| Source: | UFTO |
|---|---|
| Date: | 9/20/96 Record No.: 10402 |
| Contact: | EOSytems, Inc. , Tony Steward, 408-744-9180 Sunnyvale, CA |
Electrochem. Oxidation of Hazardous Organics
**** "EOSystems -- Electrochemical Oxidation of Hazardous Organics -- benign on-site modular treatment, eliminating transport and incineration while building off-peak electric load. Also applicable to low-level radwaste volume reduction." (UFTO Tech Nugget, August 1995) ****
UPDATE! There's been considerable progress --
EOSystems, Inc. is commercializing a process for the destruction of both organic and mixed (hazardous wastes containing some level of radioactivity) organic wastes. They have recently obtained the first 20% of a $5 million private offering, and welcome inquiries by additional potential investors and other interested parties.
This is "electrotechnology" at its best. Significant for utilities, the process consumes considerable amounts of electric power, and this load can be shifted to off-peak times, making this a win-win-win for the utility, for the industrial customer, and for the environment.
EOSystems' vision is to eliminate the creation, transportation and incineration of hazardous wastes by placing a unit at the site of every generator, from university labs to major chemical manufacturers and government facilities.
The Company has designed a proprietary reactor cell, which is the heart of the system. The cell is designed to be manufactured in volume from high density plastics, using advanced injection techniques, resulting in a system that is inexpensive to manufacture, service and replace. The engineering is being done jointly by EOSystems and Fluoroware, Inc., of Chaska, Minnesota.
EOSystems' process is mediated electrochemical oxidation (MEO), for the destruction of hazardous aqueous organic process streams. The technology was commercially refined at both Pacific Northwest Lab (PNL) in Washington state and at Lawrence Livermore National Lab with a $4 million CRADA. The testing and prototype development have been completed by EOSystems and Flouroware with help from PNL. Controlled Power of Troy, Michigan, is aiding in the design and manufacture of custom power supplies.
EOSystems' market is estimated at $200 billion in capital equipment sales to private and public laboratories, as well as chemical, pharmaceutical and semi-conductor companies. Manufacturers will employ EOSystems' electrochemical oxidation in their processes to reduce or eliminate the creation of wastes which are currently difficult and expensive to handle and destroy (e.g., by incineration or landfill).
All wastes are fully contained until destroyed, eliminating costly downstream trapping required by thermal destruction processes. The system is also scalable to a customer's process volume, and will match the specific constituent demands of each process stream, saving manufacturers even more in process costs while eliminating the liability associated with production of hazardous wastes.
EOSystems' MEO is a very rapid, chemical, non-biological, step-wise dismantling of the organics, one electron at a time. It converts organics to carbon dioxide and water, using electricity to force a chemical reaction which picks up an electron from the organic, changing its chemical make up. The "mediator" is a metal ion in the solution; in this case the ion is cerium3+, which is exposed to an anode that removes an electron, changing it to cerium4+, an element now hungry for an electron. The cerium4+ is injected into a vessel containing the organics, where it sucks an electron from an organic, becoming cerium3+ again, and unbinding the organic so that it converts into carbon dioxide and water.
UFTO can provide a more detailed company summary,
or contact: Tony Steward, President, EOSystems, San Jose, CA 408/744-9180
| Topics: | ENVIRONMENT, END USE |
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