HOUSTON, TX--(Marketwired - May 9, 2013) - Sionix Corporation (
The processing facility, located in Dickinson, North Dakota, has successfully treated production and flowback water from drilling and fracking operations in the Bakken Shale. The first round of testing, completed in January 2013, was done with the participation of Clear Water Services, an independent, experienced and innovative water treating company. Laboratory analysis was performed by two independent third party testing laboratories in North Dakota and California. Test results showed an average reduction in turbidity of 98 percent. A total of 41 samples of production and flowback water showed influent turbidities as high as 10,875 nephelometric turbidity units (NTU's) and treated effluent turbidities as low as 3.1 NTU. Total suspended solids were reduced by 80 percent and test results showed reductions in barium, calcium, iron, magnesium, aluminum and strontium.
John Mandelin of Clear Water reported, "Treatment testing at the Sionix North Dakota Bakken facility showed a significant reduction of turbidity and suspended solids. Chemical treatment also resulted in substantial reduction in aluminum, phosphorus, magnesium, bicarbonate, hydrocarbons and BTEX."
In April 2013, Sionix began a second round of field testing after modifying equipment and its testing protocol based on information and analysis gleaned from earlier test results. The treatment process consisted of initial residence time, pH control and chemical pre-treatment, clarification, filtration and the patented Sionix Dissolved Air Flotation ("DAF") system. The objective of the test was to demonstrate the ability to treat commercial volumes (up to 225 gpm, the equivalent of 324,000 gallons per day) of production and flowback water and generate treated brine that could be recycled for use in fracking. Several variations in treatment protocols were used. Water samples from the various stages of the process have been received in Houston where they are being analyzed by an independent third party laboratory.
Rex Crick, Sionix Chief Operating Officer, said, "We are encouraged that we were able to successfully treat production and flowback waters that were destined for disposal wells. Our process yielded clear, treated brine with a density of more than 9.6 pounds per gallon at a near neutral pH. Our test results should confirm that our clean brine will meet the requirements of drilling operators for fracking and we have retained barrels of our treated water for them to evaluate."
Henry Sullivan, the Chief Executive Officer of Sionix, comments, "We believe that recycling production and flowback water from fracking is a necessary and financially attractive element of developing the hydrocarbon reserves in the Bakken and other shale structures. Every barrel of clean brine that is reused for fracking makes a barrel of clean water from the aquifer available for other uses. We are committed to making the Sionix technology a commercial component of the gas and oil fracking infrastructure and these field demonstrations are the first step in implementing our strategy."
About Sionix Corporation Sionix designs innovative water treatment systems intended for applications in energy, manufacturing, agriculture, food processing, municipalities and public utilities, and various industrial processes including treatment of fracking and production waters generated in oil and gas operations. These industries and many others can benefit from Sionix' cost-effective and easily maintained water treatment systems. For more information about the company, go to www.sionix.com .
Forward-Looking Statements All statements in this press release that are not statements of historical fact are forward-looking statements, including any projections of earnings, revenue, or other financial items, any statements of the plans, strategies, and objectives of management for future operations, any statements concerning proposed new products, services or developments, any statements regarding future economic conditions or performance, statements of belief and any statements of assumptions underlying any of the foregoing. These statements are based on expectations and assumptions as of the date of this press release and are subject to numerous risks and uncertainties, which could cause actual results to differ materially from those described in the forward-looking statements. The risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to, whether Sionix Corporation can raise capital as and when it needs to, whether the water purification systems will generate significant sales, whether it can compete successfully in its market and industry, and other factors beyond the control of Sionix Corporation, including those detailed from time to time in the reports filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Sionix Corporation assumes no obligation and does not intend to update these forward-looking statements.
Company Contact: Dr. Henry W. Sullivan Chief Executive Officer hsullivan@sionix.com
