Aquacell chooses Dow's Adsorbia titanium-based arsenic removal media

MIDLAND, MI, April 6, 2006 -- In response to the growing need for arsenic removal in affected areas of the United States, Aquacell Water Inc. has chosen to work with The Dow Chemical Company by selecting ADSORBSIA™ GTO™ titanium-based arsenic removal media for their turnkey, arsenic removal systems.

"We're really excited to work with Dow as our primary source for arsenic removal media," said Karen Laustsen, Aquacell Water's president and chief operating officer. "As a manufacturer of turnkey water treatment systems used for various applications around the globe, it was critical that we select an arsenic removal media that both we and our customers could rely upon. Having extensively studied the various medias available, we chose ADSORBSIA titanium-based media, as we believe it to be the most flexible, reliable and cost effective media for arsenic removal."

Adding Aquacell to Dow's line of authorized distributors for Adsorbia GTO media, part of its Liquid Separation Division products and services, now helps bring this to the U.S. Southwest where it hadn't been easily available before. Aquacell Water fills a niche in the distribution strategy, providing customers in New Mexico and Arizona with the option of working with a responsive and technically excellent local company.

"We are very pleased to be working with Aquacell, and that they have selected Dow for their arsenic removal media," said Alan Greenberg, senior marketing development manager, Liquid Separations New Business Development. "We believe that ADSORBSIA titanium-based media in the hands of the right OEMs will become the standard for end-users looking for a dependable, cost reliable option for removing arsenic from drinking water resources."

This media has improved capabilities over iron-oxide based media, including a nanocrystalline structure that results in faster kinetics, allowing for smaller diameter vessels and a smaller system footprint. It's also the highest capacity media in a wide range of water, removing both As(V) and As(III), without pretreatment, across a wide pH range.

The high capacity also makes it an ideal, non-regenerable single-use product; a convenience for small or mid-sized systems. It offers an affordable, easy to operate approach. Eliminating regeneration means avoiding the hassles and cost of chemical storage and usage while eliminating waste stream disposal issues.

The media also has a strong affinity for arsenic that allows the media to maintain a strong hold on the removed arsenic, allowing for easier and safer disposal.

Launched in 2005, Adsorbia is designed to help municipalities comply with EPA regulations requiring municipal drinking water in the United States to have arsenic levels below 10 parts per billion (ppb), down substantially from the currently acceptable level of 50 ppb. The new regulations went into effect in January 2006.

Dow is a diversified chemical company that harnesses the power of science and technology to improve living daily. The Company offers a broad range of innovative products and services to customers in more than 175 countries, helping them to provide everything from fresh water, food and pharmaceuticals to paints, packaging and personal care products. Built on a commitment to its principles of sustainability, Dow has annual sales of $46 billion and employs 42,000 people worldwide. References to "Dow" or the "Company" mean The Dow Chemical Company and its consolidated subsidiaries unless otherwise expressly noted. More information about Dow can be found at www.dow.com or www.dow.com/liquidseps/index.htm or www.adsorbsia.com.

Aquacell Water Inc. (www.aquacell.com), formerly a subsidiary of AquaCell Technologies, manufactures custom-designed turnkey water filtration and purification systems for municipal, industrial, commercial, and institutional applications. Aquacell's services include evaluation, design, engineering, manufacturing, installation, training and service.

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