Reading EFTI 10Q, interesting technology:
Catalytic Activated Vacuum Distillation Process (“CAVD”) Reactors
EarthFirst developed the Catalytic Activated Vacuum Distillation Process Reactor. The CAVD Reactor offers a unique solution to the problem of disposing of harmful solid wastes in and environmentally friendly manner and allows raw materials from the wastes to be recycled and reused.
We believe that the CAVD Reactor can be designed to process a number of harmful solid waste products. We anticipate that governmental and nongovernmental entities who are faced with the problem of disposing of various types of solid waste products through conventional means will conclude that the CAVD Reactors can provide a superior, safe and effective means of eliminating these materials.
Initially, we are focusing on the processing of rubber tires. However, other uses are also being pursued. Such uses include the recycling of carpet materials, the destruction of animal waste and remains, transuranic wastes (e.g. gloves, overalls, tools, etc. that have been exposed to low levels of radiation), and medical wastes.
In general, the Company processes used tires by having shredded tires added to a low pressure, heated, catalytically driven process in the CAVD Reactor. The tires are converted to a high quality carbon and a light hydrocarbon mix that can be used as a fuel. Scrap steel and gases that can be used as a fuel are also recovered.
Traditionally, tires have been disposed of in landfills, placed in stockpile areas, or recycled using low-level technologies to produce products such as tire-derived fuel and mulch. Stockpiles of discarded tires are particularly vulnerable to catching fire. Fires at tire dumps are extremely difficult to extinguish and may take years to burn themselves out. Such fires can release significant amounts of pollution into the atmosphere.
The owners of these dumping areas have long sought a cost-effective means of disposing of the unwanted tires. We believe the CAVD Reactor provides a solution for the environmentally safe and efficient problem of the disposal of used tires.
The Company’s first CAVD Reactor was constructed at a facility in Mobile, Alabama and processes shredded tires.
During processing in the CAVD Reactor, carbon, scrap steel, gas and oil are recovered and are available for resale. The processing of a 20-pound tire yields approximately 5.5 to 8.5 pounds of carbon, 1.2 to 2 gallons of fuel oil, 12 to 16 cubic feet of gas, and .36 pounds of scrap steel. The amounts recovered depend upon the type of tire and the length of time in the reactor.
The financial viability of the CAVD Reactor for use in processing used tires is dependant upon the successful sale of the by-products recovered.. We believe that the carbon and oil by-products represent the greatest value of this process. With current oil pricing reaching levels as high as $64 per barrel, the attractiveness of the CAVD technology has grown beyond the prior emphasis on carbon. It is expected that the steel recovered from the process will be sold for scrap and the oil recovered can be used as an industrial oil or other fuel. Optimal operation of the CAVD Reactor may include the use of a generator with the reactor which can utilize the gas produced from the processing to produce electricity that can be both used by the operator of the reactor and additional electricity sold to the electrical grid.
Testing of the carbon recovered from our CAVD Reactor has led us to believe that the carbon has certain unique qualities that will prove valuable in the development of high-performance polymers in various industrial uses. Researchers concluded that due to the unique formation method through the CAVD Reactor, the carbon can be used as is or economically modified to produce a functionalized polymer that can replace petroleum based chemical polyurethanes with a less expensive recycled product made from reclaimed tires. Work is being conducted to improve the carbons’ performance by adding reactive compounds that improve the product’s ability to bond with the urethane matrix.
As with most new products, it is time consuming for the end users of the carbon to satisfy themselves as to the advantages of this product over the products that they are currently using. To hasten the acceptance of our carbon in the marketplace, the Company is working with several potential end users who are conducting substantive testing of the carbon for use in their operations. The Company is currently working with carpet manufacturers, producers of asphalt and shingles, with third parties in automotive applications, and with producers of other products to prove the advantages of the carbon produced by the CAVD Reactor as a polymer with their products.
The carbon recovered through the CAVD Reactor is rapidly gaining acceptance with potential end users as a polymer. We believe that the carbon has unique qualities that may ultimately enable its acceptance as a substitute for certain high-end polymers currently being used in addition to use in the more traditional roles currently being explored.
Provisional Patent Application US60/681,701 filed on May 17, 2005 describes the CAVD technology as a unique process for producing carbon and other products, and also contains several claims for novel components in the system. The technology is the cumulative result of six years of research and development.
Three new provisional patents are being filed based on the Company’s recycled carbon being placed into plastic and rubber as an additive and as a replacement for the current petrochemical products used.
The Company has several letters of intent with unrelated entities to license the technology for CAVD Reactors. Based upon our experiences thus far, we expect that there is considerable interest in the CAVD Reactor from potential users. We believe that delays in the creation of definitive agreements with the end users of the CAVD Reactors have centered around the evaluation of the financial viability of the alternative uses of the carbon product recovered from the process. In addition to the efforts described above, the Company is also seeking to work with one or more nationally recognized scientific and technology enterprises to further commercialize the technology for the CAVD Reactor for additional uses. It is expected that such an arrangement could allow our technology to gain immediate credibility in the marketplace with both a variety of potential end users of the CAVD Reactors as well as the end users of carbon products recovered in the process. It is envisioned that joint efforts would include work on adapting the CAVD Reactors to process other solid waste streams such as municipal solid wastes, animal remains, and certain types of industrial waste products.
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