Progress 07/01/23 to 02/28/25

Outputs
Target Audience:The initial audience for this technology will be the U.S. Forest Service for use at abandoned mine sites on federal land. Once demonstrated and commercialized, the potential audience widens to mining sites across the U.S. The issue of mining influenced water/acid mine drainage (MIW/AMD) from closed mines hits close to home for Micronic. Micronic's home is in the Appalachian region of Southwest Virginia, where MIW/AMD leaches into watersheds and eventually into local aquifers. Such sites have long-term health hazards to aquatic and other life requiring increasingly advanced solutions to keep our waters clean. In the Central Appalachian coalfields near mine sites there are elevated concentrations of major chemical ions in streams, degraded water quality levels that are acutely lethal to standard laboratory test organisms, and levels of selenium concentrations which are toxic in fish and birds. These environmental water issues are the direct result of MIW/AMD at shuttered mine sites. These man-made environmental degradations are legacy years in the making. MIW/AMD have impaired thousands of miles of streams in Appalachia, transforming them into metal-rich, acidic waters and sediments which, in turn, have poisoned the aquatic habitat with potentially hazardous toxin levels and created conditions of severe nutrient limitations. Ultimately, the potential audience for this revolutionary technology is as broad as there are uses of water. Because water is such a ubiquitous presence in everyday life, there's a temptation to consider applications far too broadly for successful commercialization. Micronic is confident its validated technology can remove high concentrations of impurities from a wide range of contaminated water but clearly understands there are numerous other technologies already in the water treatment marketplace. Rather than seek entry where other technologies and treatment infrastructures are already firmly entrenched, Micronic has narrowed its target commercial entry point to very specific markets to which it is particularly well suited. It is anticipated one of the viable markets will be remediation of MIW/AMD and the resulting conversion of waste streams into non-traditional clean water sources. It is anticipated the technology will concentrate a "waste liquid" by a factor 20x thus reducing the waste volumes to be managed and, subsequently reducing operational costs. Changes/Problems: Nothing Reported What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided? Nothing Reported How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?The Phase I research results have been made known to the consultants on the program; RTI and TRC. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals? Nothing Reported

Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals? All technical objectives were successfully realized. In the Phase I program, Micronic pursued four key technical objectives (TO's). In TO 1, the focus was on identifying abandoned mine sample sites and acquiring wastewater samples. TO 2 focused on upgrading and optimizing our laboratory system for application to mining influenced water/acid mine drainage (MIW/AMD) remediation. This unit was then used to process the wastewater samples collected in TO 1 to demonstrate the technology's effectiveness in treating MIW/AMD. TO 3 focused on developing a preliminary demonstration system layout, and, finally in TO 4 a comprehensive market study was conducted to assess the viability and impact of the technology for MIW/AMD remediation. Work on TO 1 focused on the identification of candidate MIW/AMD sites. After a review of several sites, TRC provided Micronic with samples from three selected sites for testing (i.e., Letcher County, Kentucky, Knott County, Kentucky, and Perry County, Kentucky). TO 2 involved a dual-pronged approach. Initially, efforts were directed toward upgrading and optimizing the laboratory proof of concept demonstration system in readiness for processing MIW/AMD samples. This optimization encompassed a series of upgrades including; the replacement of the original diesel engine which powered the system with an electric motor, installation of an advanced control system tuned to the advanced performance of the upgraded system, installation of a ruggedized coated blower, replacement of the air-driven water pump for the concentration tanks with an electric pump, and the design, fabrication and installation of an advanced separator. Subsequently, wastewater samples from the three selected sites were processed by Micronic at its Bristol, Virginia facility. This was followed by a third party laboratory analysis of the influent, the clean water product and the waste concentrate by Enthalpy Analytical in Richmond, Virginia. The analytical testing performed by Enthalpy evaluated key water quality parameters including metal concentrations, total dissolved solids (TDS), pH levels, sulfate concentrations, and other site-specific contaminants of concern. The results from these analyses provided quantitative evidence of the system's effectiveness in treating MIW/AMD from multiple sources with varying contaminant profiles. The main constituents in samples from the Letcher County, KY site were significantly reduced by the following percentages; Calcium 98.36%, Iron 100.00%, Potassium 100.00%, Magnesium 98.27%, Sodium 89.68%, Sulfate 100.00%, and TDS 94.58%. The main constituents in samples from the Knott County, KY site were significantly reduced by the following percentages; Calcium 98.02%, Potassium 100.00%, Magnesium 97.31%, Sodium 99.71%, Chloride 99.59%, Sulfate 99.59%, and TDS 99.33%. The main constituents in samples from the Perry County, KY site were significantly reduced by the following percentages; Calcium 99.11%, Iron 100.00%, Magnesium 99.60%, Manganese 99.80%, Zinc 99.15%, Chloride 100.00%, Sulfate 99.55%, and TDS 99.16%, A preliminary demonstration system layout was developed in TO 3. The top level design drew on data and insights gathered during TO 1 and TO 2. The design is centered on the tornadic process while incorporating supporting systems for field operations. The core design philosophy emphasizes modularity and transportability through a dual-trailer configuration. This will ensure rapid deployment and operational flexibility across diverse field environments. The first trailer serves as the primary processing unit, housing the tornadic purification unit and associated control systems. This trailer includes an integrated influent holding tank sized to maintain continuous operation while accommodating typical flow rate variations. The second trailer functions as the water management center, containing separate storage systems for processed clean water and concentrated waste. This trailer also houses an electric generator system, providing power generation capability when grid power is unavailable. Future design refinement will focus on optimizing the system layout through detailed civil and mechanical engineering specifications. A market study of the tornadic water purification technology was conducted by the Technical and Business Assistance vendor, RTI International, during TO 4 to assess commercial viability of the technology for mitigation of MIW/AMD and recovery of critical minerals from the waste concentrate. A summary of the main conclusions of the study follows. • The U.S. Federal government has made domestic production of rare earth elements (REE's) and critical minerals (CM's) a strategic priority, creating a significant driver for adoption of new technologies that can economically produce them. • AMD is a significant source of domestic raw material with high concentrations of REE's and CM's. Flows of AMD streams range from 20 to 200 gallons per minute. To penetrate the market, Micronic must develop a system on the order of 50,000 GPD (35 GPM) to match capacity of a significant number of streams. • There are many options for treating AMD, including options very low in cost when neutralization with lime is sufficient to restore water quality. • When AMD streams contain high levels of nitrates or selenium, additional treatment steps are required. Micronic Technologies' tornadic water purification process has the potential to treat these streams in a single step, avoiding multi-step, complex treatment systems and, accordingly, offers the potential to reduce cost. • The concentrate produced by the tornadic process is potentially less costly to process than concentrated AMD sludge from retention ponds, which are currently used as feedstock for REE processing operations because it is expected to be higher in REE/CM content. • The total cost of ownership (TCO) for tornadic processing was compared to the state of the art in AMD treatment in 2 cases: 1) low flow (50,000 GPD), as a stand-alone treatment option and 2) high flow (750,000 GPD RO reject) as a replacement for the brine concentration step. • In the low-flow case, capital cost and energy cost were higher for the tornadic system than for a treatment train consisting of clarification, precipitation, and reverse osmosis steps to treat AMD with high concentration of nitrates. However, the ability to deliver a self-contained, mobile solution could make the tornadic system an attractive alternative where land suitable for a multi-process train is not available. • In the high-flow case, the tornadic system offers potential for significant savings by replacing brine concentrators and crystallizers, evaporative systems with high CAPEX and OPEX, due to the need for treatment chemicals and use of high-cost materials. The large scale of the high-flow case means this use case represents a long-term opportunity for Micronic. Micronic's tornadic water purification technology demonstrates significant potential for remediation of MIW/AMD, offering substantial benefits to mining communities, environmental agencies, and society at large. For primary stakeholders, including mining operators and federal land managers, this translates to more efficient compliance with environmental regulations, reduced treatment complexity, and potential recovery of valuable critical minerals and rare earth elements from waste concentrate which aligns with U.S. strategic priorities for domestic mineral production. For surrounding communities and ecosystems, the technology promises cleaner water resources, reduced environmental contamination, and improved public health outcomes, while its mobile, modular design enables treatment in remote locations where traditional infrastructure is impractical.

Publications

Progress 07/01/23 to 06/30/24

Outputs
Target Audience:The initial audience for this technology will be the U.S. Forest Service for use at abandoned mine sites on federal land. Once demonstrated, the potential audience widens to mining sites across the U.S. The issue of mining-influenced water and acid mine drainage (MIW/AMD) from closed mines hits close to home for Micronic. The company is located in the Appalachian region of Southwest Virginia, where MIW/AMD leaches into watersheds and eventually into local aquifers. Such sites have long-term health hazards to aquatic and other life requiring increasingly advanced solutions to provide optimal remediation. In the Central Appalachian coalfields near mine sites there are elevated concentrations of major chemical ions in streams, degraded water quality levels that are acutely lethal to standard laboratory test organisms, and levels of selenium concentrations which are toxic in fish and birds. These environmental water issues are the direct result of MIW/AMD at shutdown mine sites. These man-made environmental degradations are a legacy years in the making. MIW/AMD have impaired thousands of miles of streams in Appalachia, transforming them into metal-rich, acidic water and sediments which, in turn, have impaired the aquatic habitat with nutrient limitations and potentially hazardous levels of toxins. Ultimately, the potential audience for this revolutionary technology is as broad as there are uses of water. Because water is such a ubiquitous presence in everyday life, there's a temptation to consider applications far too broad for successful commercialization. Micronic is has demonstratedits validated technology can remove high concentrations of impurities from a wide range of contaminated water, but clearly understands there are numerous other technologies already in the water treatment marketplace. Rather than seek entry where other technologies and treatment infrastructures are already firmly entrenched, Micronic has carefully narrowed its target commercial entry point to very specific markets to which it is particularly well suited. It is anticipated that one viable market may be remediation of MIW/AMD and the resulting conversion of waste streams into non-traditional clean water sources. The technology canconcentrate a "waste liquid " into a concentrate by a factor 20x and hence facilitate the recovery downstream, as the volumes to be managed are reduced thus reducing operational costs. Changes/Problems: Nothing Reported What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided? Nothing Reported How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?At this point in the program effort, the research results have been made known to the Consultants on the Program, RTI and TRC. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?Work to be conducted during the next reporting period includes the following. TO 2: Process and analyze samples Micronic will process and analyze the samples collected in TO 1. TO 3: Identify a preliminary Phase II demonstration system layout Micronic and TRC will complete a preliminary Phase II demonstration system layout. TO 4: Conduct market study of TOPTM technology for MIW/AMD remediation RTI will complete the Phase I market study.

Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals? Progress to date on the Phase I research and development effort has entailed continuing work on Technical Objectives (TO's) as follows. TO 1: The identification of mine sample sites and acquisition of wastewater samples As noted in the previous Interim Technical Report (ITR), work on this objective was led by the Consultant to the Program, TRC who has extensive experience in mine site geology and hydrology. In the last ITR, TRC was evaluating a series of possible sample sites. Each of those locations had been rejected as potential sampling sites and the search was continuing for candidate locations. During this reporting period, work on TO 1 continued to identifycandidate MIW/AMD sites. As a result of this effort, Micronic and TRC selected three sites for Phase I sample testing. TRC provided Micronic with samples from the selected sites as listed below. Sample Site 1 (Letcher County, Kentucky) 37°7'24.78"N 82°44'38.1"W 37.12355, -82.74391667 The site is located at the end of Baker Branch Road which is off of Rt. 1862, approximately 2 miles east of Mayking, KY. In March 2024, TRC personnel traveled to Letcher County, Kentucky in order to conduct a site reconnaissance and collect samples. The site was suggested by TRC's records review and conversations with the Kentucky Energy and Environment Cabinet. The site, which is a detention pond is near reclaimed coal mining activities. Temperature (15.8 C) and pH (7.73) measurements were collected as well as 15 gallons of water. All samples were collected and taken to Micronic Technologies, Inc., in Bristol, VA. Sample Site 2 (Knott County, Kentucky) 37°12'31.0"N 82°58'29.0"W 37.20861111, -82.97472222 The site is located approximately 3 miles east of Redfox, KY, south of Rt. 15 and along the eastern side of Defeated Creek Rd. In March 2024, TRC personnel traveled to Knott County, Kentucky to conduct a site reconnaissance and collect samples. The site was suggested by TRC's records review and conversations with the Kentucky Energy and Environment Cabinet. The site is near an active coal mine. Temperature (14.4 C) and pH (7.29) measurements were collected along with 15 gallons of water. The water samples were taken to Micronic Technologies, Inc. in Bristol, VA. The site is located at a detention pond adjacent to the coal yard. Sample Site 3 (Perry County, Kentucky) 37°17'3.9"N 83°30'37.00"W 37.2844444444, -83.51027778 The site is located at the end of Dusty Fork Road, west off of Rt 484, approximately 1.3 miles northwest of Saul, Perry County, KY. In March 2024, TRC personnel traveled to Perry County, Kentucky in order to conduct a site reconnaissance and collect samples. The site was suggested by TRC's records review and conversations with the Kentucky Energy and Environment Cabinet. The site is near reclaimed coal mining activities. The site consists of a detention pond. Temperature (16.2 C) and pH (2.99) measurements were collected as well as 15 gallons of water. All samples were collected and taken to Micronic Technologies, Inc., in Bristol, VA. TO 2: Process and analyze samples As reported in the previous Interim Technical Report (ITR), work which was being conducted on TO 2 was focused on upgrading the laboratory concept demonstration system in preparation for MIW/AMD sample processing. The upgrade work was completed during this reporting period including; the replacement of the original diesel engine which powered the system with an electric motor, the installation of an advanced control system tuned to the performance of the upgraded system, the installation of a ruggedized coated blower, the replacement of the air-driven water pump for the concentration tanks with an electric pump, and the design, development, fabrication, and installation of an advanced separator. TO 3: Identify a preliminary Phase II demonstration system layout During this reporting period, TRC completed site selection and sample acquisition and has begun work on TO 3, the preliminary identification of support structure and structure layout needed to implement an on-site Phase II demonstration unit. Preliminary site layout elements will include access infrastructure for influent handling(e.g., piping, holding tanks, etc.) and the handling of the clean water product and the wastewater concentrate (e.g., discharge piping, holding tanks), and the capability to transport the unit to the site. This work includes placement of the unit and support systems on a potential demonstration site map, identification of influent, clean product water, and brine tanks, associated piping, and an electrical generator. The work is currently on-going. TO 4: Conduct market study of TOPTM technology for MIW/AMD remediation During this reporting period, work continued on TO 4, a market assessment of the TOPTM technology for MIW/AMD remediation. The analysis is being conducted by Micronic Technologies in collaboration with the selected Technical and Business Assistance (TABA) vendor, RTI International Research Institute (RTI), who is developing a market study to evaluate the commercial viability of the TOPTM technology for purification of MIW/AMD. The work is currently on-going.

Publications