April 29, 2003 - EarthFax Signs Letter of Intent with National Center for Science and Technology of Vietnam

Salt Lake City, Utah - EarthFax Engineering, Inc. and its affiliate EarthFax Development Corporation have recently signed a Letter of Intent with the Institute of Chemistry (“IOCH”) of the National Center for Science and Technology of Vietnam.  Under this Letter of Intent, the EarthFax companies and IOCH have agreed to cooperate on the development and improvement of technologies to bioremediate persistent organic pollutants (“POPs”) in land and water.

The EarthFax companies bring significant experience to this alliance in bioremediation of environmental pollutants through the use of white-rot fungi.  These fungi have been shown by EarthFax and other researchers to effectively degrade a broad range of organic compounds, including pesticides, herbicides, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, chlorinated organic chemicals, and several other POPs.

IOCH, in close collaboration with the Institute of Biotechnology of the National Center for Science and Technology of Vietnam, has successfully developed and applied a bioremediation approach to clean up a wide range of POP-based contaminants in soil and water in Vietnam through the use of native microorganisms existing in the contaminated media. In this technique, controlled-release nutrients are used as a “food source” for the native microorganisms and also as a multifaceted bioremediation-enhancing agent for the symbiosis between fungi and bacteria in the degradation of contaminants.  The parties intend to jointly pursue the applications of their technologies, both individually and in combination, to seek more effective biodegradation of POPs.

EarthFax Engineering is an environmental and civil engineering consulting firm located in Salt Lake City, Utah. The company specializes in the characterization and remediation of environmental contamination at industrial facilities. EarthFax Development is a research and development company located in Logan, Utah that focuses on improving techniques for field application of fungal bioremediation. Additional information regarding the EarthFax companies can be found on their web site at www.earthfax.com.

IOCH is a multidisciplinary national laboratory in Vietnam that conducts specialized research and development in areas of organic and inorganic chemistry, natural-products chemistry, polymer chemistry, analytical chemistry, biochemistry, environmental remediation, and other related fields. In addition to basic and applied research and development, IOCH provides post-graduate training leading to Master of Science and Doctor of Philosophy degrees.