Take
a look at some of the other companies they invest in. Not too shabby.
Also take a look at other issues. They use muych discretion and for
them to buy..with that amount os SIZE..in this market...says and speaks
volumes!! 674,000 shares in this market...WOW
The ThermoFuel Process is a renewable energy process that converts raw or digested sewage sludge (biosolids) into a high-energy fuel that can be converted into electricity for use on-site or exported to the local power grid. This Technology is an upgrade of the Company "STORS" process, which, along with the Company's ARP technology, was proven in a two-year, $3,000,000 large-scale demonstration project in Colton, CA in the greater Los Angeles area, in 2000, which was sponsored by the United States Environmental Protection Agency ("EPA"). The ThermoFuel process is a renewable energy process that provides a cost-effective solution for biosolids disposal for municipal wastewater treatment. ThermoFuel integrates advanced primary sludge digestion with hydrothermal treatment of waste activated sludge to expand the capacity of municipal wastewater facilities. This is designed to be a compact, environmentally effective method of upgrading existing wastewater treatment plants to Exceptional Quality ("EQ") Class A biosolids production without the use of storage ponds or lagoons, as is common in some municipal wastewater facilities. EQ Class A biosolids denotes the least health risk of human exposure to biosolids as defined in the 40 CFR Part 503 Risk Assessment study of the EPA. Over 95% of all municipal wastewater treatment plants in the U.S. currently produce Class B biosolids that do not meet the required pathogen and vector attraction reduction requirements and as such pose a potential health risk in direct human contact. The high energy and low moisture content of the ThermoFuel process make it suitable for use as a fuel substitute or blending agent for power plants, municipal solid waste incinerators, cement kilns, and similar applications. The Company and Mr. Fassbender filed a patent application related to ThermoFuel (see - Sewage Treatment System below) in February 2003. The U.S. Patent & Trademark Office issued the Sewage Treatment System patent on March 17, 2005.
*ThermoFuel can be utilized as a stand-alone system or combined with the Company's ARP or Enhanced Biogas Production technologies to provide the wastewater treatment plant operator with a comprehensive and cost-effective method of upgrading existing wastewater treatment plants to produce 100% EQ Class A biosolids; a product which can then be safely applied to expired land, such as a landfill or mining reclamation, or converted on-site to energy via a gasification plant or boiler.ThermoFuel would allow wastewater treatment plant operators to control the incoming waste stream entirely on-site, with only clean water and saleable commodities leaving the plant. The primary target markets for ThermoFuel are municipal and industrial wastewater treatment facilities.
The Ammonia Recovery Process, or ARP technology, is a non-thermal, absorption process which captures ammonia from dilute waste streams, converting it into ammonium sulfate which can be packed and sold to agriculture markets worldwide. The ARP technology was proven in technology demonstration projects in conjunction with the Civil Engineering Research Foundation (CERF) and the City of New York in 1998, and during the EPA-sponsored demonstration at Colton, CA in 2000.In 2005, the Company signed its first commercial contract for a 500,000 gallon per day ARP system for New York City's Bowery Bay Water Pollution Control Plant ("WPCP"). That project was cancelled during 2006 and is currently being moved to the 26th Ward WPCP on Jamaica Bay, with construction of the plant expected to be completed by the end of 2007. This project is the first large-scale stand alone project ever implemented by the City of New York designed to prevent excess ammonia from flowing into the Long Island Sound.
*ARP is a patented process designed to recover ammonia from dilute aqueous waste streams. In tests, ARP has been a reliable, low-cost, environmentally effective method of treating wastewater discharge stream containing nitrogen in the form of ammonia. The ARP extracts ammonia out of sewage treatment liquid and livestock waste via chemisorption and converts it into standard, commercial-grade, ammonium sulfate fertilizer. The Company is targeting ammonia recovery from aqueous streams, such as the liquid product resulting from centrifuging anaerobically digested sewage sludge or animal waste. This stream, known as the "centrate" contains approximately 600 to 1,600 parts-per--million dilute ammonia. In advanced wastewater treatment plants where nitrogen is nitrified and denitrified, a portion of the nitrogen in the treatment plant is converted into nitrogen gas. Such plants generate primary and waste activated sludges which are typically treated with anaerobic digestion and then dewatered. In the anaerobic digestion process, more than half of the nitrogen in organic nitrogen compounds is converted into ammonia. Once the anaerobically digested sludge is dewatered, the bulk of the organically bound nitrogen stays with the sludge solids while virtually all of the ammonia nitrogen stays with the water portion or centrate. This centrate is typically recycled to the front of the waste water treatment plant. ARP treats the centrate as a relatively concentrated ammonia stream, and returns a very low ammonia stream to the plant. This reduction in the nitrogen load on the plant can increase the overall plant through-put by up to 30%. The removed and concentrated ammonia can thereafter be converted into ammonium sulfate, a commercial grade fertilizer. The primary markets for ARP are municipal wastewater treatment and in the treatment of wastewater discharge from large concentrated animal farming operations, including dairy, pork, beef and poultry facilities. A second ARP patent that incorporates incremental process changes as a result of the two ARP field demonstration projects is currently pending.
.. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- -->Enhanced Biogas Production
The Enhanced Biogas Production process allows existing wastewater treatment plants operators to upgrade the performance of key plant components making the plant run more efficiently as well as recover excess ammonia coming off the digesters. The Enhanced Biogas Production process is designed to retrofit existing conventional wastewater treatment plants by allowing them to recover ammonia from anaerobic digesters and thereby enhance the efficiency of the digesters. The technique can be used as a stand-alone technology or in coordination with the Company's ARP technology. It can also be implemented with the Temperature Phased Anaerobic Digestion technology (described below) used by wastewater treatment plant operators, to make more biogas and destroy pathogens. Temperature phasing is a relatively new method adopted by wastewater treatment plant operators that uses two phases of anaerobic digestion. In the high temperature phase (around 120 - 140º F) waste solids are disinfected and conditioned to reduce pathogens below threshold levels and solubilize some of the solids during the digestion phase. The Enhanced Biogas Production process can also be integrated with ThermoFuel and used in conjunction with municipal and industrial wastewater applications that use aerobic or anaerobic digestion. The Enhanced Biogas Production process is intended to be a cost-effective method of processing and treating animal waste from concentrated animal farming and in which the waste is converted into two saleable commodities: (i) energy in the form of methane; and (ii) ammonium sulfate, a commercial grade fertilizer.
*The Enhanced Biogas Production process is currently protected by two patents held by Alexander Fassbender. The first patent was issued in June 2002, and the second patent was issued in May 2004. Foreign patents applications have been filed and are pending. The patents cover both single and multiple digester configurations using the Enhanced Biogas method. The Company currently licenses the Enhanced Biogas Production and Sewage Treatment Method technologies from Mr. Fassbender. Under the terms of the agreement with Mr. Fassbender, at the time when cumulative sales of the licensed products exceed $20 million, the Company agrees to pay to Mr. Fassbender 1% of the net sales thereafter (as defined in the agreement). Subject to Mr. Fassbender's approval, the Company may sublicense the technologies. Beginning in 2008 and each year thereafter, Mr. Fassbender may terminate the agreement if the Company or any of its affiliates has not sold or leased a licensed product in that calendar year.
Sewage Treatment System
The Sewage Treatment System ("STS") is a patented wastewater treatment system (U.S. Patent No. 6,893,566) that takes advantage of the synergy of mechanical, thermal, and chemical integration to generate EQ Class A biosolids at low capital and operating costs. Among other things, STS significantly increases operating temperatures and sludge retention time available at an existing anaerobic digestion facility, increasing plant capacity.The excess thermal energy from biogas generated by the digester can be used to supply between 50% to 100% of the heat energy required for the ThermoFuel process, significantly reducing energy costs.
*The target markets for STS and the Enhanced Biogas Production process technologies are municipal and industrial wastewater treatment plants and wastewater treatment facilities located on large and confined animal farming operations.
*The performance of these wastewater treatment technologies 1) meet or exceed all current or proposed federal or state water quality discharge regulations, 2) produce virtually no air emissions, 3) lowers capital, operating and maintenance costs, and 4) provides beneficial reuse of virtually all by-products.
TIPS
In addition to its Water Technologies, the Company is in the process of developing a new clean energy technology that offers a cost-effective and environmentally responsible solution to both carbon capture and global warming.
ThermoEnergy Integrated Power System, or TIPS represents a novel thermodynamic approach in power plant design. Based on reliable oxy-fuel chemistry, it combines the combustion of carbonaceous fuels (coal, oil, natural gas or biomass) with essentially complete recovery of all by-products, including carbon dioxide ("CO2 ") which can then be used for sequestration or beneficial reuse. The key element that differentiates TIPS from conventional oxy-fuel designs is that combustion shifts the temperatures at which water, CO2, mercury and acid gases condense. Gas-to-liquid nucleate condensation physics is then used to collect and remove the pollutants, while CO2 is recovered as a liquid through direct condensation to reduce harmful air emissions of acid gases, mercury, soot and CO2. TIPS is well-suited for new construction and offers a cost-effective way to upgrade existing coal-fired power plants zero air emission status.
TIPS converts the energy in biomass or fossil fuels, such as coal, gas and oil, and integrates that combustion with the efficient production of steam or electricity, the recovery of carbon dioxide in liquid form for sequestration or beneficial reuse and the elimination of air emissions of mercury, acid gases and particulates. The primary markets for the TIPS process will be power generation plants for electric utilities and combined heat and power plants for industrial clients, many of which produce waste by-products that can be used as a feedstock for TIPS. Some of the industries in which TIPS can be utilized include oil refineries, petrochemical processing plants and pulp and paper mills. In March 2001, ThermoEnergy Power Systems was granted U.S. Patent No. 6,196,000 for TIPS. The Company recently received a second U.S. patent relating to the TIPS process. (U.S. Patent No. 6,918,253). Foreign patent applications have been filed in approximately 38 countries, including Australia, Canada, China, the European Patent Office, India, Mexico, Poland, Romania, the Russian Federation, South Africa and the Ukraine (collectively, the "International Applications") as provided for by the Patent Cooperation Treaty. To date, the Company has received notice of allowance from Russia and has paid the issue fee. The Company typically obtains continuances in countries where continuances are permitted such as Canada and Japan. Continuances are used to keep the patenting process alive in certain geographical markets until such time the Company deems the cash outlay on patenting costs and subsequent maintenance fees appropriate in that jurisdiction. This preserves all rights and the Company can request examination at the appropriate time.