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LITTLETON, Colo., Aug. 1, 2003 -- ADA-ES, Inc., a subsidiary of Earth Sciences, Inc. has entered into an agreement with Dominion Ash CCP Ltd., a provider of complete fly ash solutions to coal-fired power plants, to further develop and market Dominion's patent pending microwave technology.
Dominion Ash commissioned EMR Microwave Technology Corp. of Fredericton, New Brunswick, Canada, to pilot the microwave carbon burnout (MCB) process, which efficiently removes carbon from the ash residue (fly ash) at coal-fired power plants.
The process also provides heat recovery back to the facility. More significantly, the MCB process produces a quality ash that is in high demand by the Ready Mixed Concrete Industry.
The process also offers timely environmental benefits. Scientists discovered that the process was effective in removing mercury from fly ash. They created a second application, whereby the microwave technology is utilized to remove mercury from scrubbing materials used to clean mercury from coal-fired power plant exhaust gases.
The technology could prove integral to ADA-ES' mercury control technology that uses activated carbon (AC) to capture mercury from flue gas generated by coal-fired boilers.
ADA-ES has shown during full-scale testing that AC injection is effective on both bituminous and subbituminous coal and removed 70 - 90% of mercury from coal-fired power plant exhaust gases.
The ADA-ES AC process is ideally suited for retrofit application to the 1,100 US plants that are expected to be impacted by new regulations limiting mercury emissions that are currently being debated in Congress.
The Department of Energy has predicted that there will be an annual market of $2-5 billion for mercury control technology. According to the National Coal Council, coal powers more than 50% of the electricity generated in the US.
Dr. Michael Durham, President of ADA-ES, stated, "Handling the mercury in the ash after it has been captured by the ADA-ES process is a key element in the overall mercury control system. It is also necessary to treat the carbon in the ash to insure that the ash remains usable in concrete. The Dominion Ash technology provides an innovative solution to the ash issues. Together, the ADA-ES mercury control technology and the Dominion Ash technology provide a tremendous strategic advantage in pursuing the substantial potential market relating to pending mercury emission regulations. We look forward to working closely with Dominion Ash and are currently coordinating evaluations of the process by utility companies."
Jim MacLean, President of Dominion Ash, is enthusiastic about joining forces with ADA-ES, a leader in the development and implementation of environmental technology. "We are excited about ADA-ES' technology and look forward to working together to further develop and market our MCB process," stated MacLean. While acknowledging the obvious economic potential of the process, MacLean says environmental benefits should not be overlooked: "We're recycling combustion coal products into concrete thus resulting in a net reduction of CO2, which is a Green House Gas. And, we're avoiding land-filling a valuable engineering product."
About Dominion Ash
Headquartered in Fredericton, New Brunswick, Dominion Ash provides complete fly ash solutions to coal-fired power plants, specializing in microwave technology. Dominion Ash is currently the sole supplier of quality coal fly ash imported by rail into Eastern Canada for use in ready mixed concrete.
About ADA-ES
Headquartered in Littleton, Colorado, ADA-ES, Inc., a subsidiary of Earth Sciences, develops and implements proprietary environmental technology and specialty chemicals that mitigate the environmental impact from electric power and industrial companies while reducing operating costs.
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