IDAHO FALLS, Idaho, March 22, 2005 (PRIMEZONE) -- Intrepid Technology and Resources, Inc. (ITR) (OTCBB:IESV), a renewable energy company, announced that its proprietary anaerobic digestion process may provide a significant benefit in conserving and recycling water in drought-stricken Idaho.
Dr. Dennis Keiser, ITR's President, noted, "Dairies are big users of water and water conservation is becoming a critical consideration for their sustained operations, particularly given the severe drought conditions that threaten the agriculture industry in southern Idaho and other parts of the country. Processing manure using ITR's system provides the potential to recycle significant volumes of wastewater back into beneficial reuse in a variety of agricultural or other applications.
"ITR recently began focusing on how their digester technology can be employed to conserve water while processing manure into biogas. We are currently using our Rupert, Idaho biogas plant to develop a detailed understanding of how to further economically polish and improve the quality of the effluent water from digesters. If future testing proves that digesters can provide relatively clean water, then that water can be recycled to compatible operations instead of being routed to a holding pond or applied to compost operations where much of it is lost through evaporation. Preliminary calculations show that this, along with ITR's biodiesel development plans (which focus on growing local feedstock crops requiring less irrigation water) many thousand acre feet of water could be saved, providing an 'added value' benefit not previously considered."
Dr Keiser further stated, "The biogas plant we are now operating gives us a high degree of confidence that this technology will not only produce commercial quantities of methane but will also be effective in mitigating air quality issues, enhancing water conservation and reducing soil leaching problems, all of which are critical issues that large dairies are attempting to address."
Recent studies by both Utah State University and the University of Idaho have pointed out the potential negative impact of Idaho's drought on the regional dairy industry as 100 million per year. The amplified impact on Idaho's economy could be in excess of 700 million.
About Intrepid Technology: We are a national leader in Methane to Market technology and production and an application innovator of Biogas products and services designed to assist in worldwide energy independence and reduce pollution from renewable agriculture feedstock and industrial and agriculture waste materials.
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