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| News Release October 15, 2003 PHYTOREMEDIATION:
A NEW SOURCE OF INCOME FOR FARMERS For
More Information Contact: (Dulles, VA, October 15, 2003) - In a presentation to attendees at the 2003 Virginia Biotechnology Summit in McLean, Virginia, Mr. Bruce W. Ferguson, President of Edenspace Systems Corporation, today announced the signing of a $296,000 market study with the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to evaluate the possibility of training the nation's farmers to clean the environment, using living plants in a process called phytoremediation. Mr. Ferguson indicated that by bringing modern, low-cost agricultural techniques to bear on major environmental problems, Edenspace seeks to increase farm employment and income while at the same time improving environmental quality for Americans nationwide. Phytoremediation is an environmental phytotechnology that uses crop plants, horticultural plants and trees to reduce runoff of phosphate and nitrogen fertilizers, as well as to remove arsenic, organic contaminants such as oil, and metals such as lead, mercury and cadmium from soil and groundwater, thereby reducing health risks and increasing property values. Some chemicals such as lead and arsenic can be recovered from the plants and recycled, providing significant cost and liability advantages over alternatives such as excavation and landfill or incineration. " Much of the equipment and many of the skills needed for successful phytoremediation are the same as those used in farming, soil preparation, fertilization, seeding, weed and pest control, irrigation, and harvest," observed Dr. Michael J. Blaylock, Edenspace's Principal Investigator on the project. "Farmers who receive additional training in phytoremediation techniques should be able to address large-scale environmental challenges at Superfund sites, brownfields, and mining and industrial locations for which no cost-effective cleanup alternatives currently exist." Dr. Blaylock listed several examples of potential farmer-led projects, including: • Removing lead from residential, mining and industrial sites or firing ranges • Creating barrier strips to reduce fertilizer runoff • Removing arsenic from orchards, or from soil near pressure-treated lumber • Planting trees to remove contaminants from groundwater, reduce erosion of topsoil and sequester carbon • Removing cadmium and other metals from farmland In addition to helping to clean the environment, the new initiative offers an alternative source of income for farmers. Small farms face severe economic challenges that have steadily eroded the nation's farm base. Acknowledging the problems of drought and low farm prices, the United States Government has authorized more than $20 billion per year in farm aid to boost farm incomes, encourage conservation, and buy crop and livestock insurance. While the 2002 Farm Bill provided increased financial support to many farmers, crop subsidies and certain other forms of assistance are coming under increased political and diplomatic pressure. To preserve the U.S. farm capability, new sources of income must be identified for farmers. With its reliance on agricultural techniques, phytoremediation is an ideal candidate. Specific goals of the study announced today include: (i) developing an integrated national database of contaminated sites suitable for agricultural phytoremediation, (ii) developing and applying a quantitative model of the likely costs and benefits of the approach, (iii) developing phytoremediation training instructions and materials, (iv) conducting proof-of-concept field demonstrations with canola farmers in California and tobacco growers in the Southeast, and (v) evaluating infrastructure alternatives to provide farmers with training, equipment and supplies, and contract and regulatory assistance. " We look forward to bringing the power of the Green Revolution to environmental cleanup," said Mr. Ferguson. "A dramatic expansion in the role of the farmer is underway, as farming increasingly produces not only food and textiles, but pharmaceuticals and chemical feedstocks for manufacturing. Now we'd like to invite farmers to help grow a clean environment." Mr. Ferguson noted that a new consortium of public and private stakeholders could be a desirable approach for implementing the new initiative. Headquartered in Dulles, Virginia, Edenspace Systems Corporation is a commercial leader in the use of live plants to improve human health and clean the environment. Its techniques employ plants to detect, concentrate and remove lead, arsenic, radionuclides, chlorides (salts), hydrocarbons, and other minerals from water and soil. With expertise in plant science, soil science, genetics and agronomy, Edenspace is developing new markets for the restoration and enrichment of our surroundings. ### November 12, 2002 http://www.edenspace.com/05-14-2003.html USEPA
AWARDS EDENSPACE SOIL ARSENIC GRANT For
More Information Contact: (Dulles, VA, May 14, 2003) – Edenspace Systems Corporation today announced its receipt of a $70,000 research grant from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) to demonstrate the feasibility of using the edenferntm arsenic-hyperaccumulating fern to provide a cost-effective remediation alternative for soils contaminated with chromated copper arsenic (CCA), a widely-used wood preservative. A final report on the study is scheduled to be delivered in October 2003. More than 70% of United States arsenic consumption, representing approximately 37 million pounds of arsenic per year, currently goes into the production of CCA. Weathered lumber in decks, docks, fences, playground equipment and garden retaining walls can leach significant amounts of arsenic into soil and water, where it poses health risks to humans and animals. Effective December 31, 2003, the USEPA will limit the use of CCA to treatment of wood in forest products, substantially reducing levels of new arsenic introduced into populated areas. The existing stock of CCA-treated wood products, however, will continue to leach arsenic for years to come. At present there is no cost-effective method to clean arsenic-contaminated soils. Preliminary data demonstrate that when grown on an arsenic-contaminated soil, the edenferntm achieves a biomass arsenic concentration more than 200 fold higher than that of any other plant species tested, and concentrates arsenic in its fronds at levels more than 50 times the soil concentration without the addition of chelating agents or other soil amendments. The fronds may then be harvested and removed, reducing disposal costs and allowing topsoil to be preserved. In a growth chamber at its headquarters, Edenspace will evaluate arsenic uptake by the fern in different CCA-contaminated site soils from around the country, assessing the effects of soil pH, light intensity and other variables on the efficiency of arsenic phytoextraction. A small field demonstration will be conducted concurrently at a CCA-contaminated site in Texas to demonstrate arsenic uptake and biomass production. The project will also explore two methods of concentrating and refining recovered arsenic for storage and future recycling, as well as the ability of the fern to reduce chromium (VI) in the soil to the insoluble and less hazardous chromium (III) form. Successful results will lay the foundation for demonstration of the technique in yards, gardens and playgrounds, together with a recycling demonstration of recovered arsenic by one or more U.S. chemical manufacturers of CCA products. The research is expected to validate a demonstrated arsenic phytoextraction technique, accessible to homeowners as well as to environmental professionals, that uses commercially-available plants to provide cost-effective remediation of contaminated soils associated with the use of CCA-treated wood products. Arsenic causes cancer, mutations and birth defects and also has been associated with the development of diabetes. The element was once widely used in insecticides in farming, gardening and ranching, as well as in CCA wood preservatives in lumber and furniture. In some parts of the world, arsenic occurs naturally in groundwater. Decades after arsenic is introduced into the environment, soil concentrations can be greater than 600 mg/kg. Because of its toxicity to humans, farm animals and household pets, the stability of its compounds in soil and groundwater, its once widespread use, and the lack of cost-effective remediation techniques, arsenic today constitutes a significant public health challenge. The arsenic-extracting capabilities of the edenferntm were discovered by a team of researchers led by Dr. Lena Ma of the University of Florida, which has patented the discovery. Edenspace has licensed use of the plant from the University to enable cost-effective commercial cleanup of arsenic from soil and water using the fern. Dr. Ma will serve as a consultant to Edenspace on this CCA research grant. Headquartered in Dulles, Virginia, Edenspace Systems Corporation is a leader in the use of live plants to improve human health and help clean the environment. Its proprietary techniques employ plants to concentrate and remove lead, arsenic, radionuclides, chlorides (salts), hydrocarbons, and other minerals from water and soil. With expertise in plant science, soil science, genetics and agronomy, Edenspace is developing new markets for the restoration and enrichment of our surroundings. ### February 20, 2003 ENVIRONMENTAL PROBLEMS? CALL YOUR LOCAL GARDENER Homeowners Successfully Remove Arsenic from Yards By Using New edenfern™ Plants For
More Information Contact: (Seattle, WA, February 20, 2003) -- At the 2003 Northwest Flower and Garden Show, Edenspace Systems Corporation today announced the results of a homeowner study on use of an unusual arsenic-extracting fern to clean the soil in yards and gardens. More than two dozen volunteers in the Washington, D.C. area participated in the study, which was arranged by the National Capital Area Federation of Garden Clubs (NCAFGC) and Edenspace, with support from the American Horticultural Society (AHS). Following an introductory meeting in April 2002 at AHS headquarters, each volunteer was given three edenferntm "Victory" ferns to plant and nurture for the summer. Suggested locations included areas near pressure-treated lumber in decks, fences, and retaining walls. Unsealed lumber can leach arsenic from a preservative called CCA into the surrounding soil. Volunteers sampled soil at the beginning of the study, and sampled the plants in September, to check arsenic levels. Results were dramatic. While most plants take up only small amounts of arsenic, the study ferns concentrated 48 times as much arsenic as the soil they grew in, with a high of 165. In other words, during a single growing season the average fern cleaned almost fifty times its weight of soil. The twenty-six gardeners achieved these results despite a hot, dry summer in the Washington area that took its toll on local trees and shrubs. More than 15% of the soil samples had arsenic concentrations above 20 parts per million (ppm), a regulatory guideline in parts of the Washington, D.C. area. The average soil concentration was 12 ppm, with a high of 65 ppm. By way of contrast, the residential soil arsenic limit in Florida is only 0.7 ppm. The soil results indicate that arsenic contamination may be a common environmental challenge in residential yards and gardens. Arsenic causes cancer, mutations and birth defects and also has been associated with the development of diabetes. The element was once widely used in insecticides in farming, gardening and ranching, and is still used as a component of wood preservatives in lumber and furniture. In some parts of the world, arsenic occurs naturally in groundwater. Decades after arsenic is introduced into the environment, soil concentrations can be greater than 600 mg/kg. Because of its toxicity to humans, farm animals and household pets, the stability of its compounds in soil and groundwater, its once widespread use, and the lack of cost-effective remediation techniques, arsenic today constitutes a significant public health challenge. Bruce W. Ferguson, Edenspace's president, was pleased with the results of the study. "I'd like to thank AHS and the Garden Club," he said, "and especially the study volunteers, who demonstrated a new way that gardeners can improve health and property values in their neighborhoods." Dr. H. Marc Cathey, president emeritus of AHS and a member of Edenspace's board of directors, said "Plants play a vital role in cleaning our air, water and soil. Now we're discovering how gardeners can join in." Betty Mosher, president of the NCAFGC, was instrumental in signing up the study participants. "From the very beginning, our members seemed aware of the significance of this important environmental study and willingly volunteered." Katy Moss Warner, president of AHS, hosted meetings of the gardeners at AHS's historic River Farm headquarters and has had the ferns planted at River Farm for public display. "This study showcased gardeners as environmental caretakers, " she noted. "It's yet another way that River Farm can serve as an educational model for the American gardener." The arsenic-extracting capabilities of the edenferntm were discovered by a team of researchers led by Dr. Lena Ma of the University of Florida, which has patented the discovery. Edenspace has licensed use of the plant from the University to enable cost-effective commercial cleanup of arsenic from soil and water using the fern. Headquartered in Dulles, Virginia, Edenspace Systems Corporation is a leader in the use of live plants to improve human health. Its proprietary techniques employ plants to concentrate and remove lead, arsenic, radionuclides, chlorides (salts), hydrocarbons, and other minerals from water and soil. With expertise in plant science, soil science, genetics and agronomy, Edenspace is developing new markets for the restoration and enrichment of our surroundings. ### DEPARTMENT
OF ENERGY FUNDS PLANT BIOSENSOR DEVELOPMENT For
More Information Contact: (Indianapolis, IN, 12 November 2002) - At the Annual Meeting of the Agronomy Society of America, Crop Science Society of America, and Soil Science Society of America, Edenspace Systems Corporation today announced its receipt of a $500,000 grant from the U. S. Department of Energy to fund two years of laboratory development and field demonstration of plants that can detect metals in the environment. The new grant continues work begun in 2001 to fuse a metal detector gene with a fluorescent signaling gene for insertion in a plant genome. Linking a gene sensitive to heavy metals such as cadmium, nickel and zinc, to another gene which when activated causes a bright green fluorescence under UV light, may enable a wide variety of plants to signal the presence of harmful levels of contaminants in the environment. The laboratory of Dr. David Salt, an associate professor at Purdue University, recently identified a plant gene with steady-state expression levels proportional to levels of cadmium in water. This gene, BjMTP, has been fused with the green fluorescent protein (GFP) gene and inserted into a model plant named Arabidopsis thaliana. After its signaling capability has been tested in the greenhouse, the fused construct will be inserted in other plants that will be used to monitor metal concentrations in landfill leachate. Contamination of water and soil by heavy metals and radionuclides poses significant health risks to humans, livestock, and wildlife. Early, continuous detection of such contamination would facilitate remedial measures and other steps to reduce exposure. Because of their ability to cover large areas at low cost, plants are ideal detectors of such contamination. Headquartered in Dulles, Virginia, Edenspace Systems Corporation is a leader in the use of live plants to improve human health. Its proprietary techniques employ plants to concentrate and remove lead, arsenic, radionuclides, chlorides (salts), hydrocarbons, and other minerals from water and soil. With expertise in plant science, soil science, genetics and agronomy, Edenspace is developing new markets for the restoration and enrichment of our surroundings. ### NIH
FUNDS PILOT PROGRAM TO REMOVE ARSENIC FROM DRINKING WATER For
More Information Contact: (Dulles, VA, 17 September 2002) -- Edenspace Systems Corporation today announced its receipt of a $700,000 grant from the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences at the U.S. National Institutes of Health (NIH). The grant will fund two years of research on the use of Edenspace’s arsenic-extracting fern to purify drinking water, culminating in a pilot demonstration to be conducted in collaboration with the City of Albuquerque, New Mexico and the Virginia Department of Health. The techniques under development are based on the remarkable ability of a particular type of brake fern to remove arsenic from water and soil. In past studies, the edenferntm has demonstrated bioconcentration coefficients (ratios of arsenic in the plants to arsenic in the water or soil) greater than 100, promising much lower costs for removing and disposing of this dangerous element than with current remediation technologies. Projects using the fern for the removal of arsenic in the soil are now underway in New Jersey, North Carolina and the Washington D.C. metropolitan region. Preliminary research on hydroponic use of the fern, also funded by NIH, demonstrated rapid reduction in arsenic concentrations in a variety of source waters, achieving levels less than the new U.S. Environmental Protection Agency drinking water standard of 10 parts per billion. Almost 4,000 community water systems affected by the new standard must comply by January 2006, indicating an urgent need for new low-cost water purification techniques. Point-of-use applications in rural areas such as the southwestern U.S. will also be studied. Initial results were achieved at different water pH levels and at different levels of chlorination and fluoridation. The new follow-on study will further explore the fern’s arsenic removal capability by varying these and other important water treatment factors such as arsenic valences, levels of dissolved minerals including iron, sulfur, sodium and calcium compounds, intensity and spectrum of light, and fern size and root density. The Virginia Department of Health will advise on water quality issues and water treatment processes. The work will culminate in a six-month continuous process demonstration, conducted with the City of Albuquerque, New Mexico, of flow-through phytofiltration of arsenic-contaminated drinking water that will include pilot-scale equipment and water treatment rates. The arsenic-extracting capabilities of the edenferntm were discovered by a major U.S. research university, which has filed patent applications based on the discovery. Edenspace announced in 2000 that it had signed an exclusive, worldwide license agreement with the university to enable cost-effective commercial cleanup of arsenic from soil and water using the fern. Arsenic contamination of drinking water poses significant risks to human health. Arsenic causes cancer, mutations and birth defects, is detrimental to the immune system, and has been associated with the development of diabetes. Because of its toxicity to humans, pets and farm animals, the stability of its compounds in water and soil, and its widespread occurrence, arsenic constitutes a significant environmental health hazard. In many regions of the world, including large parts of the United States, arsenic occurs naturally in groundwater that supplies drinking or irrigation needs. Individual homes and small communities, particularly in rural areas, may be unable or unwilling to install chemical treatment facilities. For many of these homes and communities, the edenferntm may provide a low-cost treatment alternative. Mr. Bruce W. Ferguson, President and Chief Executive Officer of Edenspace, stated, “Invisible, tasteless and odorless, arsenic in drinking water is a ‘stealth contaminant’ that threatens millions of people worldwide. With the support of its NIH grant, Edenspace looks forward to developing a new solution to this challenging public health problem.” Headquartered in Dulles, Virginia, Edenspace Systems Corporation is a leader in the use of live plants to improve human health. Its proprietary techniques employ plants to concentrate and remove lead, arsenic, radionuclides, chlorides (salts), hydrocarbons, and other minerals from water and soil. With expertise in plant science, soil science, genetics and agronomy, Edenspace is developing new markets for the restoration and enrichment of our surroundings. ### June 6, 2000 EDENSPACE,
U. S. ARMY SIGN CONTRACT FOR RECLAMATION OF STRATEGIC METALS For
More Information Contact: (Reston, VA, 6 June 2000) -- Edenspace Systems Corporation today announced the signing of an eight-month, $196,000 cooperative agreement with the U. S. Army Tank-Automotive and Armaments Command, Armament Research, Development and Engineering Center (TACOM-ARDEC), Picatinny Arsenal, New Jersey, to study the use of electrokinetic phytoextraction to recover strategic metals such as tungsten from mine sites. The technique may form the basis of a secondary treatment process for ores, providing additional domestic supplies of metals important to the military and industry. The technique also should offer an inexpensive means to clean tailings at thousands of hardrock mines across the country, abandoned after supplies of commercial-grade ore ran out. The ability of plants to extract heavy metals from soil and water has been known for half a century, and today forms the basis for a rapidly-growing environmental clean-up technology called phytoremediation. Edenspace now owns or licenses an array of proprietary techniques used in removing lead, arsenic and other metals from the environment, leaving behind clean, enriched topsoil. Under its agreement with the Army, Edenspace will apply these techniques to mine tailings, seeking to concentrate strategic metals such as tungsten in selected varieties of plants. The plants may then be harvested for reclamation of the metals. Tungsten is of particular interest to the Army because of the metal’s use as an environmentally-safe replacement for lead in small arms munitions. Picatinny Arsenal has spearheaded the Army’s “green bullet” initiative using tungsten that will substantially reduce the use of lead at military firing ranges. Mine tailings often extend deep underground, beyond the root zone of the treatment plants. To investigate a new method of moving metals to the plants’ treatment zone, thereby reducing the need at many mine sites to excavate tailings, Edenspace has chosen Lynntech, Inc. as its primary subcontractor for the project. Lynntech has pioneered the use of electrical fields to migrate metal ions from deeply-buried electrodes to shallower electrodes, in a process called electrokinetic transport. Working in tandem, electrokinetic transport and phytoextraction offer a unique ability to recover strategic metals at low cost, with minimal disruption to the mine site and surrounding area. Headquartered in Reston, Virginia, with laboratory, growth chamber and greenhouse facilities in New Jersey, Edenspace Systems Corporation is an environmental systems technology company that uses living plants to restore and enrich our surroundings. Following its 1999 acquisition of Phytotech, Inc., Edenspace today is a leading phytoremediation company, providing proprietary phytoextraction services for lead, arsenic, radionuclides, and other minerals. College Station, TX-based Lynntech, Inc. is recognized for rapid development of a variety of developing technologies, including electrokinetics, in-situ barrier formation, bioremediation and ozone soil and water treatment.
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