EUROTECH's EKOR Will be Used in Field Application Development At Chernobyl
WASHINGTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Sept. 13, 2000--EUROTECH, Ltd., EUO, announced today that EKOR will be used in the field development of application technology at Chernobyl beginning in October.
Given the field proven success of EKOR, Chernobyl's Shelter is moving forward with a continuation of field application development using EKOR with advanced robotics. EKOR is a revolutionary geopolymer composite used to "cocoon" nuclear waste and prevent radioactive contaminants from dusting or seeping in to the environment.
"This is an important milestone for EKOR," said Jeff Stephen, Eurotech's Chief Operating Officer. "It allows us to demonstrate at Chernobyl how EKOR can be applied by advanced robotic equipment in a physically challenging radioactive environment. The equipment and techniques refined here will be directly applicable to other radioactive and toxic sites worldwide where the safe direct application of EKOR by humans is impossible."
Chernobyl's Shelter team will apply EKOR in the area of the "bubble pool," where molten nuclear fuel had collected after the catastrophic melt down of Reactor 4 in 1986. The field development program is designed to develop and fine tune the methods and equipment for applying EKOR coatings to nuclear waste.
Due to the dangerous working conditions under the failed reactor 4, robotics developed by scientists from Kurchatov will administer the EKOR coatings.
Eurotech, which owns the rights to produce and market EKOR, is working with NuSil Technology in Santa Barbara, California to test and prepare EKOR for commercial production in North America where hundreds of nuclear waste sites pose a threat to safety and health.
"EKOR has been proven at Chernobyl to offer the most advanced and effective means available of safely containing radioactive waste and preventing its spread," remarked Stephen.
EKOR was certified for use by the Ukrainian government in August after an initial application of the composite at Chernobyl's failed reactor 4 proved that EKOR is radiation resistant, does not degrade even after long-term exposure to radiation, and can withstand extreme physical, chemical and biological assaults on its structural integrity.
EUROTECH, Ltd. (AMEX:EUO) works with scientists and research institutes in Russia, Israel and other countries to develop and commercialize innovative technologies that have widespread or critical application. For more information, visit www.eurotechltd.com on the Internet.
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EUROTECH, Ltd.
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Dawn VanZant, 800/665-0411
dawnvz@direct.ca
or
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Kimberly Lutz, 212/697-9191
kdlutz@golinharris.com
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