Yes o No
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a
large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, a non-accelerated filer, or a smaller reporting company, or an emerging growth company.
See the definitions of “large accelerated filer,” “accelerated filer,” “smaller reporting company,”
and “emerging growth company” in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act.
Large accelerated filer o
Accelerated filer o
Non-accelerated filer o
Smaller reporting company x
Emerging growth company o
If an emerging
growth company, indicate by check mark if the registrant has elected not to use the extended transition period for complying with any
new or revised financial accounting standards provided pursuant to Section 13(a) of the Exchange Act. o
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a
shell company (as defined in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act). o Yes x
No
APPLICABLE
ONLY TO ISSUERS INVOLVED IN BANKRUPTCY
PROCEEDINGS DURING
THE PRECEDING FIVE YEARS: Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has filed all documents and reports required to be filed by Sections
12, 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 subsequent to the distribution of securities under a plan confirmed by a court.
Not applicable.
APPLICABLE
ONLY TO CORPORATE ISSUERS:
Indicate the number of shares outstanding of each
of the issuer’s classes of common stock, as of the latest practicable date. On October 30, 2021, there were 41,580,573 Common Shares
issued and 40,876,264 Common Shares outstanding.
2
BION ENVIRONMENTAL TECHNOLOGIES, INC.
FORM 10-Q
TABLE OF CONTENTS
PART I. FINANCIAL INFORMATION
Page
Item 1.
Financial Statements
4
Consolidated financial statements (unaudited):
Balance sheets
4
Statements of operations
5
Statement of changes in equity (deficit)
6
Statements of cash flows
7
Notes to unaudited consolidated financial statements
8-24
Item 2.
Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition
and Results of Operations
25
Item 3.
Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures about Market Risk
41
Item 4.
Controls and Procedures
41
PART II. OTHER INFORMATION
Item 1.
Legal Proceedings
42
Item 1A.
Risk Factors
42
Item 2.
Unregistered Sales of Equity Securities and Use of Proceeds
42
Item 3.
Defaults Upon Senior Securities
42
Item 4.
Mine Safety Disclosures
42
Item 5.
Other Information
42
Item 6.
Exhibits
43
Signatures
44
FORWARD-LOOKING
STATEMENTS
This Quarterly
Report on Form 10-Q contains forward-looking statements, within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act and Section 21E of the
Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the "Exchange Act"), that involve substantial risks and uncertainties. Forward-looking
statements generally can be identified by the use of forward-looking terminology such as "may," "will," "expect,"
"intend," "estimate," "anticipate," "project," "predict," "plan," "believe"
or "continue" or the negative thereof or variations thereon or similar terminology. The expectations reflected in forward-looking
statements may prove to be incorrect.
3
BION ENVIRONMENTAL TECHNOLOGIES, INC. AND
SUBSIDIARIES
CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS
September 30,
June 30,
2021
2021
(Unaudited)
ASSETS
Current assets:
Cash
$ 3,962,334
$ 4,216,321
Prepaid expenses
90,296
124,049
Deposits
1,000
1,000
Total current assets
4,053,630
4,341,370
Property and equipment, net (Note 3)
62,583
541
Total assets
$ 4,116,213
$ 4,341,911
LIABILITIES AND EQUITY (DEFICIT)
Current liabilities:
Accounts payable and accrued expenses
$ 679,091
$ 570,050
Series B Redeemable Convertible Preferred stock, $ 0.01 par value,
50,000 shares authorized; 200 shares issued and outstanding,
liquidation preference of $ 40,500 and $ 40,000 , respectively (Note 7)
37,900
37,400
Deferred compensation (Note 4)
528,640
479,208
Loan payable and accrued interest (Note 5)
9,939,148
9,868,495
Total current liabilities
11,184,779
10,955,153
Convertible notes payable - affiliates (Note 6)
4,893,023
4,793,097
Total liabilities
16,077,802
15,748,250
Deficit:
Bion's stockholders' equity (deficit):
Series A Preferred stock, $ 0.01 par value, 50,000 shares authorized,
no shares issued and outstanding
—
—
Series C Convertible Preferred stock, $ 0.01 par value,
60,000 shares authorized; no shares issued and outstanding
—
—
Common stock, no par value, 100,000,000 shares authorized, 41,475,573
and 41,315,986 shares issued, respectively; 40,771,264
and 40,611,677 shares outstanding, respectively
—
—
Additional paid-in capital
121,507,693
121,399,067
Subscription receivable - affiliates (Note 8)
( 504,650 )
( 504,650 )
Accumulated deficit
( 133,003,243 )
( 132,339,873 )
Total Bion's stockholders’ deficit
( 12,000,200 )
( 11,445,456 )
Noncontrolling interest
38,611
39,117
Total deficit
( 11,961,589 )
( 11,406,339 )
Total liabilities and deficit
$ 4,116,213
$ 4,341,911
See notes to consolidated
financial statements
4
BION ENVIRONMENTAL TECHNOLOGIES, INC.
AND SUBSIDIARIES
CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS
THREE MONTHS ENDED SEPTEMBER 30, 2021 AND 2020
(UNAUDITED)
2021
2020
Revenue
$ —
$ —
Operating expenses:
General and administrative
491,133
302,877
Depreciation
248
207
Research and development
61,809
90,988
Total operating expenses
553,190
394,072
Loss from operations
( 553,190 )
( 394,072 )
Other (income) expense:
Interest income
( 1,494 )
( 79 )
Interest expense
112,180
104,419
Total other expense
110,686
104,340
Net loss
( 663,876 )
( 498,412 )
Net loss attributable to the noncontrolling interest
506
515
Net loss applicable to Bion's common stockholders
$ ( 663,370 )
$ ( 497,897 )
Net loss applicable to Bion's common
stockholders per basic and diluted common share
$ ( 0.02 )
$ ( 0.02 )
Weighted-average number of common shares outstanding:
Basic and diluted
40,719,692
30,793,634
See notes to consolidated financial statements
5
BION ENVIRONMENTAL TECHNOLOGIES, INC. AND
SUBSIDIARIES
CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CHANGES IN STOCKHOLDERS' EQUITY (DEFICIT)
THREE MONTHS ENDED SEPTEMBER 30, 2021 AND 2020
(UNAUDITED)
Three months ended September 30, 2020
Bion's Shareholders'
Series A Preferred Stock
Series C Preferred Stock
Common Stock
Additional paid-in
Subscription Receivables for
Accumulated
Noncontrolling
Total
Shares
Amount
Shares
Amount
Shares
Amount
capital
Shares
deficit
interest
equity/(deficit)
Balance, July 1, 2020
—
$
—
—
$
—
31,409,005
$
—
114,266,683
$
( 504,650
)
$
( 128,891,893
)
$
41,902
$
( 15,087,958
)
Sale of units
—
—
—
—
50,000
—
25,000
—
—
—
25,000
Commissions on sale of units
—
—
—
—
—
—
( 2,500
)
—
—
—
( 2,500
)
Issuance of warrants
—
—
—
—
—
—
2,500
—
—
—
2,500
Conversion of debt and liabilities
—
—
—
—
116,651
—
58,325
—
—
—
58,325
Net loss
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
( 497,897
)
( 515
)
( 498,412
)
Balance, September 30, 2020
—
$
—
—
$
—
31,575,656
$
—
$
114,350,008
$
( 504,650
)
$
( 129,389,790
)
$
41,387
$
( 15,503,045
)
Three months ended September 30, 2021
Bion's Shareholders'
Series A Preferred Stock
Series C Preferred Stock
Common Stock
Additional paid-in
Subscription Receivables for
Accumulated
Noncontrolling
Total
Shares
Amount
Shares
Amount
Shares
Amount
capital
Shares
deficit
interest
equity/(deficit)
Balance, July 1, 2021
—
$
—
—
$
—
41,315,986
$
—
$
121,399,067
$
( 504,650
)
$
( 132,339,873
)
$
39,117
$
( 11,406,339
)
Warrants exercised for common shares
—
—
—
—
139,334
—
104,500
—
—
—
104,500
Commissions on warrant exercises
—
—
—
—
10,000
—
( 1,000
)
—
—
—
( 1,000
)
Conversion of debt and liabilities
—
—
—
—
10,253
—
5,126
—
—
—
5,126
Net loss
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
( 663,370
)
( 506
)
( 663,876
)
Balance, September 30, 2021
—
$
—
—
$
—
41,475,573
$
—
$
121,507,693
$
( 504,650
)
$
( 133,003,243
)
$
38,611
$
( 11,961,589
)
See notes to consolidated financial statements
6
BION ENVIRONMENTAL TECHNOLOGIES, INC.
AND SUBSIDIARIES
CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS
THREE MONTHS ENDED SEPTEMBER 30, 2021 AND 2020
(UNAUDITED)
2021
2020
CASH FLOWS FROM OPERATING ACTIVITIES
Net loss
$ ( 663,876 )
$ ( 498,412 )
Adjustments to reconcile net loss to net cash used in operating activities:
Depreciation expense
248
207
Accrued interest on loans payable, deferred compensation and other
121,111
113,350
Stock-based compensation
—
2,500
Decrease (increase) in prepaid expenses
33,753
( 8,932 )
Increase in accounts payable and accrued expenses
59,367
40,171
Increase in deferred compensation
99,400
103,901
Net cash used in operating activities
( 349,997 )
( 247,215 )
CASH FLOWS FROM INVESTING ACTIVITIES
Purchase of property and equipment
( 7,490 )
—
Net cash used in investing activities
( 7,490 )
—
CASH FLOWS FROM FINANCING ACTIVITIES
Proceeds from sale of units
—
25,000
Commissions on sale of units
—
( 2,500 )
Proceeds from exercise of warrants
104,500
—
Commissions on exercise of warrants
( 1,000 )
—
Net cash provided by financing activities
103,500
22,500
Net decrease in cash
( 253,987 )
( 224,715 )
Cash at beginning of period
4,216,321
560,828
Cash at end of period
$ 3,962,334
$ 336,113
Supplemental disclosure of cash flow information:
Cash paid for interest
$ —
$ —
Non-cash investing and financing transactions:
Conversion of debt and liabilities into common units
$ —
$ 58,325
Shares issued for warrant exercise commissions
$ 7,500
$ —
Shares issued for accounts payable
$ 5,126
$ —
Purchase of property and equipment for accounts payable
$ 54,800
$ —
See notes to consolidated financial statements
7
BION ENVIRONMENTAL TECHNOLOGIES, INC.
AND SUBSIDIARIES
NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
THREE MONTHS ENDED SEPTEMBER 30, 2021 AND 2020
1. ORGANIZATION,
NATURE OF BUSINESS, GOING CONCERN AND MANAGEMENT’S PLANS :
Organization and nature of business:
Bion Environmental Technologies, Inc.'s ("Bion,"
"Company," "We," "Us," or "Our") was incorporated in 1987 in the State of Colorado. Our patented
and proprietary technology provides comprehensive environmental solutions to one of the greatest water air and water quality problems
in the U.S. today: pollution from large-scale livestock production facilities (also known as “Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations”
or “CAFOs"). Application of our technology and technology platform can simultaneously remediate environmental problems
and improve operational/resource efficiencies by recovering value high-value co-products from the CAFOs’ waste stream that have
traditionally been wasted or underutilized, including renewable energy, nutrients (including ammonia nitrogen) and water.
From 2016 to 2021 fiscal years, the Company has focused
a large portion of its activities on developing, testing and demonstrating the 3rd generation of its technology and technology platform
(“3G Tech”) with emphasis on increasing the efficiency of production of valuable co-products from the waste treatment process,
including ammonia nitrogen in the form of organic ammonium bicarbonate products. The Company’s initial ammonium bicarbonate liquid
product completed its Organic Materials Review Institute (“OMRI”) application and review process with approval during May
2020. An application for our first solid ammonium bicarbonate product – AD Nitrogen – has been filed and is in the review
process (which may take an extended period of time due to the novel nature of Bion’s 3G Tech in the context of organic certifications).
Bion is now focused primarily on: i) development/construction
of its initial commercial-scale 3G Tech installation, ii) developing applications and markets for its organic fertilizer products and
its sustainable (conventional and organic) animal protein products, and iii) initiation and development of joint ventures (“JVs”
as discussed below) (and related projects) based on the augmented capabilities of our 3G Tech, while (iv) continuing to pursue development
opportunities related to large retrofit projects (such as the Kreider poultry project JV described below) and ongoing R&D activities.
The $175 billion U.S. livestock industry is under
intense scrutiny for its environmental and public health impacts – its ‘environmental sustainability’-- at the same
time it is struggling with declining revenues and margins (derived in part from clinging to its historic practices and resulting limitations
and impacts) which threaten its ‘economic sustainability’. Its failure to adequately respond to consumer concerns ranging
including food safety, environmental impacts, and humane treatment of animals have provided impetus for plant-based alternatives such
as Beyond Meat and Impossible Burger (and many others) being marketed as “sustainable” alternatives for this growing consumer
segment of the market.
The Company believes that its 3G Tech, in addition
to providing superior environmental remediation, creates opportunities for large scale production of i) verifiably sustainable-branded
livestock products and ii) verifiably sustainable organic-branded livestock products that will command premium pricing (in part due to
ongoing monitoring and third-party verification of environmental performance which will provide meaningful assurances to both consumers
and regulatory agencies). Each of these two distinct market segments (which the Company intends to pursue in parallel) presents a large
production/marketing opportunity for Bion. Our 3G Tech will also produce (as co-products) biogas and valuable organic fertilizer products,
which can be utilized in the production of organic grains for use as feed for raising organic livestock (some of which may be utilized
in the Company’s JV projects) and/or marketed to the growing organic fertilizer market.
During late September 2021, Bion entered into a lease
for the development site of its initial commercial scale 3G Tech project in September 2021(“Initial Project”), which Initial
Project will be located on approximately four (4) acres of leased land near Fair Oaks, Indiana, and a related agreement regarding disposal
of certain manure effluent with the Curtis Creek Dairy unit of Fair Oaks Farms (“FOF”). Design and pre-development work commenced
during August 2021 and preliminary surveying, site engineering and other work is now underway along with site-specific engineering and
design work. The Initial Project will be an environmentally sustainable beef cattle feeding facility, equipped with state-of-the-art housing
and Bion’s 3G-Tech platform to provide waste treatment and resource recovery. Bion has designed the project to house and feed approximately
300 head of beef cattle. The facility will include Bion’s 3G Tech platform including: i) covered barns with solar photovoltaic generation,
ii) anaerobic digestion for renewable energy recovery, iii) livestock waste treatment and resource recovery technology, iv) Bion’s
ammonium bicarbonate recovery and crystallization technology and iv) data collection software to document system efficiencies and environmental
benefits (with the Bion 3G Tech facilities capable of treating the waste from approximately 1,500 head). The facility will be large enough
to demonstrate engineering capabilities of Bion’s 3G Tech at commercial scale, but small enough that it can be constructed and commissioned
quickly, with operations targeted to commence sometime during the spring of 2022.
8
The Initial Project is not being developed at economic
commercial scale or with an expectation of profitability due to its limited scale. However, successful installation, commissioning, and
operations will demonstrate scalability, determine operating parameters at scale, and provide ongoing production and engineering capabilities,
all being critical steps that must be accomplished before developing large projects with JV partners.
Specifically, the Initial Project is being developed
to provide and/or accomplish the following:
i.
Proof of 3G Tech platform scalability
-
Document system efficiency and environmental benefits and enable final engineering modifications to optimize each unit process within the Bion 3G technology platform.
-
Environmental benefits will include (without limitation) renewable energy production (natural gas recovery from AD and solar electric from integrated roof top photovoltaic generation); nutrient recovery and conversion to stable organic fertilizer; pathogen destruction; water recovery and reuse; air emission reductions.
ii.
Use Bion’s data collection system to support 3rd party verified system efficiency requirement to qualify for USDA Process-Verified-Program (PVP): certification of sustainable branded beef (and potentially pork) product metrics.
iii.
Produce sufficient ammonium bicarbonate nitrogen fertilizer (“AD Nitrogen”) for commercial testing by potential joint venture partners and/or purchasers and for university growth trials.
iv.
Produce sustainable beef products for initial test marketing efforts.
Upon achieving optimized and steady-state operations
at the Initial Project during 2022, coupled with obtaining an OMRI listing for its AD Nitrogen product, Bion expects to be ready to move
forward with its plans for development of much larger facilities. The Company anticipates that discussions and negotiations regarding
potential JVs with strategic partners in the financial and livestock industries to develop large scale projects will commence during the
construction of the Initial Project with the goal of establishing JV’s for large scale projects that will produce both sustainable
and sustainable-organic corn-fed beef. These products will be supported by a USDA PVP-certified sustainable brand that will, initially,
highlight reductions in carbon and nutrient footprint, as well as pathogen reductions associated with foodborne illness and antibiotic
resistance, along with the organic designation where appropriate. Bion has successfully navigated the USDA PVP application process previously,
having received conditional approval of its 2G Tech platform, pending resubmission and final site audits, and is confident it will be
successful in qualifying its 3G Tech platform.
.
Additionally, the Company believes there will
also be opportunities to proceed with selected ‘retrofit projects’ of existing facilities (see ‘ 3G Tech Kreider
2 Poultry Project’ below as an example).
Bion believes that substantial unmet demand currently
exists– potentially very large – for ‘real’ meat/ dairy/ egg products that offer the verifiable/believable sustainability
consumers seek, but with the taste and texture they have come to expect from American beef and pork, dairy and poultry. Numerous studies
demonstrate the U.S. consumers’ preferences for sustainability. For example, 2019 NYU Stern’s Center for Sustainable Business
study found that ‘products marketed as sustainable grew 5.6 times faster than those that were not…’ and that ‘…in
more than 90 percent of consumer-packaged-goods (CPG) categories, sustainability-marketed products grew faster than their conventional
counterparts.’ Sales growth of plant-based alternatives, including both dairy and more recently ground meat (Beyond Meat, Impossible
Foods, etc.) have shown that a certain segment of consumers are choosing seemingly sustainable offering, and are also willing to pay a
premium for it. Numerous studies also support the consumers’ ‘willingness-to-pay’ (WTP) for sustainable choices, including
a recent meta-analysis of 80 worldwide studies with results that calculate the overall WTP premium for sustainability is 29.5 percent
on average.
As one of the largest contributors to some of the
greatest air and water quality problems in America, it is clear that livestock waste cleanup, at scale, represents one of the greatest
opportunities we have to reduce negative environmental impacts of the food supply chain on air and water quality. Bion’s 3G Tech
platform, along with its business model, enables the cleanup of the ‘dirtiest’ part of the food supply chain: animal protein
production and creates the opportunity to produce and market verifiably sustainable organic and conventional ‘real meat’ products
that can participate in the growth and premium pricing that appears to be readily available for the ‘right’ products.
Bion believes that at least a premium segment of the
U.S. beef industry (and potentially other livestock industry groups) is at the doorstep of a transformative opportunity to address the
growing demand for sustainable food product offerings, while pushing back against today’s anti-meat messaging. At $66 billion/year
(2021 retail value), the beef industry is a fragmented, commodity industry whose practices date back decades. In 1935 inflation-adjusted
terms, beef is 63% more expensive today, while pork and chicken, which are now primarily raised in covered barns, at CAFOs with highly
integrated supply chains, are 12% and 62% cheaper, respectively. In recent years, the beef industry has come under increasing fire
from advocacy groups, regulatory agencies, institutional investors, and ultimately, their own consumers, over concerns that include climate
change, water pollution, food safety, and the treatment of animals and workers.
9
Advocacy groups targeting livestock and the beef industry
have recently been joined by competitors that produce animal protein alternatives in seeking to exploit the industry’s environmental
and economic weaknesses. Their global anti-meat messaging has had a substantial chilling effect on the relationships the beef industry
has with its institutional investors; retail distributors, such as fast-food restaurants; and mostly, its consumers. Led by the United
Nations Food and Agriculture Organization, a coordinated anti-meat messaging campaign has targeted consumers worldwide, primarily focused
on the industry’s impacts on climate change. Meat alternatives, especially plant-based protein producers like Beyond Meat and Impossible
Foods, are being heavily promoted by themselves and the media, and have enjoyed steady sales growth. A 2018 NielsenIQ Homescan survey
last year found that 39% of Americans are actively trying to eat more plant-based foods. Some of the recent growth in plant-based proteins
results from increasing lactose intolerance and other health concerns; however, most of that growth is attributed to consumers’
growing concerns for the environmental impacts of real meat and dairy. Several large US companies that have traditionally focused on livestock
production, including Cargill, ADM, Perdue Foods, and Tyson, have recently entered the plant protein space. In terms of changing customer
preferences, ‘saving the planet’ has proven to be a more compelling argument than the traditional animal activism/ welfare
pitch. To date, the only ‘industry response’ to this has been grass-fed beef, which is regarded as a generally more sustainable
offering than grain-fed. However grass-fed beef has had only limited acceptance in U.S. markets, because it is less flavorful and tougher
than the traditional corn-fed beef consumers have grown to enjoy.
It should be noted that these plant-based protein
producers are primarily expected to be able to serve the ground/ processed meat market, which represents only about 10 percent of the
overall animal protein market. Further, there has recently been pushback to these plant-based products, focusing on their highly processed
nature and unproven health benefits, scalability/ pricing, and their uncertain carbon footprint. There have also been several companies
recently enter the cellular and 3D-printed meat arena. While facing myriad challenges and further out on the development timeline, some
people believe cellular agriculture (aka cultured, clean, lab-grown, cultivated) meat may have the potential to service a much larger
percentage of the market than plant-based protein, including cuts like steaks, chops and roasts, but the likely cost remains very uncertain
at this point.
Each of these items supports Bion’s belief that
there is a potentially very large opportunity to supply premium sustainable beef products that satisfy these concerns. We believe that
the real meat/beef products that can be cost-effectively produced today using our 3G Tech platform, both sustainable and/or organic, can
provide an affordable product that satisfies the consumer’s desire for sustainability, but with the superior taste and texture those
consumers have grown to prefer.
Sustainable Beef
Bion’s goal is to be first to market with meaningfully
sustainable, and verified, beef products that can be produced at sufficient scale to service national market demand. The cattle produced
at a Bion facility will enjoy a substantially lower carbon footprint, dramatically reduced nutrient impacts to water, and an almost total
pathogen kill in the waste stream. A Bion sustainable beef facility will be comprised of covered barns with slotted floors, which allow
the waste to pass through and be collected quickly and frequently to reduce ammonia volatilization and loss, as well as odors. Covered
barns will reduce weather impacts on the livestock and have been demonstrated to promote improved general health and weight gain in the
cattle housed in them. The barns represent a very large roof surface area, which will be utilized in appropriate geographical locations
for the installation of photovoltaic solar generation systems to produce electricity for the facility, as well as export to the grid.
Waste treatment and resource recovery will be provided by Bion’s advanced 3G Tech platform, which Bion believes offers the most
comprehensive solution for livestock waste available today. In addition to direct environmental benefits every pound of nitrogen that
is captured, upcycled, and returned to the agricultural nitrogen cycle as high-quality fertilizer (vs lost to contaminate downstream waters),
is also a pound of nitrogen that will not have to be produced as synthetic urea or anhydrous ammonia, with their tremendous carbon cost.
System performance and environmental benefits will be monitored and verified through third parties, with USDA PVP certification of the
sustainable brand that Bion also believes will be the most comprehensive available in the market.
Sustainable Organic Beef
Bion believes it has a unique opportunity to produce,
at scale, affordable corn-fed organic beef that is certified as sustainable. In addition to the sustainable practices described above,
organic-sourced beef cows would be finished on organic corn, which would be produced using the ammonium bicarbonate fertilizer captured
by the 3G Tech platform. Bion believes its meat products will meet consumer demands with respect to sustainability and safety (organic)
and provide the tenderness and taste American consumers have come to expect from premium conventional American beef. Such products are
largely unavailable in the market today. We believe Bion’s unique ability to produce the fertilizer needed to grow a supply of low-cost
organic corn, and the resulting opportunity to produce organic beef, will dramatically differentiate us from potential competitors. This
organic opportunity is dependent on successfully establishing Bion’s fertilizer products as acceptable for use in organic grain
production.
10
Today, organic beef demand is limited and mostly supplied
with grass-fed cattle. While organic ground/ chopped meat has enjoyed success in U.S. markets, grass-fed steaks have seen limited acceptance,
mostly resulting from consumer issues with taste and texture. In other words, it’s tough. Regardless, such steaks sell for a significant
premium over conventional beef. A grain-finished organic beef product is largely unavailable in the marketplace today due to the higher
costs of producing organic corn and grain. The exception is offerings that are very expensive from small ‘boutique’ beef producers.
Like all plants, corn requires nitrogen to grow. Corn is especially sensitive to a late-season application of readily available nitrogen
– the key to maximizing yields. With non-organic field corn, this nitrogen is supplied by an application of a low-cost synthetic
fertilizer, such as urea or anhydrous ammonia. However, the cost for suitable nitrogen fertilizer that can be applied late-season in organic
corn production is so high that the late-season application becomes uneconomical, resulting in substantially lower yields – a widely
recognized phenomena known as the ‘yield gap’ in organic production. The yield gap results in higher costs for organic corn
that, in turn, make it uneconomical to feed that corn to livestock. As is the case for sustainable but not organic beef, Bion believes
there is a potentially large unmet demand for affordable beef products that are both sustainable AND organic, but with the taste and texture
consumers have come to expect from American beef. Bion’s ability to produce the low-cost nitrogen fertilizer that can close the
organic yield (and affordability) gap puts the company in a unique, if not exclusive at this time, position to participate in JV’s
that will benefit from this opportunity starting next year.
The demonstrated willingness of consumers to purchase
sustainable products (along with numerous research and marketing studies confirming consumers are seeking, and are willing to pay a premium
for, sustainable products)---in combination with the threat to the livestock industry market (primarily beef and pork) posed by plant-based
alternatives (heightened by pandemic conditions)--- has succeeded in focusing the large scale livestock industry on how to meet the plant-based
market challenge by addressing the consumer sustainability issues. The consumer demand for sustainability appears to be a real and lasting
trend, but consumers remain skeptical of generalized claims of ‘sustainability’. To date, a large portion of the industry
responses have been at a superficial level or consist of ‘green washing’, a deceptive marketing practice where companies promote
non-substantive initiatives. Real sustainability for the livestock industry will require implementation of advanced waste treatment technology
at or near the CAFOs – where most of the negative environmental impacts take place.
3 Tech Kreider 2 Poultry Project
Bion has done extensive pre-development work related
to a waste treatment/renewable energy production facility to treat the waste from KF’s approximately 6+ million chickens (planned
to expand to approximately 9-10 million) (and potentially other poultry operations and/or other waste streams) ('Kreider Renewable Energy
Facility' or ‘Kreider 2 Project’). On May 5, 2016, the Company executed a stand-alone joint venture agreement with Kreider
Farms covering all matters related to development and operation of Kreider 2 system to treat the waste streams from Kreider’s poultry
facilities in Bion PA2 LLC (“PA2”). During May 2011 the PADEP certified a smaller version of the Kreider 2 Project (utilizing
our 3G Tech) for 559,457 nutrient credits under the old EPA’s Chesapeake Bay model. The Company has been in ongoing discussions
with the PADEP regarding the appropriate credit calculation methodology for large-scale technology-based nutrient reduction installations
such as the KF2 Project utilizing our 3G Tech platform. Based on these discussions and the size of the Kreider 2 Project, we anticipate
that when designs are finalized, the Kreider 2 Project will be re-certified for a far larger number of credits (management’s current
estimates are between 2-4 million (or more) nutrient reduction credits for treatment of the waste stream from Kreider’s poultry
pursuant to the Company’s subsequent amended application during the current fiscal year pursuant to the amended EPA Chesapeake Bay
model and agreements between the EPA and PA . Note that this Project may be expanded in the future to treat wastes from other local and
regional CAFOs (poultry and/or dairy---including the Kreider Dairy) and/or additional Kreider poultry expansion (some of which may not
qualify for nutrient reduction credits). A review process to clarify certain issues related to credit calculation and verification commenced
during 2014 based on Bion’s 2G Tech but was been placed on hold. The Company anticipates if and when PA2 re-commences work on the
Kreider 2 Project, it will submit an amended or new application based on our 3G Tech. Site specific design and engineering work for this
facility have not commenced, and the Company does not yet have financing in place for the Kreider 2 Project. This opportunity is being
pursued through PA2. If there are positive developments related to the market for nutrient reductions in Pennsylvania, of which there
is no assurance, the Company intends to pursue development, design and construction of the Kreider 2 Project with a goal of achieving
operational status for its initial modules during then following calendar year. The economics (potential revenues and profitability) of
the Kreider 2 Project, despite its proposed use of Bion’s 3G Tech for increased recovery of marketable by-products, are based in
material part the long-term sale of nutrient (nitrogen and/or phosphorus) reduction credits to meet the requirements of the Chesapeake
Bay environmental clean-up. However, liquidity in the Pennsylvania nutrient credit market has not yet developed significant breadth and
depth, which lack of liquidity has negatively impacted Bion’s business plans and will most likely delay PA2’s Kreider 2 Project
and other proposed projects in Pennsylvania.
Note that while Bion believes that the Kreider 2 Project
and/or subsequent Bion Projects in PA and the Chesapeake Bay Watershed will eventually generate revenue from the sale of: a) nutrient
reductions (credits or in other form), b) renewable energy (and related credits), c) sales of fertilizer products, and/or d) potentially,
in time, credits for the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions, plus e) license fees related to a ‘sustainable brand’, the
Covid-19 pandemic has delayed legislative efforts needed to commence its development. We believe that the potential market is very large,
but it is not possible to predict the exact timing and/or magnitude of these potential markets at this time.
11
Technology Deployment: Bion 3G Tech
Widespread deployment of waste treatment technology,
and the sustainability it enables, is largely dependent upon generating sufficient additional revenues to offset the capital and operating
costs associated with technology adoption. Bion’s 3G Tech has been developed to create opportunities for such augmented revenue
streams, while providing third party verification of sustainability claims. The 3G Tech platform has been designed to maximize the value
of co-products produced during the waste treatment/recovery processes, including pipeline-quality renewable natural gas (biogas) and commercial
fertilizer products approved for organic production. All processes will be verifiable by third parties (including regulatory authorities
and certifying boards) to comply with environmental regulations and trading programs and meet the requirements for: a) renewable energy
and carbon credits, b) organic certification of the fertilizer coproducts and c) USDA PVP certification of an ‘Environmentally Sustainable’
brand (see discussion below), and d) payment for verified ecosystem services. The Company’s first patent on its 3G Tech was issued
during 2018. In August 2020, the Company received a Notice of Allowance on its third patent which significantly expands the breadth and
depth of the Company’s 3G Tech coverage, and the Company has additional applications pending and/or planned.
Bion’s business model and technology platform
can create the opportunity for JVs (in various contractual forms) between the Company and large livestock/food/fertilizer industry participants,
based upon the supplemental cash flow generated by implementation of our 3G Tech business model, which will support the costs of technology
implementation (including related debt). We anticipate this will result in long term value for Bion. In the context of such JVs, we believe
that the verifiable sustainable branding opportunities (conventional and organic) may expand to represent the single largest enhanced
revenue contributor provided by Bion to the JVs (and Bion licensees). The Company believes that the largest portion of its business with
be conducted through such JVs, but a material portion may involve licensing and or other approaches.
In parallel with technology development, Bion has
worked (which work continues) to implement market-driven strategies designed to stimulate private-sector participation in the overall
U.S. nutrient and carbon reduction strategy. These market-driven strategies can generate “payment for ecosystem services”,
in which farmers or landowners are rewarded for managing their land and operations to provide environmental benefits, that will generate
additional revenues. Existing renewable energy credits for the production and use of biogas are an example of payment for ecosystem services.
Another such strategy is nutrient trading (or water quality trading), which will potentially create markets (in Pennsylvania and other
states) that will utilize taxpayer funding for the purchase of verified pollution reductions from agriculture (“nutrient credits”)
by the state (or others) through competitively-bid procurement programs. Such credits can then be used as a ‘qualified offset’
by an individual state (or municipality) to meet its federal clean water mandates at significantly lower cost to the taxpayer. Market-driven
strategies, including competitive procurement of verified credits, is supported by U.S. EPA, the Chesapeake Bay Commission, national livestock
interests, and other key stakeholders. Legislation in Pennsylvania to establish the first such state competitive procurement program passed
the Pennsylvania Senate by a bi-partisan majority during March 2019. However, the Covid-19 pandemic and related financial/budgetary crises
have slowed progress for this and other policy initiatives and, as a result, it is not currently possible to project the timeline for
completion (or meaningful progress) of this and other similar initiatives (see discussion below).
The livestock industry and its markets are already
changing; with a commercial-ready technology and business model, Bion believes it has a ‘first-mover advantage’ over others
that will seek to exploit the opportunities that will arise from the industry’s inevitable transformation. Bion anticipates moving
forward with the development process of its initial commercial installations utilizing its 3G Tech, during the current 2022 fiscal year.
We believe that Bion’s 3G Tech platform and business model can provide a pathway to true economic and environmental sustainability
with ‘win-win’ benefits for at least a premium sector of the livestock industry, the environment, and the consumer, an opportunity
which the Company intends to pursue.
The Livestock Problem
The livestock industry is under tremendous pressure
from regulatory agencies, a wide range of advocacy groups, institutional investors and the industry’s own consumers, to adopt sustainable
practices. Environmental cleanup is inevitable and has already begun - and policies have already begun to change, as well. Bion’s
3G Tech was developed for implementation on large scale livestock production facilities, where scale drives both lower treatment costs
and efficient co-products production, as well as dramatic environmental improvements. We believe that scale, coupled with Bion’s
verifiable treatment technology platform, will create a transformational opportunity to integrate clean production practices at (or close
to) the point of production—the primary source of the industry’s environmental impacts. Bion intends to assist the forward-looking
segment of the livestock industry to bring animal protein production in line with 21st Century consumer demands for meaningful sustainability.
In the U.S. (according to the USDA’s 2017 agricultural
census) there are over 9 million dairy cows, 90 million beef cattle, 60 million swine and more than 2 billion poultry which provides an
indication of both the scope of the problem addressed by Bion’s technology, as well as the size of Bion’s opportunity. Environmental
impacts from livestock production include surface and groundwater pollution, greenhouse gas emissions, ammonia, and other air pollution,
excess water use, and pathogens related to foodborne illnesses and antibiotic resistance. While the most visible and immediate problems
are related to nutrient runoff and its effects on water quality, the industry has recently been targeted by various stakeholder groups
for its impacts on climate change.
12
Estimates of total annual U.S. livestock manure waste
vary widely, but start around a billion tons, between 100 and 130 times greater than human waste. However, while human waste is generally
treated by septic or municipal wastewater plants, livestock waste – raw manure – is spread on our nation’s croplands
for its fertilizer value. Large portions of U.S. feed crop production (and most organic crop production) are fertilized, in part, in this
manner. Under current manure management practices, 80% or more of total nitrogen from manure, much of it in the form of ammonia, escapes
during storage, transportation, and during and after soil application, representing both substantial lost value and environmental costs.
More than half of the nitrogen impacts from livestock
waste come from airborne ammonia emissions, which are extremely volatile, reactive and mobile. Airborne ammonia nitrogen eventually settles
back to the ground through atmospheric deposition - it ‘rains’ everywhere. While some of this nitrogen is captured and used
by plants, most of it runs off and enters surface waters or percolates down to groundwater. It is now well-established that most of the
voluntary conservation practices, such as vegetated buffers that ‘filter’ runoff (often referred to as “BMPs”
or “Best Management Practices” that have traditionally been implemented to attempt to mitigate nutrient runoff), are considerably
less effective than was previously believed to be the case. This is especially true with regard to addressing the volatile and mobile
nitrogen from ammonia emissions, because BMPs are primarily focused on surface water runoff, directly from farm fields in current production,
versus the re-deposition that takes place everywhere or groundwater flow.
Runoff from livestock waste has been identified in
most of our major watersheds as a primary source of excess nutrients that fuel algae blooms in both fresh and saltwater. Over the last
several years, algae blooms have become increasingly toxic to both humans and animals, such as the Red Tides on the Florida and California
coasts, and the Lake Erie algae bloom that cut off the water supply to Toledo, Ohio, residents in 2014. When the nutrient runoff subsides,
it leaves the algae blooms with no more ‘food’ and the blooms die. The algae’s decomposition takes oxygen from the water,
leading to ‘dead zones’ in local ponds, lakes, and ultimately, the Great Lakes, as well as the Chesapeake Bay, Gulf of Mexico,
and other estuary waters. Both the toxic algae blooms and the low/no-oxygen dead zones devastate marine life, from shrimp and fish to
higher mammals, including dolphins and manatees. U.S. EPA already considers excess nutrients “one of America’s most widespread,
costly and challenging environmental problems”. Nutrient runoff is expected to worsen dramatically in the coming decades due to
rising temperatures and increasing rainstorm intensity as a result of climate change.
Nitrate-contaminated groundwater is of growing concern
in agricultural regions nationwide, where it has been directly correlated with nutrient runoff from upstream agricultural operations using
raw manure as fertilizer. Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, California and Washington, and others, now have regions where groundwater nitrate levels
exceed EPA standards for safe drinking water. High levels of nitrate can cause blue baby syndrome (methemoglobinemia) in infants and affect
women who are or may become pregnant, and it has been linked to thyroid disease and colon cancer. EPA has set an enforceable standard
called a maximum contaminant level (MCL) in water for nitrates at 10 parts per million (ppm) (10 mg/L) and for nitrites at 1 ppm (1 mg/L).
Federal regulations require expensive pretreatment for community water sources that exceed the MCL; however, private drinking water
wells are not regulated, and it is the owners’ responsibility to test and treat their wells. Additionally, groundwater flows also
transport this volatile nitrogen downstream where, along its way, it intermixes with surface water, further exacerbating the runoff problem.
Like atmospheric deposition, the current conservation practices we rely on to reduce agricultural runoff are largely bypassed by this
subsurface flow.
Additionally, in arid climates, such as California,
airborne ammonia emissions from livestock manure contribute to air pollution as a precursor to PM2.5 formation, small inhalable particulate
matter that is a regulated air pollutant with significant public health risks. Whether airborne or dissolved in water, ammonia can only
be cost-effectively controlled and treated at the source-- before it has a chance to escape into the environment where it becomes extremely
expensive to ‘chase’, capture and treat.
High phosphorus concentrations in soils fertilized
with raw manure are another growing problem. The ratio of nitrogen to phosphorus in livestock waste is fixed, and because manure application
rates are calculated based on nitrogen requirements, often phosphorus is overapplied as an unintended consequence. Phosphorus accumulation
in agricultural soils reduces its productivity, increases the risk of phosphorus runoff, and represents a waste of a finite resource.
Decoupling the nitrogen from the phosphorus would allow them to be precision-applied, independently of each other, when and where needed.
The livestock industry has recently come under heavy
fire for its impacts on climate change, which has become a rallying cry for the anti-meat campaign discussed above. Estimates of the magnitude
of those impacts vary widely, but the general consensus is that globally, livestock account for 14.5 percent of greenhouse emissions.
In the U.S. however, that number drops to 4.2 percent, due to the increased efficiencies of American beef production. The greatest impacts
come from direct emissions of methane from enteric fermentation (belches), methane and nitrous oxide emissions from the manure, with arguably
the largest being the massive carbon footprint of the synthetic nitrogen fertilizers used to grow the grains to feed the livestock.
13
For decades the livestock industry has overlooked
and/or socialized its environmental problems and costs. Today, the impacts of livestock production on public health and the environment
can no longer be ignored and are coming under increasing scrutiny from environmental groups and health organizations, regulatory agencies
and the courts, the media, consumers, and activist institutional investors. The result has been a significant and alarming loss of market
share to plant-based protein and other alternative products. Bion’s 3G Tech platform was designed to resolve these environmental
issues and bring the industry in line with twenty-first century consumer expectations.
Going concern and management’s plans:
The consolidated financial statements have been
prepared assuming the Company will continue as a going concern. The Company has not generated significant revenues and has incurred
net losses (including significant non-cash expenses) of approximately $ 3,451,000 and
$ 4,553,000 during the years ended June 30,
2021 and 2020, respectively, and a net loss of approximately $ 664,000 during
the three months ended September 30, 2021. At September 30, 2021, the Company has a working capital deficit and a
stockholders’ deficit of approximately $ 7,131,000
and $12,000,000, ( 12,000,200 ) respectively.
These factors raise substantial doubt about the Company’s ability to continue as a going concern. The accompanying
consolidated financial statements do not include any adjustments relating to the recoverability or classification of assets or the
amounts and classification of liabilities that may result should the Company be unable to continue as a going concern. The following
paragraphs describe management’s plans with regard to these conditions.
The Company continues to explore sources of additional
financing (including potential agreements with strategic partners – both financial and ag-industry) to satisfy its current and future
operating and capital expenditure requirements as it is not currently generating any significant revenues.
During the years ended June 30, 2021 and 2020, the
Company received gross proceeds of approximately $ 5,209,000 and $ 1,584,000 , respectively, from the sale of its debt and equity securities.
During the three months ended September 30, 2021, the Company received
total proceeds of approximately $ 105,000 from the sale of its equity securities and paid approximately $ 1,000 in commissions.
During fiscal years 2021 and 2020, the Company has
faced progressively less difficulty in raising equity funding (but substantial equity dilution has gone along with the larger amounts
of equity financing during the periods) than was experienced in the prior 3 years. However, the Company anticipates substantial increases
in demands for capital and operating expenditures as it moves toward commercial implementation of its 3G Tech and development of JVs and,
therefore, is likely to continue to face, significant cash flow management challenges due to limited capital resources and working capital
constraints which have only recently begun to be alleviated. To partially mitigate these working capital constraints, the Company’s
core senior management and several key employees and consultants have been deferring (and continue to defer) all or part of their cash
compensation and/or are accepting compensation in the form of securities of the Company (Notes 4 and 6) and members of the Company’s
senior management have made loans to the Company from time to time. During the year ended June 30, 2018, senior management and certain
core employees and consultants agreed to a one-time extinguishment of liabilities owed by the Company which in aggregate totaled $ 2,404,000 .
Additionally, the Company made reductions in its personnel during the years ended June 30, 2014 and 2015 and again during the year ended
June 30, 2018. The constraint on available resources has had, and continues to have, negative effects on the pace and scope of the Company’s
efforts to develop its business. The Company has had to delay payment of trade obligations and has had to economize in many ways that
have potentially negative consequences. If the Company is able to continue its recent increased success in its efforts to raise needed
funds during the remainder of the current fiscal year (and subsequent periods), of which there is no assurance, management will not need
to consider deeper cuts (including additional personnel cuts) and curtailment of ongoing activities including research and development
activities.
The Company will need to obtain additional capital
to fund its operations and technology development, to satisfy existing creditors, to develop Projects (including the Initial Project,
JV Projects, Integrated Projects and/or the Kreider 2 facility) and CAFO Retrofit waste remediation systems. The Company anticipates that
it will seek to raise from $ 10,000,000 to $ 50,000,000 or more debt and/or equity through joint ventures, strategic partnerships and/or
sale of its equity securities (common, preferred and/or hybrid) and/or debt (including convertible) securities, and/or through use of
‘rights’ and/or warrants (new and/or existing) and or through other means during the next twelve months. However, as discussed
above, there is no assurance, especially in light of the difficulties the Company has experienced in many recent years and the extremely
unsettled capital markets that presently exist for small companies like us), that the Company will be able to obtain the funds that it
needs to stay in business, complete its technology development or to successfully develop its business and Projects.
There is no realistic likelihood that funds required
during the next twelve months (or in the periods immediately thereafter) for the Company’s basic operations, the Initial Project
and/or proposed JVs and/or Projects will be generated from operations. Therefore, the Company will need to raise sufficient funds from
external sources such as debt or equity financings or other potential sources. The lack of sufficient additional capital resulting from
the inability to generate cash flow from operations and/or to raise capital from external sources would force the Company to substantially
curtail or cease operations and would, therefore, have a material adverse effect on its business. Further, there can be no assurance that
any such required funds, if available, will be available on attractive terms or that they will not have a significantly dilutive effect
on the Company’s existing shareholders. All of these factors have been exacerbated by the extremely limited and unsettled credit
and capital markets presently existing for small companies like Bion.
14
Covid-19 pandemic related matters:
The Company faces risks and uncertainties and factors
beyond our control that are magnified during the current Covid-19 pandemic and the unique economic, financial, governmental and health-related
conditions in which the Company, the country and the entire world now reside. To date the Company has experienced direct impacts in various
areas including but without limitation: i) government ordered shutdowns which have slowed the Company’s research and development
projects and other initiatives, ii) shifted focus of state and federal governments which is likely to negatively impact the Company’s
legislative initiatives in Pennsylvania and Washington D. C., iii) strains and uncertainties in both the equity and debt markets which
have made discussion and planning of funding of the Company and its initiatives and projects with investment bankers, banks and potential
strategic partners more tenuous, iv) strains and uncertainties in the agricultural sector and markets have made discussion and planning
more difficult as future industry conditions are now more difficult to assess and predict, v) constraints due to problems experienced
in the global industrial supply chain which have delayed certain research and development testing and may delay construction of the initial
3G Tech installation if equipment remains difficult to acquire in a timely manner, vi) due to the age and health of our core management
team, all of whom are age 70 or older and have had one or more existing health issues, the Covid-19 pandemic places the Company at greater
risk than was previously the case (to a higher degree than would be the case if the Company had a larger, deeper and/or younger core management
team), and vii) there almost certainly will be other unanticipated consequences for the Company as a result of the current pandemic emergency
and its aftermath.
2. SIGNIFICANT
ACCOUNTING POLICIES
Principles of consolidation:
The consolidated financial statements include the
accounts of the Company and its wholly-owned subsidiaries, Bion Integrated Projects Group, Inc. (“Projects Group”), Bion Technologies,
Inc., BionSoil, Inc., Bion Services, Bion PA1 LLC, Bion PA2 LLC and Bion 3G-1 LLC; and its 58.9 % owned subsidiary, Centerpoint Corporation
(“Centerpoint”). All significant intercompany accounts and transactions have been eliminated in consolidation.
The accompanying consolidated financial statements
have been prepared without audit pursuant to the rules and regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”).
The consolidated financial statements reflect all adjustments (consisting of only normal recurring entries) that, in the opinion of management,
are necessary to present fairly the financial position at September 30, 2021, and the results of operations and cash flows of the Company
for the three months ended September 30, 2021 and 2020. Operating results for the three months ended September 30, 2021 are not necessarily
indicative of the results that may be expected for the year ending June 30, 2022.
Cash and cash equivalents:
The Company considers all highly liquid investments purchased with an original
maturity of three months or less to be cash and cash equivalents.
Property and equipment:
Property and equipment are stated at cost and are
depreciated, when placed into service, using the straight-line method over the estimated useful lives of the related assets, generally
three to twenty years. The Company capitalizes all direct costs and all indirect incrementally identifiable costs related to the design
and construction of its Integrated Projects. The Company reviews its property and equipment for impairment whenever events or changes
in circumstances indicate that the carrying amount of an asset may not be recoverable. An impairment loss would be recognized based on
the amount by which the carrying value of the assets or asset group exceeds its estimated fair value, and is recognized as a loss from
operations.
Patents:
The Company has elected to expense all costs and filing
fees related to obtaining patents (resulting in no related asset being recognized in the Company’s consolidated balance sheets)
because the Company believes such costs and fees are immaterial (in the context of the Company’s total costs/expenses) and have
no direct relationship to the value of the Company’s patents.
15
Stock-based compensation:
The Company follows the provisions of Accounting Standards
Codification (“ASC”) 718, which generally requires that share-based compensation transactions be accounted and recognized
in the statement of operations based upon their grant date fair values.
Derivative Financial Instruments:
Pursuant to ASC Topic 815 “Derivatives and Hedging”
(“Topic 815”), the Company reviews all financial instruments for the existence of features which may require fair value accounting
and a related mark-to-market adjustment at each reporting period end. Once determined, the Company assesses these instruments as derivative
liabilities. The fair value of these instruments is adjusted to reflect the fair value at each reporting period end, with any increase
or decrease in the fair value being recorded in results of operations as an adjustment to fair value of derivatives.
Warrants:
The Company has issued warrants to purchase common
shares of the Company. Warrants are valued using a fair value based method, whereby the fair value of the warrant is determined at the
warrant issue date using a market-based option valuation model based on factors including an evaluation of the Company’s value as
of the date of the issuance, consideration of the Company’s limited liquid resources and business prospects, the market price of
the Company’s stock in its mostly inactive public market and the historical valuations and purchases of the Company’s warrants.
When warrants are issued in combination with debt or equity securities, the warrants are valued and accounted for based on the relative
fair value of the warrants in relation to the total value assigned to the debt or equity securities and warrants combined.
Concentrations of credit risk:
The Company's financial instruments that are exposed
to concentrations of credit risk consist of cash. The Company's cash is in demand deposit accounts placed with federally insured financial
institutions and selected brokerage accounts. Such deposit accounts at times may exceed federally insured limits. The Company has not
experienced any losses on such accounts.
Noncontrolling interests:
In accordance with ASC 810, “Consolidation”,
the Company separately classifies noncontrolling interests within the equity section of the consolidated balance sheets and separately
reports the amounts attributable to controlling and noncontrolling interests in the consolidated statements of operations. In addition,
the noncontrolling interest continues to be attributed its share of losses even if that attribution results in a deficit noncontrolling
interest balance.
Fair value measurements:
Fair value is defined as the price that would be received
to sell an asset or paid to transfer a liability in an orderly transaction between market participants at the measurement date in the
principal or most advantageous market. The Company uses a fair value hierarchy that has three levels of inputs, both observable and unobservable,
with use of the lowest possible level of input to determine fair value.
Level 1 – quoted prices (unadjusted) in active
markets for identical assets or liabilities;
Level 2 – observable inputs other than Level
1, quoted prices for similar assets or liabilities in active markets, quoted prices for identical or similar assets and liabilities in
markets that are not active, and model-derived prices whose inputs are observable or whose significant value drivers are observable; and
Level 3 – assets and liabilities whose significant
value drivers are unobservable.
Observable inputs are based on market data obtained
from independent sources, while unobservable inputs are based on the Company’s market assumptions. Unobservable inputs require significant
management judgment or estimation. In some cases, the inputs used to measure an asset or liability may fall into different levels of the
fair value hierarchy. In those instances, the fair value measurement is required to be classified using the lowest level of input that
is significant to the fair value measurement. Such determination requires significant management judgment.
The fair value of cash and accounts payable approximates
their carrying amounts due to their short-term maturities. The fair value of the loan payable is indeterminable at this time due to the
nature of the arrangement with a state agency and the fact that it is in default. The fair value of the redeemable preferred stock approximates
its carrying value due to the dividends accrued on the preferred stock which are reflected as part of the redemption value. The fair value
of the deferred compensation and convertible notes payable - affiliates are not practicable to estimate due to the related party nature
of the underlying transactions.
16
Lease Accounting:
The Company will account for any future leases
under ASC 842, Leases (“ASC 842”). Accordingly, the Company will determine whether an arrangement contains
a lease at the inception of the arrangement. If a lease is determined to exist, the term of such lease is assessed based on the date on
which the underlying asset is made available for the Company’s use by the lessor. The Company’s assessment of the lease term
reflects the non-cancelable term of the lease, inclusive of any rent-free periods and/or periods covered by early-termination options
which the Company is reasonably certain of not exercising, as well as periods covered by renewal options which the Company is reasonably
certain of exercising. The Company will also determine lease classification as either operating or finance at lease commencement, which
governs the pattern of expense recognition and the presentation reflected in the consolidated statements of operations over the lease
term.
For leases with a term exceeding 12 months,
a lease liability will be recorded on the Company’s consolidated balance sheet at lease commencement reflecting the present value
of its fixed minimum payment obligations over the lease term. A corresponding right-of-use (“ROU”) asset equal to the initial
lease liability will also be recorded, adjusted for any prepaid rent and/or initial direct costs incurred in connection with execution
of the lease and reduced by any lease incentives received. For purposes of measuring the present value of its fixed payment obligations
for a given lease, the Company will use its incremental borrowing rate, determined based on information available at lease commencement,
as rates implicit in its leasing arrangements are typically not readily determinable. The Company's incremental borrowing rate reflects
the rate it would pay to borrow on a secured basis and incorporates the term and economic environment of the associated lease.
For the Company’s operating leases, fixed
lease payments will be recognized as lease expense on a straight-line basis over the lease term. For leases with a term of 12 months or
less, any fixed lease payments will be recognized on a straight-line basis over the lease term and will not be recognized on the Company's
consolidated balance sheet as an accounting policy election.
Revenue Recognition:
The Company currently does not generate revenue and
if and when the Company begins to generate revenue the Company will comply with the provisions of ASC 606 “Revenue from Contracts
with Customers”.
Loss per share:
Basic loss per share amounts are calculated using
the weighted average number of shares of common stock outstanding during the period. Diluted loss per share assumes the conversion, exercise
or issuance of all potential common stock instruments, such as options or warrants, unless the effect is to reduce the loss per share
or increase the earnings per share. During the three months ended September 30, 2021 and 2020, the basic and diluted loss per share was
the same, as the impact of potential dilutive common shares was anti-dilutive.
The following table represents the warrants, options
and convertible securities excluded from the calculation of basic loss per share:
Schedule of antidilutive securities
September 30,
2021
September 30,
2020
Warrants
21,802,822
20,595,164
Options
10,471,600
9,511,600
Convertible debt
10,462,498
10,617,702
Convertible preferred stock
20,250
19,250
The following is a reconciliation of the denominators
of the basic and diluted loss per share computations for the three months ended September 30, 2021 and 2020:
Schedule of earnings per share, basic and diluted
Three Months
ended
September 30,
2021
Three months
ended
September 30,
2020
Shares issued – beginning of period
41,315,986
31,409,005
Shares held by subsidiaries (Note 7)
( 704,309 )
( 704,309 )
Shares outstanding – beginning of period
40,611,677
30,704,696
Weighted average shares issued
during the period
108,015
88,938
Diluted weighted average shares –
end of period
40,719,692
30,793,634
17
Use of estimates:
In preparing the Company’s consolidated financial
statements in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America, management is required to make
estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities and the disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities
at the date of the financial statements and the reported amounts of revenues and expenses during the reporting period. Actual results
could differ from those estimates.
Recent Accounting Pronouncements:
The Company continually assesses any new accounting
pronouncements to determine their applicability. When it is determined that a new accounting pronouncement affects the Company’s
financial reporting, the Company undertakes a study to determine the consequences of the change to its financial statements and assures
that there are proper controls in place to ascertain that the Company’s financial statements properly reflect the change.
3. PROPERTY AND EQUIPMENT :
Property and equipment consist of the following:
Schedule of property and equipment
September 30,
2021
June 30,
2021
Machinery and equipment
$ 2,222,670
$ 2,222,670
Buildings and structures
401,470
401,470
Computers and office equipment
172,051
171,485
3G project construction in process
60,796
—
Property and equipment, gross
2,856,987
2,795,625
Less accumulated depreciation
( 2,794,404 )
( 2,795,084 )
Property and equipment, net
$ 62,583
$ 541
As of September 30, 2021, the net book value of
Kreider 1 was 0
zero. Management has reviewed the remaining property and equipment for impairment as of September 30, 2021 and believes that no
impairment exists.
Depreciation expense was $ 248 and $ 207 for the three
months ended September 30, 2021 and 2020, respectively.
4. DEFERRED
COMPENSATION :
The Company owes deferred compensation to
various employees, former employees and consultants totaling $ 528,640
and $ 849,941
as of September 30, 2021 and 2020, respectively. Included in the deferred compensation balances as of September 30, 2021, are $ 436,920
and 0
nil owed Dominic Bassani (“Bassani”), the Company’s Chief Executive Officer, and Mark A. Smith
(“Smith”), the Company’s President , respectively,
pursuant to extension agreements effective January 1, 2015, whereby unpaid compensation earned after January 1, 2015, accrues
interest at 4 %
per annum and can be converted into shares of the Company’s common stock at the election of the employee during the first five
5 calendar days of any month. The conversion price shall be the average closing price of the Company’s common stock for the
last 10
trading days of the immediately preceding month. The deferred compensation owed Bassani and Smith as of September 30, 2020 was
$ 211,871
and $ 53,138 ,
respectively. The Company also owes various consultants and an employee, pursuant to various agreements, for deferred compensation
of $ 19,220
and $ 512,432
as of September 30, 2021 and 2020, respectively, with similar conversion terms as those described above for Bassani and Smith, with
the exception that the interest accrues at 3 %
per annum. The Company also owes a former employee $ 72,500 ,
which is not convertible and is non-interest bearing.
Bassani and Smith have each been granted the right
to convert up to $ 300,000 of deferred compensation balances at a price of $ 0.75 per share until December 31, 2022 (to be issued pursuant
to the 2006 Plan). Smith also has the right to convert all or part of his deferred compensation balance into the Company’s securities
(to be issued pursuant to the 2006 Plan) “at market” and/or on the same terms as the Company is selling or has sold its securities
in its then current (or most recent if there is no current) private placement. Smith also received the right to transfer future deferred
compensation to his 2020 Convertible Obligation at his election.
The Company recorded interest expense of $ 4,032
($ 3,949 with related parties) and $ 5,784 ($ 2,208 with related parties) for the three months ended September 30, 2021 and 2020, respectively.
18
5. LOANS PAYABLE :
Pennvest
PA1, the Company’s wholly-owned
subsidiary, owes $ 9,939,148
as of September 30, 2021 under the terms of the Pennvest Loan related to the construction of the Kreider 1 System including accrued
interest and late charges totaling $ 2,185,148
as of September 30, 2021. The terms of the Pennvest Loan provided for funding of up to $ 7,754,000
which was to be repaid by interest-only payments for 3 three
years, followed by an additional 10 ten-year
amortization of principal. The Pennvest Loan accrues interest at 2.547 %
per annum for years 1 through 5 and 3.184 %
per annum for years 6 through maturity. The Pennvest Loan required minimum annual principal payments of approximately $ 5,886,000
in fiscal years 2013 through 2021, and $ 846,000
in fiscal year 2022, $ 873,000
in fiscal year 2023 and $ 149,000
in fiscal year 2024. The Pennvest Loan is collateralized by the Kreider 1 System and by a pledge of all revenues generated from
Kreider 1 including, but not limited to, revenues generated from nutrient reduction credit sales and by-product sales. In addition,
in consideration for the excess credit risk associated with the project, Pennvest is entitled to participate in the profits from
Kreider 1 calculated on a net cash flow basis, as defined. The Company has incurred interest expense related to the Pennvest Loan of
and $ 61,722
for both the three months ended September 30, 2021 and 2020, respectively. Based on the limited development of the depth and breadth
of the Pennsylvania nutrient reduction credit market to date, PA1 commenced negotiations with Pennvest related to forbearance and/or
re-structuring the obligations under the Pennvest Loan. In the context of such negotiations, PA1 elected not to make interest
payments to Pennvest on the Pennvest Loan since January 2013. Additionally, the Company has not made any principal payments, which
were to begin in fiscal 2013, and, therefore, the Company has classified the Pennvest Loan as a current liability as of September
30, 2021.
On September 25, 2014, Pennvest exercised its right
to declare the Pennvest Loan in default and accelerated the Pennvest Loan and demanded that PA1 pay $ 8,137,117 (principal, interest plus
late charges) on or before October 24, 2014. PA1 did not make the payment and does not have the resources to make the payments demanded
by Pennvest. PA1 commenced discussions and negotiations with Pennvest concerning this matter but Pennvest rejected PA1’s proposal
made during the fall of 2014. PA1 made a new proposal to Pennvest during September 2021 which proposal has been rejected by PennvestPA1
provides Pennvest with its financial statements (which include a description of system status) annually. During the 2021 fiscal year,
Pennvest’s auditors requested a ‘corrective action plan’ and PA1 informed Pennvest that “… there is no
viable corrective action plan for the Pennvest Loan (‘Loan’). The facility funded by the Loan has been shut down for many
years (which has been disclosed in the annual financial reports to Pennvest and in public filings by the parent of PA 1) and the technology
utilized in the facility is now obsolete. The facility has not been commercially operated for approximately six years and has generated
zero income. We recommend that Pennvest take appropriate steps to remove and sell the equipment.” Pennvest responded favorably to
the approach of selling the equipment but no actions have yet taken place. The Company anticipates additional communication with Pennvest
on this matter during the current year. It is not possible at this date to predict the final outcome of this matter, but the Company believes
it is likely that that the equipment will be sold with the proceeds delivered to Pennvest during the 2022 fiscal year. However, the resolution
of these matters including the manner and means of such equipment sale has not been agreed upon as of this date. PA1 will evaluate the
appropriate manner to resolve/wrap-up its business over the balance of the current fiscal year.
In connection with the Pennvest Loan financing
documents, the Company provided a ‘technology guaranty’ regarding nutrient reduction performance of Kreider 1 which was structured
to expire when Kreider 1’s nutrient reduction performance had been demonstrated. During August 2012 the Company provided Pennvest
(and the PADEP) with data demonstrating that the Kreider 1 System had surpassed the requisite performance criteria and that the Company’s
‘technology guaranty’ was met. As a result, the Pennvest Loan is solely an obligation of PA1.
19
6. CONVERTIBLE NOTES PAYABLE
- AFFILIATES :
2020 Convertible Obligations
The 2020 Convertible Obligations, which accrue
interest at either 4 %
per annum or 4 %
compounded quarterly and effective January 1, 2020 are due and payable on July 1, 2024. The 2020 Convertible Obligations (including
accrued interest, plus all future deferred compensation added subsequently), are convertible, at the sole election of the holder,
into Units consisting of one share of the Company’s common stock and one half to one
1 warrant to purchase a share of the Company’s common stock, at a price of $ 0.50
per Unit until July 1, 2024. The warrant contained in the Unit was originally exercisable at $ 1.00
per unit but was modified to $ 0.75
during the year ended June 30, 2020 and is exercisable until a date three years after the date of the conversion. During the year
ended June 30, 2021, the Company approved the increase of warrants by one-third to be received by the noteholder if a conversion
takes place. The original conversion price of $0.50 per Unit approximated the fair value of the Units at the date of the agreements;
therefore, no beneficial conversion feature exists. Management evaluated the terms and conditions of the embedded conversion
features based on the guidance of ASC 815-15 “Embedded Derivatives” to determine if there was an embedded derivative
requiring bifurcation. An embedded derivative instrument (such as a conversion option embedded in the deferred compensation) must be
bifurcated from its host instruments and accounted for separately as a derivative instrument only if the “risks and
rewards” of the embedded derivative instrument are not “clearly and closely related” to the risks and rewards of
the host instrument in which it is embedded. Management concluded that the embedded conversion feature of the deferred compensation
was not required to be bifurcated because the conversion feature is clearly and closely related to the host instrument, and because
of the Company’s limited trading volume that indicates the feature is not readily convertible to cash in accordance with ASC
815-10, “Derivatives and Hedging”.
As of September 30, 2021, the 2020 Convertible Obligation
balances, including accrued interest, owed Bassani (and his donees), Smith and Edward Schafer (“Schafer”), the Company’s
Vice Chairman, were $ 2,526,492 , $ 1,253,335 and $ 485,658 , respectively. As of September 30, 2020, the 2020 Convertible Obligation balances,
including accrued interest, owed Bassani, Smith and Schafer were $ 2,432,044 , $ 1,126,545 and $ 467,503 , respectively.
During the three months ended September 30, 2021,
Smith elected to add his salary of $ 54,000 to his 2020 Convertible Obligations.
The Company recorded interest expense of $ 40,560 and
$ 30,960 for the three months ended September 30, 2021 and 2020, respectively.
September 2015 Convertible Notes
During the year ended June 30, 2016, the Company entered
into September 2015 Convertible Notes with Bassani, Schafer and a Shareholder which replaced previously issued promissory notes. The September
2015 Convertible Notes bear interest at 4 % per annum, have maturity dates of July 1, 2024, and may be converted at the sole election of
the noteholders into restricted common shares of the Company at a conversion price of $ 0.60 per share. As the conversion price of $0.60
approximated the fair value of the common shares at the date of the September 2015 Convertible Notes, no beneficial conversion feature
exists.
The balances of the September 2015 Convertible Notes
as of September 30, 2021, including accrued interest owed Bassani, Schafer and Shareholder, are $ 172,765 , $ 20,354 and $ 434,419 , respectively.
The balances of the September 2015 Convertible Notes as of September 30, 2020, including accrued interest, were $ 167,075 , $ 19,698 and
$ 419,302 , respectively.
The Company recorded interest expense of $ 5,366 for
both the three months ended September 30, 2021 and 2020, respectively.
7. STOCKHOLDERS' EQUITY :
Series B Preferred stock:
Since July 1, 2014, the Company has 200
shares of Series B redeemable convertible Preferred stock outstanding with a par value of $ 0.01
per share, convertible at the option of the holder at $ 2.00
per share, with dividends accrued and payable at 2.5 %
per quarter. The Series B Preferred stock is mandatorily redeemable at $ 100
per share by the Company 3 three
years after issuance and accordingly was classified as a liability. The 200
shares have reached their maturity date, but due to the cash constraints of the Company have not been redeemed but the Company may
do so in the future.
During the years ended June 30, 2021 and 2020, the
Company declared dividends of $ 2,000 and $ 2,000 respectively. At September 30, 2021, accrued dividends payable are $ 20,500 . The dividends
are classified as a component of operations as the Series B Preferred stock is presented as a liability in these financial statements.
20
Common stock:
Holders of common stock are entitled to one vote per
share on all matters to be voted on by common stockholders. In the event of liquidation, dissolution or winding up of the Company, the
holders of common stock are entitled to share in all assets remaining after liabilities have been paid in full or set aside and the rights
of any outstanding preferred stock have been satisfied. Common stock has no preemptive, redemption or conversion rights. The rights of
holders of common stock are subject to, and may be adversely affected by, the rights of the holders of any outstanding series of preferred
stock or any series of preferred stock the Company may designate in the future.
Centerpoint holds 704,309 shares of the Company’s
common stock. These shares of the Company’s common stock held by Centerpoint are for the benefit of its shareholders without any
beneficial interest.
During the three months ended September 30, 2021,
Smith elected to convert accounts payable of $ 5,126 into 10,253 units at $ 0.50 per unit, with each unit consisting of one share of the
Company’s restricted common stock and one warrant to purchase one share of the Company’s restricted common stock for $ 0.75
per share until December 31, 2024.
During the three months ended September 30, 2021,
139,334 warrants were exercised to purchase 139,334 shares of the Company’s common stock at $ 0.75 per share for total proceeds of
$ 104,500 .
During the three months ended September 30, 2021,
the Company issued 10,000 shares of the Company’s common stock to a broker as commissions for the warrant exercises. As the issuance
was both a reduction and addition to additional paid in capital there was no impact to the financial statements. The company also paid
a broker $ 1,000 in commissions for the warrant exercises.
Warrants:
As of September 30, 2021, the Company had approximately
21.8 million warrants outstanding, with exercise prices from $ 0.60 to $ 1.50 and expiring on various dates through June 30, 2025.
The weighted-average exercise price for the outstanding
warrants is $ 0.73 , and the weighted-average remaining contractual life as of September 30, 2021 is 2.6 years.
During the three months ended September 30,
2021, Smith elected to convert accounts payable of $ 5,126
into 10,253
units at $ 0.50
per unit, with each unit consisting of 1 one
share of the Company’s restricted common stock and one warrant to purchase one share of the Company’s restricted common
stock for $ 0.75
per share until December 31, 2024.
During the three months ended September 30, 2021,
139,334 warrants were exercised to purchase 139,334 shares of the Company’s common stock at $ 0.75 per share for total proceeds of
$ 104,500 .
During the three months ended September 30, 2021, the Company issued 10,000
shares of the Company’s common stock to a broker as commissions for the warrant exercises. As the issuance was both a reduction
and addition to additional paid in capital there was no impact to the financial statements. The company also paid a broker $ 1,000 in commissions
for the warrant exercises.
Stock options:
The Company’s 2006 Consolidated Incentive
Plan, as amended during the year ended June 30, 2021 (the “2006 Plan”), provides for the issuance of options (and/or
other securities) to purchase up to 36,000,000
shares of the Company’s common stock. Terms of exercise and expiration of options/securities granted under the 2006 Plan may
be established at the discretion of the Board of Directors, but no option may be exercisable for more than 10 ten
years.
The Company recorded compensation expense
related to employee stock options of 0
nil for both the three months ended September 30, 2021 and 2020, respectively. The Company granted 0
nil options during the three months ended September 30, 2021 and 2020, respectively.
21
A summary of under the 2006 Plan for the three
months ended September 30, 2021 is as follows:
Schedule of option activity
Options
Weighted-
Average
Exercise
Price
Weighted-
Average
Remaining
Contractual
Life
Aggregate
Intrinsic
Value
Outstanding at July 1, 2021
10,471,600
$ 0.77
3.7
$ 6,064,335
Granted
—
—
Exercised
—
—
Forfeited
—
—
Expired
—
—
Outstanding at September 30, 2021
10,471,600
$ 0.77
3.4
$ 9,624,679
Exercisable at September 30, 2021
10,471,600
$ 0.77
3.4
$ 9,624,679
The following table presents information relating
to nonvested stock options as of September 30, 2021:
Schedule of nonvested stock options
Options
Weighted Average Grant-Date Fair Value
Nonvested at July 1, 2021
—
$ —
Granted
—
—
Vested
—
—
Nonvested at September 30, 2021
—
$ —
The total fair value of stock options that
vested during both the three months ended September 30, 2021 and 2020 was 0 nil.
As of September 30, 2021, the Company had no
unrecognized compensation cost related to stock options.
8. SUBSCRIPTION
RECEIVABLE - AFFILIATES :
As of September 30, 2021, the Company has three interest
bearing, secured promissory notes with an aggregate principal amount of $ 428,250 ($ 487,658 , including interest) from Bassani which were
received as consideration to purchase warrants to purchase 5,565,000 shares of the Company’s restricted common stock, which warrants
have an exercise price of $ 0.75 and have expiry dates ranging from December 31, 2024 to December 31, 2025. The promissory notes bear interest
at 4 % per annum, and are secured by portions of Bassani’s 2020 Convertible Obligation and Bassani’s September 2015 Convertible
Notes. The secured promissory notes are payable July 1, 2024.
As of September 30, 2021, the Company has an interest
bearing, secured promissory note for $ 30,000 ($ 33,791 including interest) from Smith as consideration to purchase warrants to purchase
300,000 shares of the Company’s restricted common stock, which warrants are exercisable at $ 0.60 and have expiry dates of December
31, 2024. The warrants have a 75 % exercise bonus and the promissory note bears interest at 4 % per annum, and is secured by $ 30,000 of
Smith’s 2020 Convertible Obligations. The secured promissory note is payable on July 1, 2024.
As of September 30, 2021, the Company has two
interest bearing, secured promissory notes with an aggregate principal amount of $ 46,400 ($ 53,620 including interest) from two former
employees as consideration to purchase warrants to purchase 928,000 shares of the Company’s restricted common stock, which warrants
are exercisable at $ 0.75 and have expiry dates of December 31, 2024. These warrants have a 90 % exercise bonus. The promissory notes bear
interest at 4 % per annum, are secured by a perfected security interest in the warrants, and are payable on July 1, 2024.
9. COMMITMENTS
AND CONTINGENCIES :
Employment and consulting agreements:
Smith has held the positions of Director, President
and General Counsel of Company and its subsidiaries under various agreements (and extensions) and terms since March 2003. On October 10,
2016, the Company approved a month to month contract extension, with Smith which includes provisions for i) a monthly deferred salary
of $ 18,000 until the Board of Directors re-instates cash payments to all employees and consultants who are deferring compensation, ii)
the right to convert up to $ 300,000 of his deferred compensation, at his sole election, at $ 0.75 per share, until December 31, 2022),
and iii) the right to convert his deferred compensation in whole or in part, at his sole election, at any time in any amount at “market”
or into securities sold in the Company’s current/most recent private offering at the price of such offering to third parties. Smith
agreed effective July 29, 2018 to continue to serve the Company under the same basic terms.
22
Since March 31, 2005, the Company has had various
agreements with Brightcap and/or Bassani, through which the services of Bassani are provided (any reference to Brightcap or Bassani for
all purposes are the same individual). The Board appointed Bassani as the Company's CEO effective May 13, 2011. On February 10, 2015,
the Company executed an Extension Agreement with Bassani pursuant to which Bassani extended the term of his service to the Company to
December 31, 2017, (with the Company having an option to extend the term an additional six months.) Pursuant to the Extension Agreement,
Bassani continued to defer his cash compensation ($ 31,000 per month) until the Board of Directors re-instates cash payments to all employees
and consultants who are deferring their compensation. During October 2016 Bassani was granted the right to convert up to $ 125,000 of his
deferred compensation, at his sole election, at $ 0.75 per share, until March 15, 2018 (which was expanded on April 27, 2017 to the right
to convert up to $ 300,000 of his deferred compensation, at his sole election, at $ 0.75 per share, and subsequently extended until December
31, 2022). During February 2018, the Company agreed to the material terms for a binding two-year extension agreement for Bassani’s
services as CEO, while a detailed, fully executed agreement is still being negotiated and will be finalized in the future. Bassani’s
salary will remain $ 372,000 per year, which will continue to be accrued until there is adequate cash available while negotiations proceed
toward the re-instatement of a least a partial cash payment. Additionally, the Company has agreed to pay him $ 2,000 per month to be applied
to life insurance premiums. On August 1, 2018, in the context of extending his agreement to provide services to the Company on a full-time
basis through December 31, 2022) plus 2 years after that on a part-time basis, the Company received an interest bearing secured promissory
note for $ 300,000 from Bassani as consideration to purchase warrants to purchase 3,000,000 shares of the Company’s restricted common
stock, which warrants are exercisable at $ 0.60 and have expiry dates of June 30, 2025. The promissory note is secured by a portion of
Bassani’s 2020 Convertible Obligations and as of September 30, 2021, the principal and accrued interest was $ 337,907 . For the three
months ended September 30, 2021 and 2020, Brightcap was paid $ 60,000 and $ 55,000 for compensation earned during the period, respectively.
Execution/exercise bonuses:
As part of agreements the Company entered into
with Bassani and Smith effective May 15, 2013, they were each granted the following: a) a 50 %
execution/exercise bonus which shall be applied upon the effective date of the notice of intent to exercise (for options and
warrants) or issuance event, as applicable, of any currently outstanding and/or subsequently acquired options, warrants and/or
contingent stock bonuses owned by each (and/or their donees) as follows: i) in the case of exercise by payment of cash, the bonus
shall take the form of reduction of the exercise price; ii) in the case of cashless exercise, the bonus shall be applied to reduce
the exercise price prior to the cashless exercise calculations; and iii) with regard to contingent stock bonuses, issuance shall be
triggered upon the Company’s common stock reaching a closing price equal to 50 %
of currently specified price; and b) the right to extend the exercise period of all or part of the applicable options and warrants
for up to 5
five years (one year at a time) by annual payments of $ .05
per option or warrant to the Company on or before a date during the three months prior to expiration of the exercise period at least
three business days before the end of the expiration period. Effective January 1, 2016 such annual payments to extend warrant
exercise periods have been reduced to $ .01
per option or warrant.
During the year ended June 30, 2021, the Company added
a 75 % execution/exercise bonus to the terms of 3,000,000 warrants held by a trust owned by Bassani.
As of September 30, 2021, the execution/exercise bonuses
ranging from 50 - 90 % were applicable to 10,326,600 of the Company’s outstanding options and 16,753,042 of the Company’s outstanding
warrants.
Litigation:
On September 10, 2021, the Company filed a federal lawsuit ‘in rem’
to recover the <biontech.com> domain and the unknown ‘John Doe’ who hacked and attempted to steal the website. The litigation
has been filed in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia, Alexandria Division under the heading ‘Bion
Environmental Technologies, Inc., Plaintiff, vs John Doe and <biontech.com>, Defendants’ (Case No. 1:21-cv-01034), seeking
recovery of the domain name and other relief as set forth therein.
On September 25, 2014, Pennvest exercised its right
to declare the Pennvest Loan in default and accelerated the Pennvest Loan and demanded that PA1 pay $ 8,137,117 (principal, interest plus
late charges) on or before October 24, 2014. PA1 did not make the payment and does not have the resources to make the payments demanded
by Pennvest. PA1 commenced discussions and negotiations with Pennvest concerning this matter but Pennvest rejected PA1’s proposal
made during the fall of 2014. PA1 made a new proposal to Pennvest during September 2021 which proposal has been rejected by PennvestPA1
provides Pennvest with its financial statements (which include a description of system status) annually. During the 2021 fiscal year,
Pennvest’s auditors requested a ‘corrective action plan’ and PA1 informed Pennvest that “… there is no
viable corrective action plan for the Pennvest Loan (‘Loan’). The facility funded by the Loan has been shut down for many
years (which has been disclosed in the annual financial reports to Pennvest and in public filings by the parent of PA 1) and the technology
utilized in the facility is now obsolete. The facility has not been commercially operated for approximately six years and has generated
zero income. We recommend that Pennvest take appropriate steps to remove and sell the equipment.” Pennvest responded favorably to
the approach of selling the equipment but no actions have yet taken place. The Company anticipates additional communication with Pennvest
on this matter during the current year. It is not possible at this date to predict the final outcome of this matter, but the Company believes
it is likely that that the equipment will be sold with the proceeds delivered to Pennvest during the 2022 fiscal year. However, the resolution
of these matters including the manner and means of such equipment sale has not been agreed upon as of this date. PA1 will evaluate the
appropriate manner to resolve/wrap-up its business over the balance of the current fiscal year.
23
During August 2012, the Company provided Pennvest
(and the PADEP) with data demonstrating that the Kreider 1 system met the ‘technology guaranty’ standards which were incorporated
in the Pennvest financing documents and, as a result, the Pennvest Loan is now solely an obligation of PA1. No litigation has commenced
related to this matter but such litigation is likely if negotiations do not produce a resolution (Note 1 and Note 5).
The Company currently is not involved in any other material litigation.
Lease:
The Company entered into an agreement on September
23, 2021, to lease approximately four acres of land near Fair Oaks, Indiana, for the development site of its Initial Project. Per the
terms of the agreement, the Company paid the tenant $ 60,000 in October 2021. The October payment triggered the commencement of the lease
and the Company will have through December 31, 2023 to construct its Initial Project.
10. SUBSEQUENT
EVENTS :
The Company has evaluated events that occurred subsequent
to September 30, 2021 for recognition and disclosure in the
financial statements and notes to the financial statements.
From October 1, 2021 through November 10, 2021, 295,000
warrants were exercised to purchase 295,000 shares of the Company’s common stock at $ 0.75 per share for total proceeds of approximately
$ 221,250 .
24
ITEM 2. MANAGEMENT'S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF
FINANCIAL CONDITION AND RESULTS OF OPERATIONS.
Statements made in this Form 10-Q that are not
historical or current facts, which represent the Company's expectations or beliefs including, but not limited to, statements concerning
the Company's operations, performance, financial condition, business strategies, and other information, involve substantial risks and
uncertainties. The Company's actual results of operations, most of which are beyond the Company's control, could differ materially. These
statements often can be identified by the use of terms such as "may," "will," "expect," "believe,"
anticipate," "estimate," or "continue" or the negative thereof. We wish to caution readers not to place undue
reliance on any such forward looking statements, which speak only as of the date made. Any forward-looking statements represent management's
best judgment as to what may occur in the future. However, forward looking statements are subject to risks, uncertainties and important
factors beyond our control that could cause actual results and events to differ materially from historical results of operations and events
and those presently anticipated or projected.
These factors include adverse economic conditions,
entry of new and stronger competitors, inadequate capital, unexpected costs, failure (or delay) to gain product certifications and/or
regulatory approvals in the United States (or particular states) or foreign countries, loss (permanently or for any extended period of
time) of the services of members of the Company’s small core management team (all of whom are age 70 or older) and failure to capitalize
upon access to new markets. Additional risks and uncertainties that may affect forward looking statements about Bion's business and prospects
include the possibility that markets for nutrient reduction credits (discussed below) and/or other ways to monetize nutrient reductions
and other environmental benefits will be slow to develop (or not develop at all), the existing default by PA1 on its loan secured by the
Kreider 1 system, the possibility that competitors will develop more comprehensive and/or less expensive environmental solution, delays
in market awareness of Bion and our Systems, uncertainties and costs related to research and development efforts to update and improve
Bion’s technologies and applications thereof, and/or delays and/or costs exceeding expectations relating to Bion's development of
the Initial Project, JVs and/or Projects and failure of marketing strategies, each of which could have both immediate and long term material
adverse effects by placing us behind our competitors and requiring expenditures of our limited resources.
THESE RISKS, UNCERTAINTIES AND FACTORS BEYOND OUR
CONTROL ARE MAGNIFIED DURING THE CURRENT UNCERTAIN PERIOD RELATED TO THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC AND THE UNIQUE ECONOMIC, FINANCIAL, GOVERNMENTAL
AND HEALTH-RELATED CONDITIONS IN WHICH THE COMPANY, THE ENTIRE COUNTRY AND THE ENTIRE WORLD NOW RESIDE. TO DATE THE COMPANY HAS
EXPERIENCED DIRECT IMPACTS IN VARIOUS AREAS INCLUDING WITHOUT LIMITATION: I) GOVERNMENT-ORDERED SHUTDOWNS WHICH HAVE SLOWED
THE COMPANY’S RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT PROJECTS AND OTHER INITIATIVES, II) SHIFTED FOCUS OF STATE AND FEDERAL GOVERNMENT WHICH IS
LIKELY TO NEGATIVELY IMPACT THE COMPANY’S LEGISLATIVE INITIATIVES IN PENNSYLVANIA AND WASHINGTON DC, III) STRAINS AND UNCERTAINTIES
IN BOTH THE EQUITY AND DEBT MARKETS HAVE MADE DISCUSSION AND PLANNING OF FUNDING OF THE COMPANY AND ITS INITIATIVES AND PROJECTS WITH
INVESTMENT BANKERS, BANKS AND POTENTIAL STRATEGIC PARTNERS MORE TENUOUS, IV) STRAINS AND UNCERTAINTIES IN THE AGRICULTURAL SECTOR AND
MARKETS HAVE MADE DISCUSSION AND PLANNING OF FUNDING OF THE COMPANY AND ITS INITIATIVES AND PROJECTS MORE DIFFICULT AS FUTURE INDUSTRY
CONDITIONS ARE NOW MORE DIFFICULT TO ASSESS/PREDICT, V) CONSTRAINTS DUE TO PROBLEMS EXPERIENCED IN THE GLOBAL INDUSTRIAL SUPPLY CHAIN,
VI) DUE TO THE AGE AND HEALTH OF OUR CORE MANAGEMENT TEAM, ALL OF WHOM ARE AGE 70 OR OLDER AND HAVE HAD ONE OR MORE EXISTING HEALTH ISSUES,
THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC PLACES THE COMPANY AT GREATER RISK THAN WAS PREVIOUSLY THE CASE (TO A HIGHER DEGREE THAN WOULD BE THE CASE IF THE
COMPANY HAD A LARGER, DEEPER AND/OR YOUNGER CORE MANAGEMENT TEAM), AND VII) THERE ALMOST CERTAINLY WILL BE OTHER UNANTICIPATED CONSEQUENCES
FOR THE COMPANY AS A RESULT OF THE CURRENT PANDEMIC EMERGENCY AND ITS AFTERMATH.
Bion disclaims any obligation subsequently to revise
any forward-looking statements to reflect events or circumstances after the date of such statements or to reflect the occurrence of anticipated
or unanticipated events.
The following discussion and analysis should be
read in conjunction with the Consolidated Financial Statements and Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements filed with this Report.
25
BUSINESS OVERVIEW
Our patented and proprietary technology provides economically
sustainable comprehensive environmental solutions to one of the greatest water air and water quality problems in the U.S. today: pollution
from large-scale livestock production facilities (also known as “Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations” or “CAFOs”).
Application of our technology and technology platform can simultaneously mitigate environmental problems and improve operational/resource
efficiencies by recovering high-value co-products from the CAFOs’ waste stream that have traditionally been wasted or underutilized,
including renewable energy, nutrients (including ammonia nitrogen and phosphorus) and water.
During the 2016 to 2021 fiscal years, the Company
focused a large portion of its activities on developing, testing and demonstrating the 3rd generation of its technology and technology
platform (“3G Tech”) with emphasis on increasing the efficiency of production of valuable co-products from the waste treatment
process, including ammonia nitrogen in the form of organic ammonium bicarbonate products. The Company’s initial ammonium bicarbonate
liquid product completed its Organic Materials Review Institute (“OMRI”) application and review process with approval during
May 2020. An application for our first solid ammonium bicarbonate product – AD Nitrogen – has been filed and is in what may
be an extended review process due to the novel nature of our 3G Tech in the context of organic certifications (see discussion at “Organic
Fertilizer products” at Item below).
Bion is now focused primarily on: i) development/construction
of its initial commercial-scale 3G Tech installation, ii) developing applications and markets for its organic fertilizer products and
its sustainable (conventional and organic) animal protein products, and iii) initiation and development of joint ventures (“JVs”)
(and related projects) based on the augmented capabilities of our 3G Tech, while (iv) continuing to pursue development opportunities related
to large retrofit projects (such as the Kreider poultry project JV) and ongoing R&D activities. These matters are discussed in more
detail in Item 1 of our Form 10-K for the year ended June 30, 2021 and in the Notes to the Financial Statements included herein.
The $175 billion U.S. livestock industry is under
intense scrutiny for its environmental and public health impacts – its ‘environmental sustainability’-- at the same
time it is struggling with declining revenues and margins (derived in part from clinging to its historic practices and resulting limitations
and impacts) which threaten its ‘economic sustainability’. Its failure to adequately respond to consumer concerns ranging
including food safety, environmental impacts, and humane treatment of animals have provided impetus for plant-based alternatives such
as Beyond Meat and Impossible Burger (and many others) being marketed as “sustainable” alternatives for this growing consumer
segment of the market.
The Company believes that its 3G Tech, in addition
to providing superior environmental remediation, creates opportunities for large scale production of i) verifiably sustainable-branded
livestock products and ii) verifiably sustainable organic-branded livestock products that will command premium pricing (in part due to
ongoing monitoring and third-party verification of environmental performance which will provide meaningful assurances to both consumers
and regulatory agencies). Each of these two distinct market segments (which the Company intends to pursue in parallel) presents a large
production/marketing opportunity for Bion. Our 3G Tech will also produce (as co-products) biogas and valuable organic fertilizer products,
which can be utilized in the production of organic grains for use as feed for raising organic livestock (some of which may be utilized
in the Company’s JV projects) and/or marketed to the growing organic fertilizer market.
During the 2021 fiscal year, Bion completed a series
of core optimization trials of its 3G Tech platform that were required to move forward with its initial commercial scale 3G Tech project
(“Initial Project”). During late September 2021, Bion entered into a lease for the Initial Project will be located on approximately
four (4) acres of leased land near Fair Oaks, Indiana and executed an additional related agreement regarding disposal of certain manure
effluent have been agreed upon with the Curtis Creek Dairy unit of Fair Oaks Farms (“FOF”). Design and pre-development work
commenced during August 2021 and preliminary surveying, site engineering and other work is now underway along with site-specific engineering
and design work. The Initial Project will be an environmentally sustainable beef cattle feeding facility, equipped with state-of-the-art
housing and Bion’s 3G-Tech platform to provide waste treatment and resource recovery. Bion has designed the project to house and
feed approximately 300 head of beef cattle. The facility will include Bion’s 3G Tech platform including: i) covered barns with solar
photovoltaic generation, ii) anaerobic digestion for renewable energy recovery; iii) livestock waste treatment and resource recovery technology;
iv) Bion’s ammonium bicarbonate recovery and crystallization technology and iv) data collection software to document system efficiencies
and environmental benefits (with the Bion 3G Tech facilities capable of treating the waste from approximately 1,500 head). The facility
will be large enough to demonstrate engineering capabilities of Bion’s 3G Tech at commercial scale, but small enough that it can
be constructed and commissioned quickly, with operations targeted to commence sometime during the Spring of 2022.
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The Initial Project is not being developed at economic
commercial scale or with an expectation of profitability due to its limited scale. However, successful installation, commissioning, and
operations will demonstrate scalability, determine operating parameters at scale, and provide ongoing production and engineering capabilities,
all being critical steps that must be accomplished before developing large projects with JV partners. Specifically, the Initial Project
is being developed to provide and/or accomplish the following:
i.
Proof of 3G Tech platform scalability
-
Document system efficiency and environmental benefits and enable final engineering modifications to optimize each unit process within the Bion 3G technology platform.
-
Environmental benefits will include (without limitation) renewable energy production (natural gas recovery from AD and solar electric from integrated roof top photovoltaic generation); nutrient recovery and conversion to stable organic fertilizer; pathogen destruction; water recovery and reuse; air emission reductions.
ii.
Use Bion’s data collection system to support 3rd party verified system efficiency requirement to qualify for USDA Process-Verified-Program (PVP): certification of sustainable branded beef (and potentially pork) product metrics.
iii.
Produce sufficient ammonium bicarbonate nitrogen fertilizer (“AD Nitrogen”) for commercial testing by potential joint venture partners and/or purchasers and for university growth trials.
iv.
Produce sustainable beef products for initial test marketing efforts.
Upon achieving optimized and steady-state operations
at the Initial Project during 2022, coupled with obtaining an OMRI listing for its AD Nitrogen product, Bion expects to be ready to move
forward with its plans for development of much larger facilities. The Company anticipates that discussions and negotiations regarding
potential JVs with strategic partners in the financial and livestock industries to develop large scale projects will commence during the
construction of the Initial Project.
Additionally, the Company believes there will also
be opportunities to proceed with selected ‘retrofit projects’ of existing facilities (see ‘ 3G TECH KREIDER 2 POULTRY
PROJECT ’ below as an example).
We believe that Bion’s 3G Tech platform, coupled
with common-sense policy changes to U.S. clean water strategy that are already underway, will combine to provide a pathway to true economic
and environmental sustainability with ‘win-win’ benefits for at least a premium sector of the livestock industry, the environment,
and the consumer.
Bion’s business model and technology can open
up the opportunity for JVs (in various contractual forms) between the Company and large livestock/food/fertilizer industry participants,
based upon the supplemental cash flow generated by implementation our 3G Tech business model (described and discussed below) which will
support the costs of technology implementation (including related debt). We anticipate this will result in long term value for Bion. Long
term, Bion anticipates that the sustainable branding opportunity may expand to represent the single largest contributor to the economic
opportunity provided by Bion.
During 2018 the Company had its first patent issued
on its 3G Tech and has continued its work to expand its patent coverage for our 3G Tech. During October 2020, the Company the Company’s
third 3G patent, which patent significantly expands the breadth and depth of the Company’s 3G Tech coverage. The Company has filed
and anticipates filing additional patent applications (and/or continuations of existing patents) related to its technology developments
during the next 12 months. The 3G Tech platform has been designed to maximize the value of co-products produced during the waste treatment/recovery
processes, including pipeline-quality renewable natural gas and organic commercial fertilizer products. All processes will be verifiable
by third-parties (including regulatory authorities, certifying boards and consumers) to comply with environmental regulations and trading
programs and meet the requirements for: a) renewable energy credits, b) organic certification of the fertilizer coproducts and c) the
USDA PVP ‘Environmentally Sustainable’ branding program Bion anticipates moving forward with the development process of its
initial large scale commercial installations of its 3G technology during the 2022 calendar year.
In parallel, Bion has worked (which work continues)
to advance public policy initiatives that will potentially create markets (in Pennsylvania and other states) that will utilize taxpayer
funding for the purchase of verified pollution reductions from agriculture (“credits”) by the state (or others) through competitively-bid
procurement programs. Such credits can then be used as a ‘qualified offset’ by an individual state (or municipality) to meet
its federal clean water mandates at significantly lower cost to the taxpayer. Competitive procurement of verified credits is now supported
by US EPA, the Chesapeake Bay Commission, national livestock interests, and other key stakeholders. Legislation in Pennsylvania to establish
the first such state competitive procurement program passed the Pennsylvania Senate by a bi-partisan majority during March 2019. However,
the Covid-19 pandemic and related financial/budgetary crises have subsequently slowed progress for this and other policy initiatives and,
as a result, it is not currently possible to project the timeline for this and other similar initiatives (see discussion at Item 1 above
and below herein).
The livestock industry is under tremendous pressure
(from regulatory agencies, a wide range of advocacy groups, institutional investors and the industry’s own consumers) to adopt sustainable
practices. Environmental cleanup is inevitable - policies are already changing. Bion’s 3G technology was developed for implementation
on large scale livestock production facilities, where scale drives lower treatment costs and efficient production of co-products. We believe
that scale, coupled with Bion’s verifiable treatment technology platform, will create a transformational opportunity to integrate
clean production practices at (or close to) the point of production—the source from which most of the industry’s environmental
impacts are initiated. Bion intends to assist the forward-looking segment of the livestock industry in actually bringing animal protein
production in line with Twenty-first Century consumer demands for sustainability.
27
Bion’s 3G Tech and technology platform are designed
to capture four revenue streams under one umbrella and provide the basis for joint ventures between the Company and larger livestock producers
seeking to produce environmental/sustainable product lines. The revenue streams are: a) renewable energy and associated greenhouse gas
credits (including US Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) and/or Low Carbon Fuel Standard (LCFS) credits)(the value and availability of which
will vary based on livestock type, geographical locations, and state regulatory programs), b) verified nutrient reductions (primarily
nitrogen and phosphorus) that can be used as qualified offsets to the federal Chesapeake Bay mandate and US EPA TMDL (‘total maximum
daily limit’) requirements (the value of which will vary based on livestock type, geographical locations, and state regulatory programs),
c) co-products consisting of high value fertilizer for use in organic food production for human consumption and/or to grow feed for use
by livestock in Projects, and d) an environmentally sustainable USDA certification that will be incorporated into a “brand”
that can address the consumer concerns regarding food safety and sustainability (based on incorporation of all of the third party verified
data for greenhouse gas reductions, nutrient reductions and fertilizer products into a digital register). The Company believes that the
“branding” opportunity will offer large scale livestock producer / processor / distributors of livestock products the opportunity
to differentiate and identify their products in the marketplace and, thereby creates the opportunity to achieve “premium pricing”
by addressing consumer concerns related to safety and sustainability in a manner similar to the premiums achieved by organic producers.
Operational results from the initial commercial
system (Kreider 1 utilizing our 2G Tech) confirmed the ability of Bion’s technologies to meet nutrient reduction goals at commercial
scale for an extended period of operation. Bion’s 3G Tech platform (and the new variations under development) center on its patented
and proprietary processes that separate and aggregate the various assets in the CAFO waste stream so they become benign, stable and/or
transportable. Bion systems can: a) remove up to 95% of the nutrients (primarily nitrogen and phosphorus) in the effluent, b) reduce greenhouse
gases by 90% (or more) including elimination of virtually all ammonia emissions, c) while materially reducing pathogens, antibiotics and
hormones in the livestock waste stream. Our core technology and its primary CAFO applications were now proven in the Kreider 1 commercial
operations. It has been accepted by the Environmental Protection Agency (“EPA”) and other regulatory agencies and it is protected
by Bion’s portfolio of U.S. and international patents (both issued and applied for).
BION’S 3G TECH PLATFORM PROVIDES THE BASIS
FOR A JV BUSINESS MODEL WITH FOUR DISTINCT REVENUE STREAMS : 1) pipeline quality renewable natural gas and related carbon and other
environmental credits, 2) premium organic fertilizer products, 3) nutrient credits, and 4) premium pricing from USDA PVP-certified ‘Environmentally
Sustainable’ branding at the retail level. Carbon and nutrient credit revenues will be supported by third-party verification of
the waste treatment processes that simultaneously capture methane and nutrients, while producing renewable energy and fertilizer products
from them with relatively limited incremental cost to Bion. The same verified data will also provide the backbone for the USDA PVP-certified
sustainable brand, again with limited incremental cost.
1) Renewable energy- and carbon-related credits:
Bion’s 3G Tech platform utilizes
customized anaerobic digestion (“AD”) to recover biogas (methane) from the waste stream. At sufficient scale, methane produced
from AD can be cost-effectively conditioned, compressed and injected into a pipeline. The US Renewable Fuel Standard (“RFS”)
program and state programs in California and elsewhere provide ongoing renewable energy credits for the production of biogas and its subsequent
use as a renewable transportation fuel. Additional renewable energy-related credit programs are being developed that Bion believes will
impact these revenues, including a Carbon Intensity (CI) score that measures the amount of carbon produced per unit of energy produced.
2) Organic Fertilizer products:
The Company’s
initial ammonium bicarbonate liquid product of our 3G Tech completed its Organic Materials Review Institute (“OMRI”) application
and review process with approval during May 2020 when it was deemed non-synthetic (as discussed below) . The
3G Tech platform has been designed to produce multiple fertilizer products, including: i) ammonium bicarbonate liquid, ii) ammonium bicarbonate
in solid crystal form – AD Nitrogen – and iii) soil amendment products that will contain the remaining nitrogen, phosphorus
and other micronutrients captured from the livestock waste stream. Bion believes each product will qualify for organic certification.
.
Bion has developed solid ammonium bicarbonate
products containing 14-28 percent nitrogen in a crystalline form that is easily transported, is water soluble and provides a readily available
nitrogen source for crops. The products will contain virtually none of the other salt, iron and mineral constituents of the livestock
waste stream that often accompany other organic fertilizers. Ammonium bicarbonate (manufactured using chemical processes) has a long history
of use as a fertilizer. This product, produced without the use of synthetic processes and/or additives) is being developed to fertilizer
industry standards so that it that can be precision-applied to crops using existing equipment. Bion believes that this product will potentially
have broad applications in the production of organic grains for livestock feed, row crops, horticulture, greenhouse and hydroponic production,
and potentially retail lawn and garden products. The Company has filed an OMRI application for the initial version of its crystal product
which is presently in the review process ( which may take an extended period of time due the novel nature of Bion’s 3G Tech platform
in the context of organic certification). The Company anticipates filing additional applications in subsequent periods.
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The AD Nitrogen and other ammonium bicarbonate
products produced by Bion’s 3G Tech platform will enjoy a dramatically lower carbon footprint than synthetic fertilizers. The reactive
nitrogen captured and upcycled into AD Nitrogen was going to be lost through volatilization and runoff, and that loss would generally
need to be offset with a synthetic nitrogen, such as anhydrous ammonia or urea. These synthetic nitrogen products are produced through
the Haber-Bosch (and other) synthetic processes, which converts hydrogen and atmospheric nitrogen to ammonia, with methane as the energy
source. It is an extremely energy-intensive process with a carbon footprint that , while not yet fully understood, is widely accepted
to by very large. While a complete Life Cycle Analysis (LCA) of carbon impacts from synthetic fertilizer production is not available,
according to the Institute for Industrial Productivity, its production alone is responsible for approximately 1 percent of total global
CO2 emissions. To the extent that Bion can capture and repurpose the nitrogen traditionally lost from livestock waste, that carbon cost
will no longer need to be paid
The Company’s initial low concentration
ammonium bicarbonate liquid product completed its OMRI application and review process with approval during May 2020. Bion’s second
application to OMRI, for its initial solid AD Nitrogen product, was filed during May 2021and is currently being reviewed.
To provide a first level degree of clarity
regarding organic approvals and the processes/procedures involved, Bion believes that the initial OMRI approval is of importance, because
subsequent organic products that are produced by using the very same technology platform (our 3G Tech) can now piggyback on the initial
approval to a significant degree. Note that there are different layers to the U.S. organic program and that fertilizers do not get ‘certified’
as organic, per se. Rather, they are evaluated to determine if they are acceptable for ‘use in organic production’.
The National Organic Program (“NOP”) was established by Congress in 2001 under the USDA’s Agricultural Marketing Service. The NOP develops and enforces uniform national
standards for organically- produced agricultural end products – meat/dairy/milk, fruits, vegetables – sold in the United
States. Operating as a public-private partnership, NOP accredits private companies and helps train their inspectors (USDA-accredited Certifiers)
to certify that farms and businesses meet the national organic standards. For example, in a potential Midwest organic beef project (discussed
below), each element in the supply chain must provide their certifying agent’s certification that the specific product, such as
organic corn, has been produced in accordance with their organic plan. The end product - the beef - would be USDA-certified as organic
by an accredited Certifier after a review of ALL the farming practices and inputs (which would include Bion’s ammonium bicarbonate
fertilizer).
OMRI is a nonprofit organization that
provides an independent review of products, such as fertilizers, pest controls, livestock health care products, and numerous other inputs
that are intended for use in certified organic production and processing. OMRI reviews these products against the organic standards established
by the NOP to determine if they are suitable for use in organic production. Acceptable products are then OMRI Listed®.
OMRI enables a national listing thru
one application versus the alternative of using certifiers to secure listings in individual states. To those who wish to sell organic
fertilizers into national distribution channels, an OMRI listing provides nearly uniform acceptance in the U.S. The OMRI listing Bion
received in May was for our initial commercial product, a low-concentration liquid ammonia. It is valid ONLY for that particular product.
For future Bion product offerings using the same technology platform, Bion will either need to file for specific state approval, or file
with OMRI for a national listing, or a combination of the two. Bion may elect to use an individual state listing initially to be followed
by an OMRI application if and when the need for a regional or national listing arises.
The overarching standard of organic
production, per NOP guidelines, is that a “product shall have been produced and handled without the use of synthetic chemicals…”
That is rule Number One. At NOP, the term "synthetic" means “a substance that is formulated or manufactured by a chemical
process or by a process that chemically changes a substance extracted from naturally occurring plant, animal, or mineral sources, except
that such term shall not apply to substances created by naturally occurring biological processes.” In evaluating and approving Bion’s
liquid ammonia for OMRI listing, Bion’s patented ammonia recovery system was not deemed synthetic. That is an important distinction
for future Bion product filings based upon the same patented process.
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The Company believes that organic approvals
for its products will: a) provide access to substantially higher value markets compared to synthetic nitrogen products, and/or b) allow
its products to be utilized in growing of organic feed grains to be consumed by livestock raised in JVs which will be sold as organic.
Based on preliminary market surveys to date, we believe that existing competing organic fertilizer products in both liquid and granular
form are being sold presently at price points significantly greater than Bion’s projected cost and projected pricing. We also believe
that livestock products from animals raised with feed grains grown using Bion organic ammonium bicarbonate fertilizer products (and that
otherwise qualify) will receive organic approvals. It is anticipated that the Company will continue to seek approvals for such products
during the balance of the current fiscal year and will commence JVs that undertake initial production and marketing of such products during
the 2022 calendar year if such approvals have been received..
3) Nutrient credits:
Bion believes that nutrient reduction (and
other similar) credits and/or other methods of monetizing environmental benefits from the capture and re-purposing of the nutrients (largely
nitrogen and phosphorus) from the livestock waste stream, will become available in multiple states over the next several years. The passage
in the Pennsylvania (“PA”) Senate of key legislation – SB 575 – in June 2019 that would have established a competitively-bid
market for nutrient credits in PA, is indicative of the trends. Despite the fact that the bill was not considered in the House, due to
the Covid-19 pandemic (a re-introduced bill will have to be considered again in the current and/or future sessions (currently SB 475 and
SB 832 have been introduced and are pending), Bion anticipates that after passage of a similar bill in the future, PA will establish a
competitively-bid market for nutrient credits within twelve months after legislative passage and being signed into law by the Governor.
See below for discussion of the history and status of matters in PA.
Note, however, that the current Covid-19
pandemic and resultant social and economic crises and budgetary constraints have delayed policy initiatives related to these matters at
both the state and federal levels. As a result, it is not currently possible to reasonably project a timetable for adoption of the policy
changes discussed herein.
4) Sustainable Branding:
Consumers have demonstrated a willingness
to pay a premium for their safe and sustainable food choices. Based on Bion’s recognition of the potential opportunities created
by such willingness, beginning in 2015, Bion has worked with the USDA’s
Process Verified Program (“PVP”) – the gold standard in food verification and branding – to establish a USDA PVP-certified
sustainable brand. Bion received conditional approval from the PVP related to its Kreider 1 project (utilizing 2G Tech). It is
our intention to submit an application for the 3G Tech platform when the initial 3G Tech Project is operational later this fiscal year
and seek an approval for certification based on third-party-verified reductions in nutrient impacts, greenhouse gases and pathogens in
the waste stream (and other attributes), based on our 3G Tech. PVP certification incorporated as part of a recognizable brand will provide
consumers with products and brands that can be trusted. Bion believes that such a brand and livestock product line will command a pricing
premium for Bion’s livestock JVs and their customers.
Food safety and sustainability are issues
of growing importance in the U.S. and worldwide. Bion’s branding initiative reflects trends already underway in the livestock industry.
Driven by growing consumer demand, large food retailers (such as Walmart and Costco) and restaurant chains (including Chipotle and McDonalds)
are increasingly demanding greater responsibility and improved sustainability in food production practices from their suppliers. The Global
Roundtable for Sustainable Beef (“Roundtable”) was created to advance a sustainable global beef value chain that is “environmentally
sound, socially responsible and economically viable”. The Roundtable represents members from across the supply chain, including
U.S., Canadian and Australian cattlemen’s associations, Cargill, JBS, Elanco, McDonalds and A&W.
Large institutional investors have begun
to pressure the livestock industry. Ceres and several other large activist institutional investors have already expressed concerns about
carbon footprint, water quality, antibiotic usage and animal welfare in letters to management of their investment holdings in the food
production industry. The Collier Farm Animal Investment Risk & Return (“FAIRR”) Initiative was recently launched to highlight
the environmental, social, and governance (“ESG”) risks associated with large-scale livestock production.
In past years, the UN FAO has issued
several highly critical reports of the livestock industry, more recently focused on its impacts on climate change. While some of their
early reports were based on incomplete data and faulty methodologies and have since been somewhat quietly ‘retracted’, a wide
array of activist groups, including climate, animal rights, and anti-factory farming advocates, have seized on them to create a global
“anti-meat” messaging campaign. Their messaging is predicated on the (incorrect) notion that agriculture, and the livestock
sector specifically, is the largest contributor to climate change, greater than the energy and transportation sectors. While this fact
has been publicly ‘debunked’, the anti-meat campaign has been joined and amplified by various other stakeholders, governments,
and more recently, competitors in the alternative protein space, such as plant-based and cellular meats.
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Over the last few years, most large
meat and dairy product retailers have announced ‘sustainability’ initiatives, although the definition of sustainability is
often unclear. Based on recent statements from the industry regarding sustainability policy, many that identify goals that are 10 to 30
years in the future, Bion believes that sustainability on the production side will look a lot like what the Company’s 3G Tech
platform can provide today. The 3G Tech platform can deliver verifiable metrics that demonstrate meaningful improvements in sustainability
for livestock production that are unmatched in the industry today, including a dramatically reduced carbon and nutrient footprint; lower
negative impacts to water, soil and air; increased pathogen destruction; and other environmental and public health impacts. The Covid-19
pandemic has further heightened consumer awareness and concerns related to a) environmental sustainability, b) food safety, c) sourcing
and traceability and d) humane treatment of both animals and workers.
The more the livestock industry’s
supply chain practices become transparent and known by consumers, the more consumers are seeking alternatives. Bion’s ‘Sustainable’
branding program is designed to address a wide array of consumer concerns ranging from: a) ‘where does your food come from?’
(animal heritage information); b) environmental impacts; c) antibiotic use/ standards; d) animal welfare/ humane treatment; e) laborer
welfare/ working conditions. These issues can be addressed with the consumer through general advertising and/or at the point of sale with
a QR code on the packaging that links back to product-specific data. The verification processes that will be employed by Bion’s
3G Tech platform support block chain traceability, providing accountability throughout that part of the supply chain addressed by Bion’s
platform and enabling any quality issues to be quickly identified by lot and location, minimizing risk to its consumers. In essence, Bion’s
comprehensive technology platform will enable its livestock JVs and other adopters to be not only the provider of the product the consumer
wants, but also the businesses that shares their consumers’ values.
KREIDER 1 (HISTORY AND STATUS)
During 2008 the Company commenced actively pursuing
the opportunity presented by environmental retrofit and remediation of the waste streams of existing CAFOs which effort has met with very
limited success to date. The first commercial activity in this area is represented by our agreement with Kreider Farms (“KF”),
pursuant to which the Kreider 1 system to treat KF's dairy waste streams to reduce nutrient releases to the environment while generating
marketable nutrient credits and renewable energy was designed, constructed and entered full-scale operation during 2011. On January 26,
2009 the Board of the Pennsylvania Infrastructure Investment Authority (“Pennvest”) approved a $7.75 million loan to Bion
PA 1, LLC (“PA1”), a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Company, for the initial Kreider Farms project (“Kreider 1 System”).
After substantial unanticipated delays, on August 12, 2010 PA1 received a permit for construction of the Kreider 1 System based our 2G
Tech (which the Company is no longer implementing). Construction activities commenced during November 2010. The closing/settlement of
the Pennvest Loan took place on November 3, 2010. PA1 finished the construction of the Kreider 1 System and entered a period of system
‘operational shakedown’ during May 2011. The Kreider 1 System reached full, stabilized operation by the end of the 2012 fiscal
year. During 2011 the PADEP re-certified the nutrient credits for this project. The PADEP issued final permits for the Kreider 1 System
(including the credit verification plan) on August 1, 2012 on which date the Company deemed that the Kreider 1 System was ‘placed
in service’. As a result, PA1 commenced generating nutrient reduction credits for potential sale while continuing to utilize the
Kreider 1 System to test improvements and add-ons. However, to date liquidity in the Pennsylvania nutrient credit market has failed
to develop significant breadth and depth, which limited liquidity/depth has negatively impacted Bion’s business plans and has resulted
in insurmountable challenges to monetizing the nutrient reductions created by PA1’s existing Kreider 1 project and Bion’s
other proposed projects. These difficulties have prevented PA1 from generating any material revenues from the Kreider 1 project to date
and raise significant questions as to when, if ever, PA1 will be able to generate such revenues from the Kreider 1 System which has now
been inactive for several years. PA1 had sporadic discussions/negotiations with Pennvest related to forbearance and/or re-structuring
its obligations pursuant to the Pennvest Loan for more than 7 years. In the context of such discussions/negotiations, PA1 elected not
to make interest payments to Pennvest on the Pennvest Loan since January 2013. Additionally, the Company has not made any principal payments,
which were to begin in fiscal 2013, and, therefore, the Company has classified the Pennvest Loan as a current liability as of September
30, 2021. Due to the failure of the Pennsylvania nutrient reduction credit market to develop, the Company determined that the carrying
amount of the property and equipment related to the Kreider 1 project exceeded its estimated future undiscounted cash flows based on certain
assumptions regarding timing, level and probability of revenues from sales of nutrient reduction credits and, therefore, PA1 and the Company
recorded impairments related to the value of the Kreider 1 assets of $1,750,000 and $2,000,000 at June 30, 2015 and June 30, 2014, respectively.
During the 2016 fiscal year, PA1 and the Company recorded an impairment of $1,684,562 to the value of the Kreider 1 assets which reduced
the value on the Company’s books to zero. This impairment reflects management’s judgment that the salvage value of the Kreider
1 assets roughly equals PA1’s contractual obligations related to the Kreider 1 System, including expenses related to decommissioning
of the Kreider 1 System .
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On September 25, 2014, Pennvest exercised its right
to declare the Pennvest Loan in default and accelerated the Pennvest Loan and demanded that PA1 pay $8,137,117 (principal, interest plus
late charges) on or before October 24, 2014. PA1 did not make the payment and does not have the resources to make the payments demanded
by Pennvest. PA1 commenced discussions and negotiations with Pennvest concerning this matter but Pennvest rejected PA1’s proposal
made during the fall of 2014. PA1 made a new proposal to Pennvest during September 2021 which proposal has been rejected by PennvestPA1
provides Pennvest with its financial statements (which include a description of system status) annually. During the 2021 fiscal year,
Pennvest’s auditors requested a ‘corrective action plan’ and PA1 informed Pennvest that “… there is no
viable corrective action plan for the Pennvest Loan (‘Loan’). The facility funded by the Loan has been shut down for many
years (which has been disclosed in the annual financial reports to Pennvest and in public filings by the parent of PA 1) and the technology
utilized in the facility is now obsolete. The facility has not been commercially operated for approximately six years and has generated
zero income. We recommend that Pennvest take appropriate steps to remove and sell the equipment.” Pennvest responded favorably to
the approach of selling the equipment but no actions have yet taken place. The Company anticipates additional communication with Pennvest
on this matter during the current year. It is not possible at this date to predict the final outcome of this matter, but the Company believes
it is likely that that the equipment will be sold with the proceeds delivered to Pennvest during the 2022 fiscal year. However, the resolution
of these matters including the manner and means of such equipment sale has not been agreed upon as of this date. PA1 will evaluate the
appropriate manner to resolve/wrap-up its business over the balance of the current fiscal year.
The economics (potential revenues, profitability
and continued operation) of the Kreider 1 System were based almost entirely on the long-term sale of nutrient (nitrogen and/or phosphorus)
reduction credits to meet the requirements of the Chesapeake Bay environmental clean-up. See below for further discussion.
During August 2012, the Company provided Pennvest
(and the PADEP) with data demonstrating that the Kreider 1 System met the ‘technology guaranty’ standards which were incorporated
in the Pennvest financing documents and, as a result, the Pennvest Loan has been (and is now) solely an obligation of PA1 since that date.
However, the Company’s consolidated balance sheet as of June 30, 2021 reflects the Pennvest Loan as a liability of $9,868,495 despite
the fact that the obligation (if any) solely an obligation of PA 1 .
PA1 is currently maintaining some equipment at
the Kreider 1 System pending its potential inclusion within the Kreider 2 Project discussed below.
SUSTAINABLE/ORGANIC GRAIN-FINISHED BEEF JV OPPORTUNITY
The Company believes that its 3G Tech, in addition
to providing superior environmental remediation, creates opportunities for large scale production of: i) verifiably sustainable-branded
livestock products and ii) verifiably sustainable organic-branded livestock products that will command premium pricing (in part due to
ongoing monitoring and third-party verification of environmental performance which will provide meaningful assurances to both consumers
and regulatory agencies). Each of these two distinct market segments (which the Company intends to pursue in parallel) presents a large
production/marketing opportunity for Bion. Our 3G Tech platform will also produce revenues from co-products: i) pipeline quality biogas
(and related environmental credits) and ii) valuable organic fertilizer products, which can be utilized in the production of organic grains
for use as feed for raising organic livestock (some of which may be utilized in the Company’s JV projects) and/or marketed to the
growing organic fertilizer market. These matters are discussed in more detail in Item 1 of our Form 10-K for the year ended June 30, 2021
and in the Notes to the Financial Statements included herein.
3G TECH KREIDER 2 POULTRY PROJECT
Bion has done extensive pre-development work related
to a waste treatment/renewable energy production facility to treat the waste from KF’s approximately 6+ million chickens (planned
to expand to approximately 9-10 million) (and potentially other poultry operations and/or other waste streams) ('Kreider Renewable Energy
Facility' or ‘Kreider 2 Project’). On May 5, 2016, the Company executed a stand-alone joint venture agreement with Kreider
Farms covering all matters related to development and operation of Kreider 2 system to treat the waste streams from Kreider’s poultry
facilities in Bion PA2 LLC (“PA2”). During May 2011 the PADEP certified a smaller version of the Kreider 2 Project (utilizing
our 3G Tech) for 559,457 nutrient credits under the old EPA’s Chesapeake Bay model. The Company has been in ongoing discussions
with the PADEP regarding the appropriate credit calculation methodology for large-scale technology-based nutrient reduction installations
such as the KF2 Project utilizing our 3G Tech platform. Based on these discussions and the size of the Kreider 2 Project, we anticipate
that when designs are finalized, the Kreider 2 Project will be re-certified for a far larger number of credits (management’s current
estimates are between 2-4 million (or more) nutrient reduction credits for treatment of the waste stream from Kreider’s poultry
pursuant to the Company’s subsequent amended application during the current fiscal year pursuant to the amended EPA Chesapeake Bay
model and agreements between the EPA and PA. Note that this Project may be expanded in the future to treat wastes from other local and
regional CAFOs (poultry and/or dairy---including the Kreider Dairy) and/or additional Kreider poultry expansion (some of which may not
qualify for nutrient reduction credits). A review process to clarify certain issues related to credit calculation and verification
commenced during 2014 based on Bion’s 2G Tech but was been placed on hold. The Company anticipates if and when PA2 re-commences
work on the Kreider 2 Project, it will submit an amended or new application based on our 3G Tech. Site specific design and engineering
work for this facility have not commenced, and the Company does not yet have financing in place for the Kreider 2 Project. This opportunity
is being pursued through PA2. If there are positive developments related to the market for nutrient reductions in Pennsylvania, of which
there is no assurance, the Company intends to pursue development, design and construction of the Kreider 2 Project with a goal of achieving
operational status for its initial modules during then following calendar year. The economics (potential revenues and profitability) of
the Kreider 2 Project, despite its proposed use of Bion’s 3G Tech for increased recovery of marketable by-products, are based in
material part the long-term sale of nutrient (nitrogen and/or phosphorus) reduction credits to meet the requirements of the Chesapeake
Bay environmental clean-up. However, liquidity in the Pennsylvania nutrient credit market has not yet developed significant breadth and
depth, which lack of liquidity has negatively impacted Bion’s business plans and will most likely delay PA2’s Kreider 2 Project
and other proposed projects in Pennsylvania.
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Note that while Bion believes that the Kreider
2 Project and/or subsequent Bion Projects in PA and the Chesapeake Bay Watershed will eventually generate revenue from the sale of: a)
nutrient reductions (credits or in other form), b) renewable energy (and related credits), c) sales of fertilizer products, and/or d)
potentially, in time, credits for the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions, plus e) license fees related to a ‘sustainable brand’,
the Covid-19 pandemic has delayed legislative efforts needed to commence its development. We believe that the potential market is very
large, but it is not possible to predict the exact timing and/or magnitude of these potential markets at this time.
PUBLIC POLICY INITIATIVES
A substantial portion of our activities involve public
policy initiatives (by the Company and other stakeholders) to encourage the establishment of appropriate public policies and regulations
(at federal, regional, state and local levels) to facilitate cost effective environmental clean-up and, thereby, support our business
activities. Bion has been joined by National Milk Producers Federation, Land O’Lakes, JBS and other national livestock interests
to support changes to our nation’s clean water strategy that will allow states to acquire low-cost nutrient reductions through a
competitive procurement process, in a similar manner to how government entities now acquire many other goods and services on behalf
of the taxpayer. As developing markets for nutrient reductions become fully-established, Bion anticipates a robust business opportunity
to retrofit existing CAFOs and develop Projects, based primarily on the sale of nutrient credits that provide cost-effective alternatives
to today’s high-cost and failing clean water strategy.
To date the market for long-term nutrient reduction
credits in Pennsylvania (‘PA’) has been very slow to develop and the Company’s activities have been negatively affected
by such lack of development. However, Bion is confident that once these markets are established, the credits it produces will be competitive
in the credit trading markets, based on its cost to remove nitrogen from the livestock waste stream, compared to the cost to remove nitrogen
through various other treatment activities.
Several independent studies have calculated the average
cost to remove nitrogen through various sector practices. Reports prepared for the PA Senate (2008), Chesapeake Bay Commission (2012)
and PA legislature (2013; described below), as well as the Maryland Chesapeake Bay Financing Strategy Report (2015), demonstrate that
the cost to remove nitrogen (per pound on average) from agriculture is $44 to $54, municipal wastewater: $28 to $43, and storm water:
$386 to $633. Pursuant to the PA legislative Report, by replacing sector allocation (for all sectors) with competitive bidding, up to
80 percent savings could be achieved in PA’s Chesapeake Bay compliance costs ($1.5 billion annually) by 2025. If the legislative
study had focused on the cost differentials of competitive bidding compared only with storm water, the relative savings would be substantially
greater.
Since these studies were completed, most of the larger
(Tier 1) municipal wastewater treatment plants in PA have been upgraded, at a cost of approximately $2.5 billion (vs initial 2004 PA DEP
cost estimates of $376 million). US EPA is now focused on PA’s storm water allocation (3.5 million pounds (per last published data))
and has this sector on ‘backstop level actions’, the highest level of EPA-oversight and the final step before sanctions. In
the same 2004 PA DEP cost estimate that led to the more than a $2 billion underestimate/miscalculation in municipal wastewater plant upgrade
costs, the estimate for storm water cost was $5.6 billion. In April 2017, US EPA sent a Letter of Expectation to PA DEP, expressing the
agency’s support for the use of nutrient credit trading and competitive bidding to engage the private-sector to lower costs. The
letter specifically encouraged the use of credit trading to offset the state’s looming storm water obligations.
The Company believes that: i) the April 2015 release
of a report from the Pennsylvania Auditor General titled “Special Report on the Importance of Meeting Pennsylvania’s Chesapeake
Bay Nutrient Reduction Targets” which highlighted the economic consequences of EPA-imposed sanctions if the state fails to meet
the 2017 TMDL targets, as well as the need to support using low-cost solutions and technologies as alternatives to higher-cost public
infrastructure projects, where possible, and ii) Senate Bill 575 (introduced in April 2019 as successor to prior SB 799 (which was passed
by PA Senate during January 2018 but was not voted on in the House)) which, if adopted, will establish a program that will allow the Pennsylvania’s
tax- and rate-payers to meet significant portions of their EPA-mandated Chesapeake Bay pollution reductions at significantly lower cost
by purchasing verified reductions (by competitive bidding) from all sources, including those that Bion can produce through livestock waste
treatment, represent visible evidence of progress being made on these matters in Pennsylvania. SB 575 was passed by the PA Senate in 2019
and introduced in the PA House which is scheduled to be taken up the bill during its current session which is now underway. Such legislation
(which has bi-partisan support), if passed and signed into law (of which there is no assurance), will potentially enable Bion (and others)
to compete for public funding on an equal basis with subsidized agricultural ‘best management practices’ and public works
and storm water authorities. Note, however, that there is opposition to currently filed SB 475 and SB832 (as was the case for SB 575 and
its predecessors) from threatened stakeholders committed to the existing status quo approaches--- a significant portion of which was focused
on attacking (in often inaccurate and/or vilifying ways) Bion in/through social media and internet articles, blogs, press releases, twitter
posts and re-tweets, rather than engaging the substantive issues. Further note that the current COVID-19 crisis has shifted government,
legislative and budget focuses in PA in manners which may delay our efforts. If SB 475 and/or SB832 (or similar legislation) is passed
(on a stand-alone basis or as part of a larger piece of legislation) and implemented (in a form which maintains its core provisions),
Bion expects that the policies and strategies being developed in PA will not only benefit the Company’s existing and proposed PA
projects, but will also subsequently provide the basis for a larger Chesapeake Bay watershed strategy and, thereafter, a national clean
water strategy.
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THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC HAS FURTHER INCREASED UNCERTAINTIES
RE SB 575 AND ALL POLICY INITIATIVES. SEE FURTHER DISCUSSION HEREIN .
The Company believes that Pennsylvania may be ‘ground
zero’ in the long-standing clean water battle between agriculture and the further regulation of agriculture relative to nutrient
impacts. The ability of Bion and other technology providers to achieve verified reductions from agricultural non-point sources can resolve
the current stalemate and enable implementation of constructive solutions that benefit all stakeholders, providing a mechanism that ensures
that taxpayer funds will be used to achieve the most beneficial result at the lowest cost, regardless of source. All sources, point and
non-point, rural and urban, will be able to compete for tax payer-funded nitrogen reductions in a fair and transparent process; and since
payment from the tax and rate payers would now be performance-based, these providers will be held financially accountable.
We believe that the overwhelming environmental, economic,
quality of life and public health benefits to all stakeholders in the watershed, both within and outside of Pennsylvania, make the case
for adoption of the strategies outlined in the Report less an issue of ‘if’, but of ‘when and how’. The adoption
of a competitive procurement program will have significant positive impact on technology providers that can deliver verified nitrogen
reductions such as Bion, by allocating existing tax- and rate-payer clean water funding to low-cost solutions based upon a voluntary and
transparent procurement process. The Company believes that implementation of a competitively-bid nutrient reduction program to achieve
the goals for the Chesapeake Bay watershed can also provide a working policy model and platform for other states to adopt that will enhance
their efforts to comply with both current and future requirements for local and federal estuarine watersheds, including the Mississippi
River/Gulf of Mexico, the Great Lakes Basin and other nutrient-impaired watersheds. (Note, however, that current COVID-19 crisis has
shifted government, legislative and budget focuses in manners which may delay the fruition of our efforts.)
The Company currently anticipates that either a Sustainable/Organic
Grain-Fed Beef JV is likely to be its initial full-scale 3G Project (but the Kreider 2 poultry JV in PA remains a possibility). Now
that Bion has commenced development of its initial project 3G Tech by leasing land and beginning the site-specific design and permitting
processes, we believe it will be possible to commence development of a full-scale 3G Project during the 2022 calendar year, but
further delays are possible. It is not possible at this time to firmly predict where the initial JVs and Project will be developed or
the order in which Projects will be developed. All potential Projects are in very early discussion and pre-development stages and may
never progress to actual development or may be developed after other Projects not yet under active consideration.
Bion also hopes to be able to move forward on multiple
JVs/Projects through 2022-2026 to create a pipeline of Projects. Management has a 5-year development target (through calendar year 2026)
of approximately commencing 3-8 or more JVs/Projects pursuant to joint ventures (or similar agreements). Management hopes to have identified
and begun development work related to 3 (or more) Projects over the next 3 years. At the end of the 5-year period, Bion projects that
3-5 or more of these JVs/Projects will be in commercial operation in 3 or more states, and the balance would be in various stages ranging
from partial operation to early development stage. It is possible that one or more Projects will be developed in joint ventures specifically
targeted to meet the growing animal protein demand outside of the United States (including without limitation Asia, Europe and/or the
Middle East). No JVs/Projects (including Integrated Projects) have been developed to date.
The Company’s audited financial statements
for the years ended June 30, 2021 and 2020 were prepared assuming the Company will continue as a going concern. The Company has incurred
net losses of approximately $3,451,000 and $4,553,000 during the years ended June 30, 2021 and 2020, respectively. The Report of the Independent
Registered Public Accounting Firm on the Company’s consolidated financial statements as of and for the year ended June 30, 2021
includes a “going concern” explanatory paragraph which means that there are factors that raise substantial doubt about the
Company’s ability to continue as a going concern. The Company has incurred net losses of approximately $664,000 and $498,000 for
the three months ended September 30, 2021 and 2020, respectively. At September 30, 2021, the Company had a working capital deficit and
a stockholders’ deficit of approximately $7,131,000 and $12,000,000, respectively. Management’s plans with respect to these
matters are described in this section and in our consolidated financial statements (and notes thereto), and this material does not include
any adjustments that might result from the outcome of this uncertainty. However, there is no guarantee that we will be able to raise sufficient
funds or further capital for the operations planned in the near future.
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COVID-19 PANDEMIC RELATED MATTERS:
The Company faces risks and uncertainties and factors
beyond our control that are magnified during the current Covid-19 pandemic and the unique economic, financial, governmental and health-related
conditions in which the Company, the country and the entire world now reside. To date the Company has experienced direct impacts in various
areas including but without limitation: i) government ordered shutdowns which have slowed the Company’s research and development
projects and other initiatives, ii) shifted focus of state and federal governments which is likely to negatively impact the Company’s
legislative initiatives in Pennsylvania and Washington D. C., iii) strains and uncertainties in both the equity and debt markets which
have made discussion and planning of funding of the Company and its initiatives and projects with investment bankers, banks and potential
strategic partners more tenuous, iv) strains and uncertainties in the agricultural sector and markets have made discussion and planning
more difficult as future industry conditions are now more difficult to assess and predict, v) constraints due to problems experienced
in the global industrial supply chain, vi) due to the age and health of our core management team, all of whom are age 70 or older and
have had one or more existing health issues, the Covid-19 pandemic places the Company at greater risk than was previously the case (to
a higher degree than would be the case if the Company had a larger, deeper and/or younger core management team), and vii) there almost
certainly will be other unanticipated consequences for the Company as a result of the current pandemic emergency and its aftermath.
CRITICAL ACCOUNTING POLICIES
Revenue Recognition
The Company currently does not generate revenue
and if and when the Company begins to generate revenue the Company will comply with the provisions of Accounting Standards Codification
(“ASC”) 606 “Revenue from Contracts with Customers”.
Stock-based compensation
The Company follows the provisions of ASC 718,
which generally requires that share-based compensation transactions be accounted and recognized in the statement of income based upon
their grant date fair values.
Derivative Financial Instruments:
Pursuant to ASC Topic 815 “Derivatives and Hedging”
(“Topic 815”), the Company reviews all financial instruments for the existence of features which may require fair value accounting
and a related mark-to-market adjustment at each reporting period end. Once determined, the Company assesses these instruments as derivative
liabilities. The fair value of these instruments is adjusted to reflect the fair value at each reporting period end, with any increase
or decrease in the fair value being recorded in results of operations as an adjustment to fair value of derivatives.
Warrants:
The Company has issued warrants to purchase common
shares of the Company. Warrants are valued using a fair value based method, whereby the fair value of the warrant is determined at the
warrant issue date using a market-based option valuation model based on factors including an evaluation of the Company’s value as
of the date of the issuance, consideration of the Company’s limited liquid resources and business prospects, the market price of
the Company’s stock in its mostly inactive public market and the historical valuations and purchases of the Company’s warrants.
When warrants are issued in combination with debt or equity securities, the warrants are valued and accounted for based on the relative
fair value of the warrants in relation to the total value assigned to the debt or equity securities and warrants combined.
Lease Accounting:
The Company will account for any future leases
under ASC 842, Leases (“ASC 842”). Accordingly, the Company will determine whether an arrangement contains
a lease at the inception of the arrangement. If a lease is determined to exist, the term of such lease is assessed based on the date on
which the underlying asset is made available for the Company’s use by the lessor. The Company’s assessment of the lease term
reflects the non-cancelable term of the lease, inclusive of any rent-free periods and/or periods covered by early-termination options
which the Company is reasonably certain of not exercising, as well as periods covered by renewal options which the Company is reasonably
certain of exercising. The Company will also determine lease classification as either operating or finance at lease commencement, which
governs the pattern of expense recognition and the presentation reflected in the consolidated statements of operations over the lease
term.
35
For leases with a term exceeding 12 months,
a lease liability will be recorded on the Company’s consolidated balance sheet at lease commencement reflecting the present value
of its fixed minimum payment obligations over the lease term. A corresponding right-of-use (“ROU”) asset equal to the initial
lease liability will also be recorded, adjusted for any prepaid rent and/or initial direct costs incurred in connection with execution
of the lease and reduced by any lease incentives received. For purposes of measuring the present value of its fixed payment obligations
for a given lease, the Company will use its incremental borrowing rate, determined based on information available at lease commencement,
as rates implicit in its leasing arrangements are typically not readily determinable. The Company's incremental borrowing rate reflects
the rate it would pay to borrow on a secured basis and incorporates the term and economic environment of the associated lease.
For the Company’s operating leases, fixed
lease payments are will be recognized as lease expense on a straight-line basis over the lease term. For leases with a term of 12 months
or less, any fixed lease payments will be recognized on a straight-line basis over the lease term and are not recognized on the Company's
consolidated balance sheet as an accounting policy election.
THREE MONTHS ENDED SEPTEMBER 30, 2021 COMPARED
TO THE THREE MONTHS ENDED SEPTEMBER 30, 2020
Revenue
Total revenues were nil for both the three
months ended September 30, 2021 and 2020, respectively.
General and Administrative
Total general and administrative expenses
were $491,000 and $303,000 for the three months ended September 30, 2021 and 2020, respectively.
Salaries and related payroll tax expenses were
$97,000 and $69,000 for the three months ended September 30, 2021 and 2020, respectively, representing a $28,000 increase due to a consultant
being partially paid as an employee and a pay increase for an employee during the three months ended September 30, 2021. Consulting costs
were $152,000 and $95,000 for the three months ended September 30, 2021 and 2020, respectively. The increase in consulting costs is the
result of hiring a branding and marketing consultant for the Company. Investor relations expenses were $86,000 and $26,000 for the three
months ended September 30, 2021 and 2020, respectively, and the increase is due to a new contract with an investor relations firm and
increased activity during the three months ended September 30, 2021 due to the resumption of investor conferences. Legal costs were $25,000
and nil for the three months ended September 30, 2021 and 2020, respectively, due to the hiring of a law firm to represent the Company
in a lawsuit for the hack and attempt to steal the Company’s domain.
Depreciation
Total depreciation expense was $248 and $207 for
the three months ended September 30, 2021 and 2020, respectively.
Research and Development
Total research and development expenses were $62,000
and $91,000 for the three months ended September 30, 2021 and 2020, respectively.
Salaries and related payroll tax expenses were $7,000
and $22,000 for the three months ended September 30, 2021 and 2020, respectively as more salary expense was allocated to administrative
expense for the three months ended September 30, 2021. Consulting costs were $32,000 and $50,000 for the three months ended September
30, 2021 and 2020, respectively. The Company also incurred $21,000 and $3,000 for the three months ended September 30, 2021 and
2020, respectively in legal costs related to patent applications and renewals.
Loss from Operations
As a result of the factors described above, the
loss from operations was $553,000 and $394,000 for the three months ended September 30, 2021 and 2020, respectively.
Other (Income) Expense
Other (income) expense was $111,000 and $104,000
for the three months ended September 30, 2021 and 2020, respectively and was all attributable to interest expense for both periods. Interest
expense related to convertible notes was $46,000 and $36,000 for the three months ended September 30, 2021 and 2020, respectively and
the increase is attributable to higher convertible note balances.
36
Net Loss Attributable to the Noncontrolling
Interest
The net loss attributable to the noncontrolling
interest was $506 and $515 for the three months ended September 30, 2021 and 2020, respectively.
Net Loss Attributable to Bion’s Common
Stockholders
As a result of the factors described above, the
net loss attributable to Bion’s stockholders was $664,000 and $498,000 for the three months ended September 30, 2021 and 2020, respectively,
and the net loss per basic common share was $0.02 for both the three months ended September 30, 2021 and 2020, respectively.
LIQUIDITY AND CAPITAL RESOURCES
The Company's consolidated financial statements for
the three months ended September 30, 2021 have been prepared on a going concern basis, which contemplates the realization of assets and
the settlement of liabilities and commitments in the normal course of business. The Report of our Independent Registered Public Accounting
Firm on the Company's consolidated financial statements as of and for the year ended June 30, 2021 includes a "going concern"
explanatory paragraph which means that the auditors stated that conditions exist that raise substantial doubt about the Company's ability
to continue as a going concern.
Operating Activities
As of September 30, 2021, the Company had cash of
approximately $3,962,000. During the three months ended September 30, 2021, net cash used in operating activities was $350,000, primarily
consisting of cash operating expenses related to salaries and benefits, and other general and administrative costs such as insurance,
legal, accounting, consulting and investor relations expenses. As previously noted, the Company is currently not generating significant
revenue and accordingly has not generated cash flows from operations. The Company does not anticipate generating sufficient revenues to
offset operating and capital costs for a minimum of two to five years. While there are no assurances that the Company will be successful
in its efforts to develop and construct its Projects and market its Systems, it is certain that the Company will require substantial funding
from external sources. Given the unsettled state of the current credit and capital markets for companies such as Bion, there is no assurance
the Company will be able to raise the funds it needs on reasonable terms.
Investing Activities
During the three months ended September 30, 2021,
the Company invested $7,000 in the purchase of property and equipment, primarily related to project construction in process.
Financing Activities
During the three months ended September 30, 2021,
the Company received gross cash proceeds of $105,000 from the exercise of 139,334 warrants into shares of the Company’s common stock
and paid approximately $1,000 in cash commissions related to the exercise of warrants.
As of September 30, 2021, the Company has debt obligations
consisting of: a) deferred compensation of $528,000 b) convertible notes payable – affiliates of $4,893,000, and c) a loan payable
and accrued interest of $9,939,000 (owed solely by PA1).
Plan of Operations and Outlook
As of September 30, 2021, the Company had cash of
approximately $3,962,000.
The Company continues to explore sources of additional
financing to satisfy its current operating requirements as it is not currently generating any significant revenues. During fiscal
years 2021 and 2020, the Company has faced progressively less difficulty in raising equity funding (but substantial equity dilution has
gone along with the larger amounts of equity financing during the periods). However, the Company anticipates substantial increases in
demands for capital and operating expenditures as it moves toward commercial implementation of its 3G Tech and development of JVs and,
therefore, is likely to continue to face, significant cash flow management challenges due to limited capital resources and working capital
constraints which have only recently begun to be alleviated. As a result, the Company has faced, and continues to face, significant
cash flow management challenges due to material working capital constraints. To partially mitigate these working capital constraints,
the Company's core senior management and some key employees and consultants have been deferring all or part of their cash compensation
and/or are accepting compensation in the form of securities of the Company (Notes 4 and 6 to Financial Statements) and members of the
Company's senior management have from time to time made loans to the Company. During the year ended June 30, 2018 senior management and
certain core employees and consultants agreed to a one-time extinguishment of liabilities owed by the Company which in aggregate totaled
$2,404,000. As of September 30, 2021, such deferrals totaled approximately $5,422,000 (including accrued interest and deferred compensation
converted into convertible obligations and convertible promissory notes but excluding conversions of deferred compensation into the Company's
common stock by officers, employees and consultants that have already been completed). The extended constraints on available resources
have had, and continue to have, negative effects on the pace and scope of the Company's effort to develop its business . The Company
made reductions in its personnel during the years ended June 30, 2014 and 2015 and again in 2018. The constraint on available resources
has had, and continues to have, negative effects on the pace and scope of the Company’s efforts to develop its business. The Company
has had to delay payment of trade obligations and has had to economize in many ways that have potentially negative consequences. If the
Company is able to continue its recent increased success in its efforts to raise needed funds during the remainder of the current fiscal
year (and subsequent periods), of which there is no assurance, management will not need to consider deeper cuts (including additional
personnel cuts) and curtailment of ongoing activities including research and development activities.
37
The Company will need to obtain additional capital
to fund its operations and technology development, to satisfy existing creditors, to develop the Initial Project, JVs, Projects (including
Integrated Projects) and CAFO Retrofit waste remediation systems (including the Kreider 2 facility) and to continue to maintain equipment
at the Kreider 1 facility (subject to agreements being reached with Pennvest as discussed above). The Company anticipates that it will
seek to raise from $10,000,000 to $50,000,000 or more (debt and equity) during the next twelve months. However, as discussed above,
there is no guarantee that we will be able to raise sufficient funds or further capital for the operations planned in the near future.
The Company is not currently generating any significant
revenues. Further, the Company’s anticipated revenues, if any, from existing projects, JVs and proposed projects will not be sufficient
to meet the Company’s anticipated operational and capital expenditure needs for many years. During the year ended June 30, 2021
the Company raised gross proceeds of approximately $5,209,000 through the sale of its securities and paid commissions of approximately
$165,000, and anticipates raising additional funds from such sales and transactions. However, there is no guarantee that we will be
able to raise sufficient funds or further capital for the operations planned in the near future.
Because the Company is not currently generating
significant revenues, the Company will need to obtain additional capital to fund its operations and technology development, to satisfy
existing creditors, to develop the Initial Project and subsequent Projects.
The Company’s first commercial activity
in the Retrofit segment was represented by our agreement with Kreider Farms ("KF"), pursuant to which the Kreider 1 system to
treat KF's dairy waste streams to reduce nutrient releases to the environment while generating marketable nutrient credits and renewable
energy was designed, constructed and entered full-scale operation during 2011. On January 26, 2009 the Board of the Pennsylvania Infrastructure
Investment Authority ("Pennvest") approved a $7.75 million loan to Bion PA 1, LLC ("PA1"), a wholly-owned subsidiary
of the Company, for the initial Kreider Farms project ("Kreider 1 System"). After substantial unanticipated delays, on August
12, 2010 PA1 received a permit for construction of the Kreider 1 system. Construction activities commenced during November 2010. The closing/settlement
of the Pennvest Loan took place on November 3, 2010. PA1 finished the construction of the Kreider 1 System and entered a period of system
'operational shakedown' during May 2011. The Kreider 1 System reached full, stabilized operation by the end of the 2012 fiscal year. During
2011 the PADEP re-certified the nutrient credits for this project. The PADEP issued final permits for the Kreider 1 System (including
the credit verification plan) on August 1, 2012 on which date the Company deemed that the Kreider System was 'placed in service'. As a
result, PA1 commenced generating nutrient reduction credits for potential sale while continuing to utilize the Kreider 1 system to test
improvements and add-ons. However, to date liquidity in the Pennsylvania nutrient credit market has been slow to develop significant
breadth and depth, which limited liquidity/depth has negatively impacted Bion's business plans and has resulted in challenges to monetizing
the nutrient reductions created by PA1's existing Kreider 1 project and Bion's other proposed projects. These difficulties have prevented
PA1 from generating any material revenues from the Kreider 1 project to date and raise significant questions as to when, if ever, PA1
will be able to generate such revenues from the Kreider 1 system. PA1 has had sporadic discussions/negotiations with Pennvest related
to forbearance and/or re-structuring its obligations pursuant to the Pennvest Loan for more than 7 years. In the context of such discussions/negotiations,
PA1 elected not to make interest payments to Pennvest on the Pennvest Loan since January 2013. Additionally, the Company has not made
any principal payments, which were to begin in fiscal 2013, and, therefore, the Company has classified the Pennvest Loan as a current
liability as of September 30, 2021. Due to the failure of the PA nutrient reduction credit market to develop, the Company determined that
the carrying amount of the property and equipment related to the Kreider 1 project exceeded its estimated future undiscounted cash flows
based on certain assumptions regarding timing, level and probability of revenues from sales of nutrient reduction credits and, therefore,
PA1 and the Company recorded impairments related to the value of the Kreider 1 assets of $1,750,000 and $2,000,000 at June 30, 2015 and
June 30, 2014, respectively. During the 2016 fiscal year, PA1 and the Company recorded an impairment of $1,684,562 to the value of the
Kreider 1 assets which reduced the value on the Company's books to zero. This impairment reflects management's judgment that the salvage
value of the Kreider 1 assets roughly equals PA1's contractual obligations related to the Kreider 1 system, including expenses related
to decommissioning of the Kreider 1 system.
38
On September 25, 2014, Pennvest exercised its right
to declare the Pennvest Loan in default and accelerated the Pennvest Loan and demanded that PA1 pay $8,137,117 (principal, interest plus
late charges) on or before October 24, 2014. PA1 did not make the payment and does not have the resources to make the payments demanded
by Pennvest. PA1 commenced discussions and negotiations with Pennvest concerning this matter but Pennvest rejected PA1’s proposal
made during the fall of 2014. PA1 made a new proposal to Pennvest during September 2021 which proposal has been rejected by PennvestPA1
provides Pennvest with its financial statements (which include a description of system status) annually. During the 2021 fiscal year,
Pennvest’s auditors requested a ‘corrective action plan’ and PA1 informed Pennvest that “… there is no
viable corrective action plan for the Pennvest Loan (‘Loan’). The facility funded by the Loan has been shut down for many
years (which has been disclosed in the annual financial reports to Pennvest and in public filings by the parent of PA 1) and the technology
utilized in the facility is now obsolete. The facility has not been commercially operated for approximately six years and has generated
zero income. We recommend that Pennvest take appropriate steps to remove and sell the equipment.” Pennvest responded favorably to
the approach of selling the equipment but no actions have yet taken place. The Company anticipates additional communication with Pennvest
on this matter during the current year. It is not possible at this date to predict the final outcome of this matter, but the Company believes
it is likely that that the equipment will be sold with the proceeds delivered to Pennvest during the 2022 fiscal year. However, the resolution
of these matters including the manner and means of such equipment sale has not been agreed upon as of this date. PA1 will evaluate the
appropriate manner to resolve/wrap-up its business over the balance of the current fiscal year.
The economics (potential revenues, profitability
and continued operation) of the Kreider 1 System were based almost entirely on the long-term sale of nutrient (nitrogen and/or phosphorus)
reduction credits to meet the requirements of the Chesapeake Bay environmental clean-up. See below for further discussion.
During August 2012, the Company provided Pennvest
(and the PADEP) with data demonstrating that the Kreider 1 system met the 'technology guaranty' standards which were incorporated in the
Pennvest financing documents and, as a result, the Pennvest Loan is now solely an obligation of PA1.
As indicated above, the Company anticipates that
it will seek to raise from $10,000,000 to $50,000,000 or more (from debt, equity, joint venture, strategic partnering, etc.) during the
next twelve months, some of which may be in the context of joint ventures for the development of one or more large scale projects. We
reiterate that there is no assurance, especially in the extremely unsettled capital markets that presently exist for companies such as
Bion, that the Company will be able to obtain the funds that it needs to stay in business, finance its Projects and other activities,
continue its technology development and/or to successfully develop its business.
There is extremely limited likelihood that funds
required during the next twelve months or in the periods immediately thereafter will be generated from operations and there is no assurance
that those funds will be available from external sources such as debt or equity financings or other potential sources. The lack of additional
capital resulting from the inability to generate cash flow from operations and/or to raise capital from external sources would force the
Company to substantially curtail or cease operations and would, therefore, have a material adverse effect on its business. Further, there
can be no assurance that any such required funds, if available, will be available on attractive terms or that they will not have a significantly
dilutive effect on the Company's existing shareholders. All of these factors have been exacerbated by the extremely limited and unsettled
credit and capital markets presently existing for companies such as Bion.
Covid-19 pandemic related matters:
The Company faces risks and uncertainties and factors
beyond our control that are magnified during the current Covid-19 pandemic and the unique economic, financial, governmental and health-related
conditions in which the Company, the country and the entire world now reside. To date the Company has experienced direct impacts in various
areas including but without limitation: i) government ordered shutdowns which have slowed the Company’s research and development
projects and other initiatives, ii) shifted focus of state and federal governments which is likely to negatively impact the Company’s
legislative initiatives in Pennsylvania and Washington D. C., iii) strains and uncertainties in both the equity and debt markets which
have made discussion and planning of funding of the Company and its initiatives and projects with investment bankers, banks and potential
strategic partners more tenuous, iv) strains and uncertainties in the agricultural sector and markets have made discussion and planning
more difficult as future industry conditions are now more difficult to assess and predict, v) constraints due to problems experienced
in the global industrial supply chain, vi) due to the age and health of our core management team, all of whom are age 70 or older and
have had one or more existing health issues, the Covid-19 pandemic places the Company at greater risk than was previously the case (to
a higher degree than would be the case if the Company had a larger, deeper and/or younger core management team), and vii) there almost
certainly will be other unanticipated consequences for the Company as a result of the current pandemic emergency and its aftermath.
39
CONTRACTUAL OBLIGATIONS
We have the following material contractual obligations
(in addition to employment and consulting agreements with management and employees):
During 2008 the Company commenced actively pursuing
the opportunity presented by environmental retrofit and remediation of the waste streams of existing CAFOs which effort has met with very
limited success to date. The first commercial activity in this area is represented by our agreement with Kreider Farms ("KF"),
pursuant to which the Kreider 1 system to treat KF's dairy waste streams to reduce nutrient releases to the environment while generating
marketable nutrient credits and renewable energy was designed, constructed and entered full-scale operation during 2011. On January 26,
2009 the Board of the Pennsylvania Infrastructure Investment Authority ("Pennvest") approved a $7.75 million loan to Bion PA
1, LLC ("PA1"), a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Company, for the initial Kreider Farms project ("Kreider 1 System").
After substantial unanticipated delays, on August 12, 2010 PA1 received a permit for construction of the Kreider 1 system. Construction
activities commenced during November 2010. The closing/settlement of the Pennvest Loan took place on November 3, 2010. PA1 finished the
construction of the Kreider 1 System and entered a period of system 'operational shakedown' during May 2011. The Kreider 1System reached
full, stabilized operation by the end of the 2012 fiscal year. During 2011 the PADEP re-certified the nutrient credits for this project.
The PADEP issued final permits for the Kreider 1 System (including the credit verification plan) on August 1, 2012 on which date the Company
deemed that the Kreider System was 'placed in service'. As a result, PA1 commenced generating nutrient reduction credits for potential
sale while continuing to utilize the Kreider 1 system to test improvements and add-ons. However, to date liquidity in the Pennsylvania
nutrient credit market has been slow to develop significant breadth and depth, which limited liquidity/depth has negatively impacted Bion's
business plans and has resulted in challenges to monetizing the nutrient reductions created by PA1's existing Kreider 1 project and Bion's
other proposed projects. These difficulties have prevented PA1 from generating any material revenues from the Kreider 1 project to date
and raise significant questions as to when, if ever, PA1 will be able to generate such revenues from the Kreider 1 system. PA1 has had
sporadic discussions/negotiations with Pennvest related to forbearance and/or re-structuring its obligations pursuant to the Pennvest
Loan for more than 7 years. In the context of such discussions/negotiations, PA1 elected not to make interest payments to Pennvest on
the Pennvest Loan since January 2013. Additionally, the Company has not made any principal payments, which were to begin in fiscal 2013,
and, therefore, the Company has classified the Pennvest Loan as a current liability as of September 30, 2021. Due to the failure of the
PA nutrient reduction credit market to develop, the Company determined that the carrying amount of the property and equipment related
to the Kreider 1 project exceeded its estimated future undiscounted cash flows based on certain assumptions regarding timing, level and
probability of revenues from sales of nutrient reduction credits and, therefore, PA1 and the Company recorded impairments related to the
value of the Kreider 1 assets of $1,750,000 and $2,000,000 at June 30, 2015 and June 30, 2014, respectively. During the 2016 fiscal year,
PA1 and the Company recorded an impairment of $1,684,562 to the value of the Kreider 1 assets which reduced the value on the Company's
books to zero. This impairment reflects management's judgment that the salvage value of the Kreider 1 assets roughly equals PA1's contractual
obligations related to the Kreider 1 system, including expenses related to decommissioning of the Kreider 1 system.
On September 25, 2014, Pennvest exercised its right
to declare the Pennvest Loan in default and accelerated the Pennvest Loan and demanded that PA1 pay $8,137,117 (principal, interest plus
late charges) on or before October 24, 2014. PA1 did not make the payment and does not have the resources to make the payments demanded
by Pennvest. PA1 commenced discussions and negotiations with Pennvest concerning this matter but Pennvest rejected PA1’s proposal
made during the fall of 2014. PA1 made a new proposal to Pennvest during September 2021 which proposal has been rejected by PennvestPA1
provides Pennvest with its financial statements (which include a description of system status) annually. During the 2021 fiscal year,
Pennvest’s auditors requested a ‘corrective action plan’ and PA1 informed Pennvest that “… there is no
viable corrective action plan for the Pennvest Loan (‘Loan’). The facility funded by the Loan has been shut down for many
years (which has been disclosed in the annual financial reports to Pennvest and in public filings by the parent of PA 1) and the technology
utilized in the facility is now obsolete. The facility has not been commercially operated for approximately six years and has generated
zero income. We recommend that Pennvest take appropriate steps to remove and sell the equipment.” Pennvest responded favorably to
the approach of selling the equipment but no actions have yet taken place. The Company anticipates additional communication with Pennvest
on this matter during the current year. It is not possible at this date to predict the final outcome of this matter, but the Company believes
it is likely that that the equipment will be sold with the proceeds delivered to Pennvest during the 2022 fiscal year. However, the resolution
of these matters including the manner and means of such equipment sale has not been agreed upon as of this date. PA1 will evaluate the
appropriate manner to resolve/wrap-up its business over the balance of the current fiscal year.
The economics (potential revenues, profitability
and continued operation) of the Kreider 1 System are based almost entirely on the long-term sale of nutrient (nitrogen and/or phosphorus)
reduction credits to meet the requirements of the Chesapeake Bay environmental clean-up.
During August 2012, the Company provided Pennvest
(and the PADEP) with data demonstrating that the Kreider 1 system met the 'technology guaranty' standards which were incorporated in the
Pennvest financing documents and, as a result, the Pennvest Loan is now solely an obligation of PA1.
The Company is currently maintaining some equipment
at the Kreider 1 System in a limited manner.
40
OFF-BALANCE SHEET ARRANGEMENTS
We do not have any off-balance sheet arrangements (as that term is defined
in Item 303 of Regulation S-K) that are reasonably likely to have a current or future material effect on our financial condition, revenue
or expenses, results of operations, liquidity, capital expenditures or capital resources.
Item 3. Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures About
Market Risk.
Not applicable.
Item 4. Controls and Procedures.
(a) Evaluation of Disclosure Controls and Procedures.
The term "disclosure controls and procedures"
is defined in Rules 13a-15(e) and 15d-15(e) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the "Exchange Act"). This term
refers to the controls and procedures of a company that are designed to ensure that information required to be disclosed by a company
in the reports that it files under the Exchange Act is recorded, processed, summarized, and reported within the required time periods.
Our Chief Executive Officer and Principal Financial Officer has evaluated the effectiveness of the design and operations of our disclosure
controls and procedures as of the end of the period covered by this quarterly report, and has concluded that, as of that date, our disclosure
controls and procedures were not effective at ensuring that required information will be disclosed on a timely basis in our reports filed
under the Exchange Act, as a result of the material weakness in internal control over financial reporting discussed in Item 9(A) of our
Form 10-K for the year ended June 30, 2021.
(b) Changes in Internal Control over Financial
Reporting.
No change in our internal control over financial reporting
(as defined in Rules 13a-15(f) and 15d-15(f) under the Exchange Act) occurred during the period covered by this report that has materially
affected, or is reasonably likely to materially affect, our internal control over financial reporting.
41
PART II – OTHER INFORMATION
Item 1. Legal Proceedings.
The Company is currently involved in no litigation
matters except:
On September 10, 2021, the Company filed a federal lawsuit ‘in rem’
to recover the <biontech.com> domain and the unknown ‘John Doe’ who hacked and attempted to steal the website. The litigation
has been filed in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia, Alexandria Division under the heading ‘Bion
Environmental Technologies, Inc., Plaintiff, vs John Doe and <biontech.com>, Defendants’ (Case No. 1:21-cv-01034), seeking
recovery of the domain name and other relief as set forth therein.
On September 25, 2014, Pennvest exercised its right
to declare the Pennvest Loan in default and accelerated the Pennvest Loan and demanded that PA1 pay $8,137,117 (principal, interest plus
late charges) on or before October 24, 2014. PA1 did not make the payment and does not have the resources to make the payments demanded
by Pennvest. PA1 commenced discussions and negotiations with Pennvest concerning this matter but Pennvest rejected PA1’s proposal
made during the fall of 2014. PA1 made a new proposal to Pennvest during September 2021 which proposal has been rejected by PennvestPA1
provides Pennvest with its financial statements (which include a description of system status) annually. During the 2021 fiscal year,
Pennvest’s auditors requested a ‘corrective action plan’ and PA1 informed Pennvest that “… there is no
viable corrective action plan for the Pennvest Loan (‘Loan’). The facility funded by the Loan has been shut down for many
years (which has been disclosed in the annual financial reports to Pennvest and in public filings by the parent of PA 1) and the technology
utilized in the facility is now obsolete. The facility has not been commercially operated for approximately six years and has generated
zero income. We recommend that Pennvest take appropriate steps to remove and sell the equipment.” Pennvest responded favorably to
the approach of selling the equipment but no actions have yet taken place. The Company anticipates additional communication with Pennvest
on this matter during the current year. It is not possible at this date to predict the final outcome of this matter, but the Company believes
it is likely that that the equipment will be sold with the proceeds delivered to Pennvest during the 2022 fiscal year. However, the resolution
of these matters including the manner and means of such equipment sale has not been agreed upon as of this date. PA1 will evaluate the
appropriate manner to resolve/wrap-up its business over the balance of the current fiscal year.
The Company currently is not involved in any other material litigation.
Item 1A. Risk Factors.
Not applicable.
Item 2. Unregistered Sales of Equity
Securities and Use of Proceeds.
During the quarter ended September 30, 2021, the
Company sold the following restricted securities: a) 10,253 shares issued pursuant to our 2006 Consolidated Incentive Plan (“Plan”)
upon the conversion of debt and b) 139,334 warrants were exercised @ $0.75/warrant and the Company received gross proceeds of $104,500. In
addition, the Company issued 10,000 shares as commission.. In all of these transactions the Company relied on the exemptions in
Section 4(2) of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and/or under Rule 506 of Regulation D under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended.
See Notes to Financial Statements (included herein) for additional details.
The proceeds were utilized for general corporate
purposes.
Item 3. Defaults Upon Senior Securities.
Not applicable.
Item 4. Mine Safety Disclosures.
Not applicable.
Item 5. Other Information.
Not applicable.
42
Item 6. Exhibits.
(a) Exhibits required by Item 601 of Regulation
S-K.
Exhibit
Description
31.1
Certification of CEO pursuant to Rule 13a-14(a) or Rule 15d-14(a) - Filed herewith electronically
31.2
Certification of Executive Chairman, President and CFO pursuant to Rule 13a-14(a) or Rule 15d-14(a) - Filed herewith electronically
32.1
Certification of CEO pursuant to Section 906 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 - Filed herewith electronically
32.2
Certification of Executive Chairman, President and CFO pursuant to Section 906 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 - Filed herewith electronically
101
Inline interactive data files pursuant to Rule 405 of Regulation S-T: (i) the Unaudited Balance Sheets, (ii) the Unaudited Statements of Operations, (iii) the Unaudited Consolidated Statements of Changes in Stockholder’s Equity (Deficit), (iv) Unaudited of Cash Flows and (v) the Notes to Financial Statements.
43
SIGNATURES
Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities
Exchange Act of 1934, the registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned thereunto duly authorized.
BION ENVIRONMENTAL TECHNOLOGIES, INC.
Date: November 10, 2021
By:
/s/ Mark A. Smith
Mark A. Smith, President and Chief Financial Officer (Principal Financial and Accounting Officer)
Date: November 10, 2021
By:
/s/ Dominic Bassani
Dominic Bassani, Chief Executive Officer
44
Text extracted from the filing as submitted to EDGAR. Formatting, tables and exhibits are simplified for reading; the original document is authoritative for anything you rely on.