Akermin's Pilot Plant Completes 1,600 Hours of Operation Capturing CO2 From a Coal-Fired Power Plant

ST. LOUIS, Aug. 5, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Akermin, Inc., a St. Louis company developing novel biocatalytic solutions for efficient removal of carbon dioxide (CO2) from industrial gas streams, announced today that its field pilot plant has achieved a significant milestone by completing over 1,600 hours of operation, capturing CO2 from the flue gas exhaust of a coal-fired power plant.  Since Akermin initiated operation of the pilot plant with its Biocatalyst Delivery System in May of this year, the unit has consistently captured over 80% CO2 from the flue gas exhaust.  During this period, it has operated with no biocatalyst replenishment while demonstrating significant rate enhancement.  Gas sampling confirms that Akermin's technology can produce CO2 of very high purity and suggests that no additional equipment will be required to control emissions to the atmosphere.

"We are thrilled with the impressive results of our pilot testing," said Alex Zaks, VP of Research and CTO at Akermin.  "The 1,600 hours of operation without any degradation in performance clearly demonstrates the ability of the biocatalyst to operate for extended durations without the need for replacement.  This brings Akermin one step closer to commercial introduction."

Akermin is currently developing and testing a next generation approach that uses an environmentally-friendly solvent and proprietary process scheme with on-line biocatalyst replenishment.  This approach has the potential to reduce the avoided cost of capture by as much as 40% versus the solutions that have recently been evaluated for commercial-scale demonstration on coal-fired power plants throughout North America and Europe. This reduction could make the capture of anthropogenic CO2 more economically attractive for enhanced oil recovery (EOR).

In addition, Akermin looks to commercialize the technology in the near-term to treat industrial gas streams for biogas upgrading, LNG liquefaction and ammonia production.  This will position the company to progressively scale-up the technology to provide a cost-effective and environmentally-benign solution to capture CO2 from large industrial plants and fossil-fired power plants to better address the global issue of managing CO2 emissions from industrial processes.

A presentation containing Akermin's pilot plant results is available at http://akermin.com/resources/

About Akermin, Inc.:
Akermin is a cleantech technology development company located in BRDG Park at the Danforth Plant Science Center in St. Louis, MO.  Akermin's multi-disciplined approach integrates enzymes within proprietary delivery systems that can be incorporated into conventional processes for energy efficient, green CO2 management solutions. To learn more visit www.akermin.com.

CONTACT:
Sean Black
(314) 669-2612
[email protected]

SOURCE Akermin, Inc.