BioteQ Expands Patent Portfolio with Issuance of Two New Patents and PCT Filing
VANCOUVER, BC – BioteQ Environmental Technologies, Inc. (TSX : BQE), a leader in the treatment of mine impacted waters, has expanded its patent portfolio with the issuance of two new patents from the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office for the company’s proprietary nickel sulphide precipitation and sulphate removal processes, and its filing of a Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT) for the company’s Selen-IX™ process.
BioteQ’s proprietary nickel sulphide precipitation process, U.S. patent No. 8,747,678 B2, relates to processes to selectively remove nickel from mine impacted waters. BioteQ currently uses the process at its water treatment facility in northern Quebec.
BioteQ’s proprietary sulphate removal process, U.S. patent No. 8,551,340 B2, relates to processes to selectively remove sulphate from hard water waste streams. This process has been used in various testing and piloting projects to date.
BioteQ has also filed application # PCT/CA2014/05096 under the PCT for its Selen-IX™ technology to selectively remove selenium from mine impacted waters and potentially other industrial waste streams. This international filing provides BioteQ with protection for the technology in 148 countries throughout the world and follows the filing of the US provisional patent application in October 2013 which established the invention priority date with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. Since the filing of the US provisional application in 2013, the Selen-IX™ technology has been deployed in two pilot scale operations, first with a Canadian metals and mining company in 2013 and currently with another Canadian mining company. The filing of the PCT application enables BioteQ to engage in commercial promotion of the Selen-IX™ technology worldwide while immediately enjoying the protection of its unique intellectual property under the PCT.
“With the issuing of these two new patents and the filing of the PCT application, we have strengthened the patent portfolio for our suite of technologies,” said BioteQ President & Interim CEO, David Kratochvil. “These patents and the filing will support our business development efforts by emphasizing our commitment and capabilities in technology development in strategic areas of the overall mine water treatment market.”
BioteQ Corporate Profile
BioteQ is an innovative clean technology leader in global mine water treatment, serving the mining, metal smelting, refining and hydrometallurgical sectors. The company has commercially proven patented technologies and operational capabilities to help customers achieve compliance with stringent regulations cost effectively while minimizing waste and maximizing water recovery. Over the past decade, BioteQ has designed and commissioned plants at mine sites for leading organizations including Glencore-Xstrata, Freeport McMoRan, Jiangxi Copper and the US EPA and is currently operating six plants under long-term contracts. These plants remove dissolved metals and sulphate to well below the required regulatory discharge limits while reducing or eliminating the production of waste sludge and/or recovering valuable metals from waste streams for sale which reduces the life cycle cost of water treatment. BioteQ is headquartered in Vancouver, Canada and trades on the TSX under the symbol BQE. Please visit our website atwww.bioteq.ca for additional information.
