Page 12 - ICG Full Business Plan

Our Technologies
Technology
Iron Creek’s patented Enhanced Thermal Conduc on (ETC) technology makes Iron Creek the low-cost provider in the industry. ETC has several economic advantages:
• A direct cost structure of 44% of revenue, versus the industry’s 63%. The primary advantage of Iron Creek’s technology is lower energy costs. In addi on, Iron Creek’s “set it and forget it” technology does not require constant operator involvement and maintenance, a large cost factor for tradi onal rotary kilns.
• CAPEX that is 40% lower than tradi onal technology.
• Modular, easily transported “cells” that allow for cost-e ec ve, on-site treatment capability.
• Iron Creek’s technology is aesthe cally and environmentally “friendly”. It is quiet, and does not emit high levels of dust or greenhouse gases,
as do other technologies. These characteris cs allow for community acceptance and more rapid permi ng than the tradi onal rotary kiln technology.
Iron Creek has recently developed its next-genera on thermal technology, the TECH ZERO. Pilot plant trials have been successfully completed, and a provisional patent applica on has been led. The TECH ZERO further reduces direct costs to 32% of revenue, and CAPEX to 15% of tradi o- nal technology. Emissions also are drama cally reduced.
Competitive Advantage
ETC’s compe ve advantage over tradi onal rotary kiln technology springs from the fact that the ETC process is based on trea ng sta onary soil. Rotarykilns“tumble”thesoilinlarge,rota ngdrumstoapplyheatdirecttothesoil. Thisisine cientandexpensiveonseverallevels:highcapital cost of equipment, energy ine ciency, high maintenance costs, and constant operator requirements. In contrast, the ETC process as described above is more cost e ec ve at all levels:
• Lower capital costs (unit pad, piping, Quonset hut, and burner),
• Higher thermal e ciency, since more heat is absorbed by the soil, rather than going “up the stack”,
• Lower maintenance costs since there are no moving parts, and
• Lower manpower requirements, since once the unit is prepared, no direct labor is involved during the “burn”.
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