Oxygen is the greatest recycler on Planet Earth. It is the most common element with most of our planet consisting of Oxygen containing molecules. Oxygen creates and balances the ecosystems life depends on.
In 2016, Anker Browder teamed up with the chemistry department at the University of Tennessee Knoxville to explore eco-friendly solutions for processing precious metals. The goal was to find a method that did not use deadly acids and hazardous chemicals.
The mission was accomplished and moved from benchtop to pilot plant successfully. The anchor component was atomic oxygen (O) delivered by the unstable triatomic oxygen molecule (O3) also known as Ozone. Industrial Ozone wastewater treatment machines were utilized for the process. These machines initiated a cycle converting o2 oxygen into o3 oxygen. The extra atom of O (Atomic oxygen) would break away from the o3 and then bind to other single atoms of oxygen resulting in the o2 oxygen molecule. The purpose of this cycle was to utilize the atomic oxygen for the necessary chemical reactions.
Our chemist shared a long list of possible chemical reactions with O3. This is when the irony revealed itself. For example, ammonia becomes nitrogen, water and O2 oxygen. Formaldehyde becomes carbon dioxide, water and O2 oxygen. We were using atomic oxygen to recycle metal and learned that oxygen itself is nature’s great recycler.
We began to use Ozone for other applications and the Covid pandemic sped this progression into a transition. We knew that we had the secret weapon against infectious disease that no one was talking about. During the lock down, a new purpose was born. Shortly thereafter, our metal recycling business was interrupted by a massive misunderstanding by local law enforcement. This development solidified our transition, and we are thankful for it. Our focus is now on the power of oxygen and the vast applications, opportunities, and possibilities it provides.