Company Press Release (Monday December 8, 11:21 am Eastern Time)
Altair Announces Coal Plant Test Program With Kerr-McGee
Centrifugal Jig Will Be Used in On-Line Production
CODY, Wyo.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Dec. 8, 1997--Altair International (Alberta Stock Exchange:AIL. - news; NASDAQ:ALTIF - news)
Altair International Inc. (NASDAQ-ALTIF/ASE-AIL) today announced it has established a coal wash test program with Kerr-McGee Coal Corp. and the University of Southern Illinois. The program will involve the
use of Altair's Centrifugal Jig in processing coal feeds in an on-line production environment.
During the initial stage of the test program, scheduled for completion in March 1998, Altair will install a Series 12-8 Altair Centrifugal Jig (ACJ) in Kerr-McGee's Galatia Coal Preparation Plant near
Harrisburg, IL. The ACJ will process feeds from the plant's coal processing streams to remove fine particles of ash and pyrite. During the second stage of testing, Altair will install and test a
high-capacity Series 30/16 ACJ on feeds from the plant's coal processing streams. The Series 30-16 ACJ has a feed rate about five times that of current working units.
''This program moves the ACJ from the realm of laboratory testing to an actual on-line production environment,'' said Dr. William Long, president of Altair International. ''We're particularly excited by
the plans for the second stage since it involves our commercial sized machine.'' Significant results will be reported as they become available.
In coal production, approximately 45 percent of the coal used in the United States is ''washed'' -- a process designed to reduce the amount of sulphur and ash emitted to the atmosphere and increase its
thermal value. Washed coal commands a higher price and is much more marketable than untreated coal. Conventional jigs are used to wash approximately 35 percent of the U.S. coal which is washed . It is
estimated that in the U.S. alone, approximately 80-90 million tons of coal per year are discarded. About 50 percent of this may be treatable with the Altair Centrifugal Jig.
Altair International is in the development stage of commercializing its state-of-the-art technology, the Centrifugal Jig, which recovers extremely fine, heavy particulate matter using a combination of a
mechanical jig and centrifugal force. Potential applications include gold/mineral recovery, coal cleaning and environmental remediation. Altair is the 100 percent owner of a major titanium/zircon
mineral deposit in Tennessee. |
