Water

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Seprotech signs CrystalBlue deal with Toray

2007-10-17 17:46 ET - News Release

Mr. Martin Hauschild reports

SEPROTECH SYSTEMS INC. AND TORAY OF JAPAN COMPLETE AGREEMENT

Seprotech Systems Inc. has completed an agreement with Toray, a publicly traded Japanese multinational with over $12-billion (U.S.) in revenue last fiscal year and 36,000 employees worldwide. Toray manufactures a wide array of composite materials, textiles, plastics, chemicals, medical products and separation technologies.

The agreement follows extensive negotiations and several visits by Seprotech staff to the Toray Membrane USA Inc. (TMUS) offices in San Diego and visits by TMUS staff and executives from Toray's headquarters in Japan to Ottawa, in order to assess the market potential of Seprotech's proprietary technologies. The original equipment manufacturer (OEM) portion of the agreement centres on the incorporation of Toray's flat-sheet membranes into Seprotech's new proprietary water reuse technology, CrystalBlue, being released to the market. A complete technical announcement regarding Seprotech's newly developed CrystalBlue water reuse technology will follow.

"Water reuse is the most cost-effective solution to growing global water scarcity and shortages," said Martin Hauschild, president and chief executive officer of Seprotech. "Seprotech's CrystalBlue system has significant cost advantages over competitive technologies available on the market including membrane bioreactors (MBRs) and sequencing batch reactors (SBRs) through lower operating and capital costs.

"The power savings of at least 60 per cent over existing water reuse technologies provides our customers with the most environmentally green solution to their water conservation challenges. The first two water reuse systems with Toray membranes have already been sold and management believes that CrystalBlue and the relationship with Toray provides the potential to drive the company forward into the next stage of growth," concluded Mr. Hauschild.

"We are very excited about the agreement with Seprotech and our prospects in the water reuse market," said TMUS chief executive officer, Randy Truby. "The inclusion of Toray's industry leading PVDF membrane module into Seprotech's CrystalBlue water reuse technology is a very strong technical combination that provides end-users with a unique and cost-effective solution."

The flat-sheet membrane modules manufactured by Toray consist of membrane elements housed in a stainless steel frame. The membrane elements are made of polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) polymer and are attached to an ABS frame. The membranes are manufactured with a pore size of 0.08 micron, which is in the ultrafiltration range. This tight membrane provides an absolute barrier that ensures that solids, bacteria, viruses and parasites are rejected from the clean water.