The PEM™ process has undergone extensive testing by a variety of groups. These tests have been performed on commercial scale PEM™ systems by InEnTec or by InEnTec customers using third party contractors for the sample acquisition and chemical analysis. Past testing has been performed using certified laboratories and rigorous standards required by both the U.S. and international government agencies.

Hazardous Waste Testing

The most comprehensive hazardous waste testing for a PEM™ system has been under the US Environmental Protection Agency’s EvTEC (Environmental Technology Evaluation Program) Program to evaluate new technologies. The Civil Engineering Research Foundation (CERF) was the EPA contractor responsible for the EvTEC Program.

The EvTEC series of tests on the Plasma Enhanced Melter™ (PEM™) were conducted in early 2000. The data were analyzed, peer reviewed, and reported in Dec 2002. You can download the EvTEC Report from this site (EvTEC Report) or purchase it from the CERF library. An abbreviated paper published in the IT3 2003 Conference Proceedings is also available.

The results of the EvTEC series of tests demonstrated that the destruction and removal efficiency (DRE) of a PEM™ system was at least two orders of magnitude greater than the RCRA DRE requirements for a hazardous waste treatment incinerator.

PCB Testing by Kawasaki Heavy Industries

Kawasaki Heavy Industries (KHI) purchased a PEM™ system for PCB destruction in Japan. Prior to being permitted by the Japanese Ministry of the Environment, KHI had to verify that the system met Japanese requirements for destruction efficiency. The PEM™ was installed and testing was performed in 2003. The Japanese Industrial Waste Management Foundation (which can be argued to have stricter standards than U.S. EPA) reviewed the KHI test data and analyzed the results (JIWMF Report in Japanese or JIWMF Report Translation to English). The PEM™ is now an approved technology for PCB destruction in Japan. The results of the KHI tests have been published in the IT3 Conference Proceedings (IT3 2004 Paper).

Medical Waste and Electronic Scrap Testing

The same PEM™ facility used for the EvTEC Hazardous Waste Testing was also used for a series of tests on medical waste and electronic scrap. The results of these tests are also reported in the EvTEC report discussed above. EvTEC Report.

Mercury Capture Testing

In 2004, InEnTec performed a test on the efficacy of its mercury capture technology to be implemented on PEM™ systems. Conducted on the InEnTec engineering scale PEM™ in the Richland, WA, Engineering Center, the testing established the effectiveness of the specialized carbon filter technology. The system removed mercury to below detection levels. The test results were published in the IT3 2005 Conference Proceedings (Mercury Capture Paper).

Medical Waste Alternative Treatment Technology Approvals

Although not directly related to chemical residual recycling, InEnTec LLC (parent company of InEnTec Chemical) has obtained approvals for the use of the PEM™ system for medical waste processing in California, Michigan, New Hampshire, New York, Oregon and Texas.

Air Permits

The PEM™ process has thus far received air emission permits in California, Michigan, Nevada, Washington and Taiwan. No PEM™ project has been denied an air emission permit and we continue to work closely with appropriate regulatory authorities on additional permits as we expand.