ACTA.L Regulatory News (ACTA)

10 Aug 2009 07:00



10 August 2009  

Acta S.p.A. ("Acta" or the "Company")

Product Launch Update

Acta, the catalyst technology development company, is pleased to announce the following update on the development and launch of its innovative domestic hydrogen generation technology.

Following the trading update released on 17 July 2009, Acta has completed the scale-up of its full size electrolyser prototype, which has now successfully passed initial tests for gas output volume, hydrogen purity, gas pressure and system efficiency. Indicative system and hydrogen generation costs are well below current market prices for comparable systems.

Having completed the performance tests with results that exceeded initial expectations the Company is pushing forwards with its plans for a wider launch of the demonstration unit in October 2009, and industrial production and commercialisation of the product thereafter for domestic and light industrial applications.

Acta's Innovative Water Electrolyser

Acta has employed its deep knowledge of catalysis and alkaline membrane technology to develop a highly innovative water electrolyser product. The electrolyser is precious metal-free, and is capable of safely producing clean, dry, low cost pressurised hydrogen. The initial demonstrator developed by Acta produces high purity hydrogen at 100 litres per hour, at 30 bar pressure, and at high electrical efficiency.

The combination of cost and technical performance offered by the Acta electrolyser makes it ideal for domestic or light industrial applications, such as refilling hydrogen cylinders or hydride canisters for portable and mobile applications. It has the potential to enable the commercial launch of various small to mid-sized fuel cell applications, such as fuel cell bikes, outboard motors, and other personal mobility and light transport applications, where difficulties in refilling the hydrogen supply have previously delayed customer acceptance of currently available fuel cell products.

Acta believes that its water electrolyser is ideally suited as a compact and simple to operate "recharger" of such devices, and through enabling pressurised hydrogen to be generated inexpensively, safely and on demand by domestic users, will accelerate the market's adoption of hydrogen as a practical fuel source for a wide range of emission-free consumer applications. The Company will be demonstrating the electrolyser, together with examples of the fuel cell applications that it supports, during the last quarter of 2009.

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Notes to Editors

About Acta 

Acta develops and manufactures unique patented catalysts which have been launched to the renewable energy, automotive, battery and industrial markets. Acta is also developing other commercial opportunities using its catalysts for industrial waste treatment.

Acta's catalysts and alkaline system know-how are at the heart of the Company's development of a new, high pressure water electrolyser technology which has demonstrated low cost, platinum free, high pressure hydrogen generation. Combined with a platinum free fuel cell, the system offers a solution to the problem of how to store surplus energy produced from large scale, intermittent renewable energy sources (eg wind farms).

Acta's catalysts are also undergoing customer tests in applications such as ammonia treatment (removal of ammonia from an industrial waste stream), and zinc-air batteries (a high performance and environmentally friendly battery technology), as well as fuel cell and other applications.