/NOT FOR DISTRIBUTION IN THE USA/
KAMLOOPS, BC, Feb. 23, 2024 /CNW/ - Progressive Planet Solutions Inc. (TSXV: PLAN) (OTCQB: ASHXF) ("Progressive Planet", "PLAN", or the "Company"), a leader in developing CleanTech solutions for the planet, is pleased to provide a corporate update of its activities.
Cement Innovation Partnership with Pyrogenesis Canada
On January 27, 2022, Progressive Planet issued a news release announcing a collaboration with Pyrogenesis Canada to explore two different objectives including:
- To determine the feasibility of producing post-consumer glass nanoparticles.
- To explore the feasibility of converting widely available, high-grade, crystalline silica into amorphous silica. Only amorphous silica works to enhance the strength of concrete.
The energy costs of producing nanoparticles were prohibitive, but the use of plasma torches to transform crystalline silica into amorphous silica offered promise.
The contract required Pyrogenesis to deliver 500 grams of converted silica. This material was delivered in early February 2024 and PLAN conducted testing and confirmed that the conversion had occurred with over 90% conversion.
The next step is to confirm that the powder is reactive as a supplementary cementing material (SCM). PLAN has scheduled the production of mortar cubes using the powder during the week of March 4, 2024. Full details of compressive strength and water demand will be released after the 28-day compressive tests are completed. PLAN anticipates releasing these results in the second week of April 2024.
Crystalline silica is one of the most abundant materials in the earth's crust and the ability to economically convert it into amorphous silica would offer a new supply of material to compensate for fly ash which is no longer being generated from coal fired power plants which are required to shut down in Canada before 2030.
"While this material still needs to prove its merit through compressive strength testing in cement mortars, I wish to acknowledge the effort made by the technical team at Pyrogenesis over the last two years to overcome hurdle after hurdle to reach the conversion rate of over 90%" stated Steve Harpur, CEO of Progressive Planet.
Supply Demand Forces Affecting Fly Ash
According to the Capital Power website, https://www.capitalpower.com/operations/genesee-1-2/, the two coal fired power plants, Genesee 1 and 2, that produce fly ash near Edmonton, Alberta, will cease to burn coal in 2024. With the conversion to natural gas, approximately 180,0000 tonnes of fly ash that were consumed annually by the cement industry will no longer be generated once the two power plants switch over to consuming natural gas to generate power.
According to the Transalta website, https://transalta.com/about-us/our-operations/facilities/centralia/, the massive coal burning power plant in Washington State will cease burning coal in 2025. The conversion of this plant to natural gas will result in approximately 840,000 US tons of fly ash will no longer be produced annually for use by the cement industry.
Collectively, these two separate power plants will cease to provide over 1 million tonnes of fly ash to the Pacific Northwest by mid 2025. It is under this paradigm change of supply that Progressive Planet continues to work on commercializing both natural pozzolans and PozGlass 100G, a ground glass pozzolan with added strength derived from the proprietary removal of sodium from the glass.
Update on Regenerative Fertilizers
On June 1, 2023, Progressive Planet announced that it had supplied Carbon PK to farmers who applied it to over 600 acres. In addition, grow trials were conducted which demonstrated some efficacy for the fertilizer. Upon recent consultation with partners, it was determined that there was insufficient demand to justify further investment in this product and Carbon PK will not be produced or developed any further.
On October 6, 2023, Progressive Planet announced the launch of a new soil conditioner, Carbon Ca, with the production of 61 tonnes of this product. Approximately half of this product was sold in the Prairies and applied as a source of calcium and carbon in the Fall of 2023 and the remaining inventory will be applied during the Spring season. Progressive Planet will await feedback from farmers and its partners as to the efficacy of Carbon Ca.
Progressive Planet provides regular information for investors on its website: progressiveplanet.com/investors/. This includes press releases and other information about financial performance, patents filed, and information on corporate governance.
Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accept responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.
About Progressive Planet:
We are a CleanTech and manufacturing company with proven product lines based in Kamloops, British Columbia. Our expertise lies in developing critical low-carbon and carbon sequestering solutions using our owned mineral assets and recycled materials to create planet-friendly products that fight climate change and protect our planet's health.
Our products are in 10,000+ retail stores across North America. Our innovations, created at our C-Quester™ Centre of Sustainable Innovation, bring positive disruption to the cement, agricultural and animal-care sectors by creating products that help reduce carbon footprints and restore ecosystems.
Forward-Looking Statements:
Certain statements in this release are forward-looking statements, which reflect the expectations of management regarding the matters described herein. Forward-looking statements consist of statements that are not purely historical, including any statements regarding beliefs, plans, expectations, or intentions regarding the future. Such statements are subject to risks and uncertainties that may cause actual results, performance, or developments to differ materially from those contained in the statements. No assurance can be given that any of the events anticipated by the forward-looking statements will occur or, if they do occur, what benefits the Company will obtain from them. These forward-looking statements reflect management's current views and are based on certain expectations, estimates and assumptions which may prove to be incorrect. A number of risks and uncertainties could cause our actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements, including factors beyond the Company's control. These forward-looking statements are made as of the date of this news release.
Disclaimer:
This news release, required by Canadian laws, does not constitute an offer of securities and is not for distribution or dissemination outside Canada.
SOURCE Progressive Planet Solutions
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