Dow Chemical Michigan and PIRGM (Public Interest Research Group in Michigan, USA) evaluated and selected Hydrodec's technology after a worldwide call for xpressions of interest. Hydrodec's treatment provides a sustainable zero emission solution that is able to destroy the Dioxins. The trial is expected to complete in June 2006. It is expected that there will then follow a lengthy period of assessment of the results until any further steps are undertaken.
Chairman John Gunn commented, "We are delighted to be working with Dow Chemical.
The selection of Hydrodec's technology for this trial demonstrates we are at the forefront of delivering Stockholm Convention compliant solutions for the treatment of persistent organic pollutants (POP's).
"We believe the tests will show that Hydrodec can deliver a zero emission solution to the treatment of POP's in the environment. This is a further application of Hydrodec, which together with our existing specialty oil refining treatments, opens up many new commercial markets for the company around the world."
About Hydrodec
Hydrodec was established to commercialise the Hydrodec technology, which is an oil re-refining process, designed to remove harmful contaminants such as PCBs.
The Hydrodec technology is based on intellectual property comprising a protected patent in Australia and certain other jurisdictions developed by the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation ("CSIRO") of Australia. Hydrodec has entered into an exclusive global license with CSIRO for the marketing and distribution of the Hydrodec technology.
Last year, it committed the sum of £1 million (one million pounds) to the construction of a new, larger Hydrodec plant capable of processing up to 20,000 litres per day of speciality oils and/or chlorinated organic wastes.
The Company anticipates that the plant will be in operation by Spring 2006. When fully operational, the new plant will produce a near sevenfold increase in Hydrodec's processing capacity.
Since June 2004 a 3,000 litre per day Hydrodec plant has been operating in Australia principally re-refining PCB contaminated transformer oils for Australian power utilities. The technology has also been used to treat a variety of other chlorinated organic wastes, commonly referred to as "Persistent Organics pollutant" ("POPs").
Dioxins - is a general term for a family of structurally and chemically related compounds. There are some 419 types of dioxin-related compounds but only about 30 of these are considered to have significant toxicity. Dioxins are some of the most toxic chemicals known to science; they are environmental "repeat offenders". Once dioxins have entered the environment or body, they are there to stay due to their ability to dissolve in fats and to their rock-solid chemical stability. Humans absorb 90-95% of dioxins through the food chain, of which nearly two thirds comes from the consumption of meat and dairy products.
Dioxins enter the environment mainly through incineration processes and thermal processes in metals extraction and processing, as well as through the production and use of organochlorinated compounds. Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants (POP's) is a global initiative to protect human health and the environment from "POP's" – chemicals that are highly toxic, persistent, bioaccumulate and move long distances in the environment. The first Conference of the Parties to the Stockholm Convention on POP's was held in May 2005. Currently there are 100 countries committed as Parties to the Stockholm Convention and another 51 signatories.
The Convention seeks the elimination or restriction of production and use of all intentionally produced POP's (i.e. industrial chemicals and pesticides). The Stockholm Convention also seeks the continuing minimization and, where feasible, ultimate elimination of releases of unintentionally produced POP's such as dioxins and furans from processes such as incineration.