A:
MYCELX
is infused so that it is homogeneously dispersed throughout the base materials. As
pollutants come in contact with the MYCELX, they
are solubilized into the infused MYCELX coating,
making them hydrophobic and thickening them so
they will not redisperse into the solution.
Q:
What materials can MYCELX remove from solution?
A:
MYCELX
is capable of removing organic solvents,
metals, PCBs, insecticides, surfactants, oil and
grease, some alcohols and gycols, chlorinates,
MTBE and other C1 through C10+ organics.
Q:
How quickly can MYCELX remove contaminants?
A:
Typically,
MYCELX
filters remove the contaminants
in a single pass through the filter.
Q:
How can I tell when the filter is used up?
A:
The filters do not increase head pressure or plug
up when they fully saturate. Once they fully
saturate, the filter will not be able to remove
any further contamination from solution and will
simply allow it to bypass the filter. You may
choose to install a conductivity meter or
Hydrocarbon sensor.
Q:
How much water can be treated with a MYCELX
filter?
A:
MYCELX
filters are totally unaffected by the
amount of water passing through them. They will
only become saturated by pollutants in the water.
Q:
Does the MYCELX infusion have a shelf life or
will it wear off over time?
A:
No.
MYCELX
is permanently attached to the filter
membrane and will not wear off or lose strength.
Q:
Is MYCELX toxic?
A:
No. It is a nonhazardous / nontoxic material that
will not dissolve or migrate in water. It has
been declared compliant to section 300.915 of the
NCP by the EPA.
Q:
How do you dispose of used materials?
A:
The used
materials must be disposed of according to local,
state and federal regulations. The products are
excellent for disposal using incineration because
of their low water absorption, low ash content
(less than .2%), and high BTU value, if oil or
flammables are absorbed.
Q: What is
the MYCELX compound based upon?
A: MYCELX
is
our patented compound that is formed as a
synthesis product of a natural drying,
semi-drying or non-drying oil and a synthetic
polymer. The synthesis forms an entirely new
molecule that never before existed. The MYCELX
was actually issued two new C.A.S (Chemical
Abstract Services) numbers by the American
Chemical Society.
Q: How
does it work?
A: MYCELX
is
infused into any number of substrates to bring it
in contact with pollutants in water. infused materials are able to remove 99+% of
pollutants from water in a single pass. Once the
pollutants such as Hydrocarbons (oil, gasoline,
diesel fuel, sheen), Chlorinated Solvents, &
PCBs come in contact with the
MYCELX
they are
instantly bonded to the material and become
extremely hydrophobic (repellent to water) and
viscoelastic (thickened) so they want to get out
of the water stream.
Q: How is
the MYCELX "tailored" to applications?
A:
Our patent
covers hundreds of blends of
MYCELX.
Our R&D
department is able to pick and synthesize
formulations that have very specific properties
to address specific pollutants or waste stream
conditions such as high temperatures or pH
levels.
Q: What
cost savings are associated with the use of MYCELX?
A: MYCELX
infused materials will not absorb water when used
to remove oil and other pollutants from the
water. Normally, oil sorbents absorb 10 times
their weight in water when they are used in an
oil spill application. All of that water cost a
lot of money to haul off, both in weight and in
gallons.
MYCELX
materials only absorb the
pollutants so when they are saturated , only the
MYCELX
material and the pollutant is left. Also,
because of the low water drag out weight
MYCELX
materials are able to be incinerated and often
can be used for power generation because of their
high BTU value.
Q: Can
MYCELX filters be retrofitted?
A:
Yes,
absolutely. We manufacture
MYCELX
filter
cartridges in standard 10, 20, and 30 inch
lengths which can be used in standard filter
housings.
Q: What
type of membranes or filter processes are used
with MYCELX technology?
A:
We are
able to infuse any type of membrane with
MYCELX
but we offer 10, 20 and 30 inch filter
cartridges,
MYCELX
Filter Sand,
MYCELX
SilaKleen,
and Reverse Osmosis Protection Filters as
standard items.
Q:
Approximately how long would a MYCELX filter last
before it needs to be replaced?
A:
For
example: One MYCELX MX-4 Filter Unit (which
contains 4 - 30" MYCELX filter cartridges
and flows up to 60 gpm) can treat 38,000 gallons
of 10 ppm Benzene tainted water down to zero ppm
in a single pass.
Q: How
widespread is the use of this technology today?
A: MYCELX is
currently used throughout the U.S. and Canada on
applications ranging from oil spill remediation
and general industrial discharges to
environmental groundwater cleanup sites and
marine bilge water remediation projects. We have
a few international accounts for our products in
both the oil spill remediation and filtration
areas and plan on expanding that market as we
grow.
Q: What
future plans does MYCELX Corp. have in marketing
and developing this technology?
A:
We will
continue to expand our existing markets and
products and look for niche markets in other
industries. We are currently developing a line of storm
water
products to handle water runoff from parking lots
and we are looking to license our technology to
some of the larger players in that market.
R&D is also focusing it's efforts on the
problem of removing MTBE from contaminated
drinking water sites throughout the U.S. using a
variation of the
MYCELX
technology. Our current
technology removes 30 - 35% of MTBE from water in
a single pass but we have been able to reach
removal efficiencies of 70% in the laboratory
utilizing a specially modified MYCELX.
