Press Release September 16, 2004

MINERGY COMPLETES INITIAL TESTING OF
SEDIMENT FROM PASSAIC RIVER
— EPA and New Jersey Office of Maritime Resources Consider Decontamination
Technology for River Cleanup in New Jersey —

(Neenah, Wis.) Minergy Corporation recently completed the first phase of testing for application of its vitrification technology for treatment of contaminated sediment from the Passaic River located in New Jersey. The evaluation was completed to support the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) Region 2 and New Jersey Department of Transportation, Office of Maritime Resources (NJDOT/OMR) Passaic River Dredging and Sediment Decontamination Pilot Project. The technology under evaluation is the same vitrification process Minergy successfully used to decontaminate Lower Fox River sediment.

“This initial testing showed that the Passaic River sediment will readily convert to an inert glass aggregate product which can be beneficially re-used,” says Bob Paulson, Manager of Business Development for Minergy. “Vitrification is viewed across the industry as a ‘next generation’ technology for contaminated sediments and soils as it provides a permanent solution at a time when other non-permanent disposal options are being challenged.”

The evaluation involved a series of crucible melts to determine the melting characteristics of the Passaic River sediment. Understanding the sediment’s melting characteristics is important to properly engineer the melter system and cost-effectively operate it. The mineral content of the Passaic River sediment is very similar to that of the Lower Fox River sediment, according to Paulson, and therefore resulted in nearly identical results.

The next phase of the evaluation is a pilot melting demonstration to determine contaminant destruction efficiencies and measure emissions. The pilot demonstration is expected to be completed in 2005.

Vitrification was selected for evaluation based on the results of the Fox River sediment test project, according to Paulson. The demonstration scale test results for Lower Fox River sediment, conducted in 2001 by the USEPA and the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, found that vitrification technology destroyed more than 99.9999% of the PCBs and captured more than 99.9% of the mercury in the sediment.

The Passaic River, known as the birthplace of America’s Industrial Revolution, traverses the state of New Jersey as an estuary of the New York/New Jersey Harbor. The river and its surrounding wetlands have been degraded as a result of more than 200 years of intense commercial, industrial and residential development.

In 2003, the U.S. Congress appropriated funds for the Lower Passaic River Restoration Project. The initiative calls for the USEPA and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to clean the lower portion of the river of compromised sediment, making way for restoration and revitalization of the area. NJDOT/OMR is the local sponsor for this remediation and restoration Feasibility Study.

Minergy Corporation, located in Neenah, Wis., specializes in the vitrification, or melting, of waste materials into Glass Aggregate, an inert glass product used by the construction industry. Waste materials processed by the company include sludges, sediments and soils. Minergy was established in 1993 as a subsidiary of Wisconsin Energy Corporation.

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