Clean TeQ Announces Tianjin BIOCLENS Factory Successfully Commissioned
MELBOURNE, June 24, 2020 - Mr Sam Riggall, Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of Clean TeQ Holdings Ltd. (Clean TeQ or Company) (CLQ:ASX; CLQ:TSX; CTEQF:OTCQX), is pleased to announce that the Company’s BIOCLENS production facility in Tianjin, China, has been successfully commissioned and achieved steady-state operations.
In 2018, Clean TeQ acquired an encapsulated bacteria technology comprising technology licences and a production plant for the manufacture of bacteria encapsulated in a polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) lens (BIOCLENS). BIOCLENS offers significant opportunities in water treatment applications given the bacteria’s ability to break down and remove over ninety percent of harmful nitrates and ammonia from wastewater. BIOCLENS, with encapsulated bacteria or enzymes, also has potential applications in the food and pharmaceuticals industries.
The bacteria are encapsulated in a plastic polymer in the shape of a lens. The lens shape and size are important as they ensure maximum biological activity while protecting the biology from potentially harmful environmental conditions.
BIOCLENS lenses and BIOCLENS lens manufacturing plant in Tianjin is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/2bc21b08-479a-4253-8ed3-cadeede4d1d3
The Company has established the BIOCLENS production facility in China for its growing pipeline of potential water purification projects. Having completed the transportation and installation of the lens manufacturing equipment to a facility in Tianjin, trial production runs started in Q3 2019. Stable output at consistent quality from continuous operation was achieved in Q2 2020.
In conventional biological purification processes, the salinity of the water supresses the activity of the bacteria and limits its ability to remove ammonia and nitrate to the desirable levels for recycling. The BIOCLENS technology is highly amenable for application in the aquaculture sector because the polymer lens protects the bacteria to maintain high biological activity in this saline environment.
Clean TeQ has now been awarded a contract to pilot the BIOCLENS technology to treat 100 cubic meters per day of wastewater produced by a shrimp farm located in Tianjin. The pilot trial run is scheduled to take place in Q3 2020, subject to COVID19 travel restrictions. Aquaculture facilities around the world generate significant volumes of saline wastewater. The pilot run will confirm that the BIOCLENS technology can successfully reduce nitrate concentration in the wastewater effluent to below 5 ppm. Successful demonstration of this capability will allow Clean TeQ to enter the global aquaculture sector
Scanning electron microscope image of a BIOCLENS lens is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/d0b50017-a78e-48b8-80ed-dc2ee9946c44
The BIOCLENS technology is also an important water purification process in the proposed Townsville Project where it is employed to reduce the nitrogen load of the wastewater effluent discharged from the facility. Clean TeQ Water has been advised that it is the preferred contractor to deliver a recycled water re-use plant at the Cleveland Bay Purification Plant in Townsville, however, final award of an EPC contract is subject to a range of conditions including agreement on commercial terms, construction schedule and pricing. While the EPC contract discussions are ongoing, and in order to maintain the targeted delivery schedule, Townsville has engaged Clean TeQ on an initial scope of work valued at A$920,000 for detailed design and procurement of long-lead items for the plant. This work is underway.
Combined with Clean TeQ’s proprietary ion exchange capability, the addition of BIOCLENS technology allows Clean TeQ Water to provide a broad suite of solutions to the global water treatment market that are focused on cost-effectiveness, performance and sustainability.
For more information, please contact:
Ben Stockdale, CFO and Investor Relations +61 3 9797 6700
This announcement is authorised for release to the market by the Board of Directors of Clean TeQ Holdings Ltd.
About Clean TeQ Holdings Limited (ASX/TSX: CLQ) – Based in Melbourne, Australia, Clean TeQ is a global leader in metals recovery and industrial water treatment through the application of its proprietary Clean-iX? continuous ion exchange technology. For more information about Clean TeQ please visit the Company’s website www.cleanteq.com.
About the Clean TeQ Sunrise Project – Clean TeQ is the 100% owner of the Clean TeQ Sunrise Project, located in New South Wales. Clean TeQ Sunrise is one of the largest cobalt deposits outside of Africa, and one of the largest and highest-grade accumulations of scandium ever discovered.
About Clean TeQ Water – Through its wholly owned subsidiary Clean TeQ Water, Clean TeQ is also providing innovative wastewater treatment solutions for removing hardness, desalination, nutrient removal and zero liquid discharge. The sectors of focus include municipal wastewater, surface water, industrial waste water and mining waste water. For more information about Clean TeQ Water please visit www.cleanteqwater.com.
FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS
Certain statements in this news release constitute “forward-looking statements” or “forward-looking information” within the meaning of applicable securities laws. Such statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors, which may cause actual results, performance or achievements of the Company or industry results, to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements or information. Such statements can be identified by the use of words such as “may”, “would”, “could”, “will”, “intend”, “expect”, “believe”, “plan”, “anticipate”, “estimate”, “scheduled”, “forecast”, “predict” and other similar terminology, or state that certain actions, events or results “may”, “could”, “would”, “might” or “will” be taken, occur or be achieved. These statements reflect the Company’s current expectations regarding future events, performance and results, and speak only as of the date of this new release.
Statements in this news release that constitute forward-looking statements or information include, but are not limited to, statements regarding: the growth and development of our Water Business; sales of BIOCLENS lenses and the potential award of additional water purification projects. Readers are cautioned that actual results may vary from those presented. All such forward-looking information and statements are based on certain assumptions and analyses made by Clean TeQ’s management in light of their experience and perception of historical trends, current conditions and expected future developments, as well as other factors management believe are appropriate in the circumstances. These statements, however, are subject to a variety of risks and uncertainties and other factors that could cause actual events or results to differ materially from those projected in the forward-looking information or statements including, but not limited to, unexpected changes in laws, rules or regulations, or their enforcement by applicable authorities; the failure of parties to contracts to perform as agreed; changes in commodity prices; unexpected failure or inadequacy of infrastructure, or delays in the development of infrastructure, and the failure of exploration programs or other studies to deliver anticipated results or results that would justify and support continued studies, development or operations. Other important factors that could cause actual results to differ from these forward-looking statements also include those described under the heading "Risk Factors" in the Company's most recently filed Annual Information Form available under its profile on SEDAR at www.sedar.com.
Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on forward-looking information or statements.
Although the forward-looking statements contained in this news release are based upon what management of the Company believes are reasonable assumptions, the Company cannot assure investors that actual results will be consistent with these forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements are made as of the date of this news release and are expressly qualified in their entirety by this cautionary statement. Subject to applicable securities laws, the Company does not assume any obligation to update or revise the forward-looking statements contained herein to reflect events or circumstances occurring after the date of this news release.