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EKO GEA vs. Microbes*

A Competitive Technology Comparison

Product Feature EKO GEA (not a microbe) Microbes EKO GEA Advantages

Ease-of-Application Dilution in water , then add or apply

Must be grown in a lab or reactor, sometimes weeks before being able to use them

Some require a reactor (capital expense) for administration

No growing time – ready for immediate application

Flexibility/Suitability Any organic waste treatment and some inorganic apps.

Specific microbes are not suited for all environments:

It is impossible to maintain a “stable” of effective microbes for every application. §

It is impossible to know what specific microbe will be suitable for each specific application – one microbe species does not fit all…

EKO GEA bio-activates microbes already present in the environment.

EKO GEA will occasionally introduce its Rhodobacter capsulatus or Bacillus bacteria in applications (hydrocarbon cleaning), or when biology is dead (biogas fermentation “stuck” or “sour”)

Nutrient Source EKO GEA is its own complex, complete, bio-available nutrient source

Microbes require feeding and often run out of the nutrients “on the job” (microbe products are usually mixed with simple sugars as nutrient/energy source)

Better nutrition that lasts. EKO GEA is rich in oligosaccharides (complex long-chain sugars) + trace elements. EKO GEA is the difference between a balanced meal and a sugary snack for microbes.

Ion-exchange A biological ion-exchanger - no ion-exchange capacity - Immediate bio-chemical effect in reduction of odours, heavy metals, nitrate/phosphorous , etc.

Re-application Requirements

Only with new, incoming waste Require constant re-feeding, re-seeding of microbes – they die off and need replacement - endlessly

EKO GEA doesn’t die off – it is a 3rd-party nutrient source and protector which harnesses microbes which are already in-situ (hidden costs w/ EKO GEA competitors)

Microbial Protection Contains Alginates which provide a physical gel-like barrier against toxins

- no protective capacity - EKO GEA means naturally-occurring microbes already in the environment are not as vulnerable to toxins and are able to do their work without having to be replaced

Preparation/Shelf life

Mix

Strain for certain spray applications if nozzle size requires

Microbes must be grown up before use

Incubate in an incubator at required temperature for required amount of time (2-3 weeks)

Mix with nutrients (yeast, sugar, trace elements), apply with req’d amount of nutrients and keep applying

Use within days after preparation or stock is lost (dead)

EKO GEA is flexible and always ready to use and apply

No forward planning required

No “lost stock”

No hidden costs related to preparation requirements and shelf life

Storage Keep out of direct sunlight Refrigeration often required for live bacterial culture Low-cost storage & transport

*Microbes = various commercial competitors of EKO GEA which use microbes as the principal additive § Current estimate of the total number of different species of microbes is about 5 billion.

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Microbe Facts:

Microbes can eliminate or neutralize many toxic compounds in the environment.

o Bioremediation is the most economical and most efficient way to reduce toxic waste.

o Natural bioremediation often happens very, very slowly. This is why we need EKO GEA (speeds + feeds + cleans + shelters microbes)

Problems can arise if the chosen microbes for a particular job aren't well suited to life in their new environment

Some microbes are very good at degrading certain toxins. If microbes that degrade oil, for example, are not present in an environment where oil has been spilled, EKO GEA can add oil-degrading microbes to that environment. Our microbes are grown in our lab and encapsulated for later use.

Many compounds can be degraded by microbes, including the following:

o Organic weed killers (herbicide) o Oil and hydrocarbons o PCB's polychlorinated biphenyls (insulator-coolants in

electric power plant transformers) o DDT 1,1,1-trichloro-2,2-bis(p-chlorophenyl) ethane - an

organic insect killer (pesticide) o Plastic o Detergents

Certain microbes can transform the following compounds into other non-toxic or less toxic forms. These include heavy metals such as selenium, arsenic, mercury and uranium; fertilizers, including nitrate and phosphate; and runoff from mining operations. The following inorganic toxic compounds have microbes that can transform them in some way:

o Mercury in batteries o Nitrite - fertilizer runoff o Selenium o Arsenic o Uranium o Acid mine drainage

Adding microbes to solve challenging bioremediation problems is not a sure thing. EKO GEA leap-frogs this challenge by bio-activating – feeding, protecting, sheltering a FULL RANGE of microbes for the applications to which they are already suited, acclimatised, and in-situ. EKO GEA can also enhance the performance of microbes added to environments for specific tasks.

EKO GEA has other attributes other than its bio-activity (microbial enhancement). Ion-exchange is one of our important product features, and microbes do not offer this capability.

EKO GEA d.o.o. Ul. M. Grevenbroich 13 3000 Celje SLOVENIA Tel. + 386 3491 07 60 Email: info@ekogea.com English: Tel: UK +44 208 144 0102 US: + 1(217) 731-4744 Email: mkeenan@ekogea.com www.ekogea.com