Peletex

Peletex, Inc., a Maui product development company has invented and patented a new paradigm in air filtration that is more efficient and more cost effective than the current HEPA/ULPA standard. The Aqueous-Froth Air (AFA) Filter is the next generation in air filtration technology. This new standard will be used in products for homes, offices, hospitals, vehicles, industrial plants, and also protect against chemical, biological, and radiological weapons. Peletex is identifying market leading companies to develop products for residential, commercial, health care, and industrial air filtration markets worldwide.

Peletex was issued their second U.S. patent for a fundamental new method of air filtration that will actually mimic the way that nature cleans the air. Everyone has smelled and felt the clean fresh air following a good rainstorm. The advanced Aqueous-Froth Air (AFA) filter captures particles the same way that condensation accumulates on a dust particle when nature creates a raindrop. This is an "outside-the-box" approach using "nature's way" to offer a wide range of practical new solutions to an age old dilemma that has been limited by the constraints imposed from the current state-of-the-art High Efficiency Particulate Air (HEPA) filters.

The new air filtration technology presents an entirely new set of solutions for problems in an industry that is overdue for a breakthrough. Peletex's new air filtration technology is scalable. Everyone can breathe easier in their homes, businesses, factories, hospitals, and public places. This simple, yet advanced technology can eliminate air pollutants from coal fired power plants and other large industrial processors worldwide.

Roy Pellegrin, President of Peletex, originally developed the air filtration system to contain drywall dust during remodeling construction. Pellegrin and his associates soon realized that there would be many far reaching uses for Roy's clever invention. Peletex's first U.S. patent was issued in September, 2003 for the Aqueous-Froth Air (AFA) filter. The second AFA filter patent, published this month, utilizes heterogeneous nucleation and advanced concepts that propose a new world of solutions to simple and complex technical and environmental air filtration problems. Peletex has foreign patent filing rights in Europe and Japan, and they have sent an operational prototype of their system for data verification to Sandia National Laboratories in May 2005.

Based on a simple idea, the system utilizes an aqueous-froth to filter the air. The Aqueous-Froth Air (AFA) filter draws air through the froth and solution, captures particulates (in some cases contaminants) and holds them in solution for disposal. Enhancements, additives, controls and other variables allow for a full range of problem solving features to perform for any air filtration challenge. Jeff Reiss, CFO said, "The beauty of the AFA filter is its versatility and ability to optimize for virtually all air filtration markets; from high volume power plant emissions and construction nuisance dust to high-technology precision for operating rooms, clean rooms, nano-manufacturing, Homeland Security and a list of applications that will only grow over time." The dynamics of the froth creates an entirely new, fresh and clean filter surface every millisecond. Maintenance can be automated and the cost of operation is expected to be considerably less than conventional methods.

Creating a simpler, more cost-effective air filtration system will be hugely beneficial to many diverse industries. For large high-technology operations like biomedical research and development laboratories and semiconductor manufacturing, the cost of electricity to run the air filtration is a significant line item. The operating cost of the air filtration system is dependent on the filtration media, the air velocity through the media, the size of the system and the required air changes. The cost of pushing air through standard HEPA air filters is significant. It is expected that due to the lack of resistance in Peletex's AFA filtering medium, energy efficiency will be immensely improved. The AFA filter will have applications that will begin to replace both dry (HEPA) and wet filters.

Government Funded R&D:
Currently, Peletex, in partnership with Sandia National Laboratories, is working on a project with Hawaii Technology Development Venture (HTDV), utilizing funds from the Office of Naval Research (ONR). Peletex's task is to design their AFA filter to employ the (active ingredients of the) proven and commercially available Chemical and Biological Weapons (CBW) decontamination formula (DF-200) developed at Sandia National Laboratories. Dr. Mark Tucker, at Sandia National Labs has joined as co-investigator on the project known as "Submicron Aerosol Filtration Encapsulation and Sequestration of Toxins (SAFEST)". With success from this first Government funded project, Pellegrin and Reiss believe that many new doors to Government funding will open and they will continue to pursue new opportunities to advance their technology. Upon the completion of successful R&D, the Government will purchase equipment developed by Peletex and this will accelerate the introduction of the AFA filter into commercial markets.

Utility Companies:
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) mandated controls are ratcheting up clean air standards for electricity generation plants. This offers exciting opportunities to employ AFA filter technology for coal fired electricity generators and other large scale industrial processors. Roy Pellegrin, inventor of the AFA filter contends that, "We have the ultimate wet scrubber. The AFA filter combines the benefits of other state-of-the-art technologies with lower costs of technology, operation and maintenance." Peletex's goal is to clean up every smoke stack in the world.

Strategic Partners:
Peletex is identifying strategic partners to take advantage of opportunities afforded by Government funding for military and Homeland Security and industrial air filtration for environmental clean-up. The more advanced applications of the AFA filter will be developed as Peletex gains more experience with their technology, and produces compelling data for each of the target markets. There are many opportunities and markets, but they are dependent on scientific data that will lead the way for future development and capital formation. Peletex is searching for strategic partners, who are leaders in their industries who will pursue co-operative R&D with Peletex and contribute to a planned roll-out of products for orderly market development and profitability. Additionally, this invention will produce new specialty areas of science and abundant opportunities for research. Peletex is searching for academic and university alliances.

Noting that HEPA filters are reliable to trap particulate matter 0.3 microns or larger, Pellegrin explains, "As semiconductor chips get smaller, down to the nano-meter size, it becomes more critical that clean-rooms be clear of dust particles. Peletex expects to achieve superior filtration performance over the HEPA filters and ultimately improve efficiency for manufacturing. That will be very valuable to the manufacturers."

Jeff Reiss, CFO offers his perspective, "We've worked very hard for over five years, learned valuable lessons and advanced our technology. We are blessed with this compelling and challenging mission and we hope to become a standout technology success story for Maui and the State of Hawaii. It's been a battle and we still have a long way to go... The world needs this invention."

For more information about Peletex, their web page is: www.peletex.net