Blue Earth Labs Awarded U.S. Patent for Its Core Product, Clearitas® Scale Control Solution
Core Patent Builds on Company’s Innovation Leadership Position in Water Industry
Las Vegas, NV - Blue Earth Labs (http://www.BlueEarthLabs.com), a specialty chemical research and development company that uses chemical innovation to solve water infrastructure issues, today announced that the United States Patent and Trademark Office has awarded U.S. Patent 8,366,939 covering application of its core product, Clearitas® (formerly RE-Ox®) scale control solution. This patent, the ninth one held or acquired by the Company, covers Blue Earth Labs’ methods for reducing deposits in drinking water distribution systems.
Clearitas scale control solution includes a chlorine-molecule processed into a unique, highly oxidative state.  It acts to disrupt the organic matrix that binds inorganic matter to the pipe walls and other wetted surfaces and to attack the polysaccharide layer that shields biofilms from primary disinfectants such as chlorine.  This process allows the primary disinfectant to perform a more efficient and active elimination of the scales and biofilms. Because Clearitas has higher hydrophobicity than other oxidants, it works at the margins of the water system and disrupts the organics that hold scale together. This disruption enables the inorganic matter to break down while eliminating the nucleation sites that provide attachment spots for biofilms.  Doing so reduces chlorine demand in the distribution system, removes anchor sites for biological growth, and provides for a better disinfection process that ultimately reduces degradation to water distribution systems while improving water quality.
By removing organic and inorganic deposits from tanks, basins and distribution pipes, the infrastructure-generated contribution to disinfection by-product (DBP) formation and increased disinfectant-demand are also eliminated. Free chlorine residuals can then be stabilized in the distribution system.  By doing so, Clearitas reduces the amount of chlorine required to maintain water safety.
Clearitas is currently the only EPA-registered scale control disinfectant. The demand for scale control products like Clearitas is increasing as the role of water distribution as a source of health issues is better understood - not only at a municipal level, but also to the level of the smallest building or home - since pathogens such as Legionella pneumophilia and E. coli may be present in source water. Additionally, now that the EPA Stage 2 Disinfectant and Disinfection Byproducts Rule is in full force, the number of utilities seeking solutions to reduce chlorine demand generated by the presence of biofilms inside the millions of miles of water pipes is also beginning to grow.
The Clearitas patent represents over a decade of R D and millions in investment assisting utilities and commercial facilities to solve the problem of scale and biofilm build up in water systems. With this patent, Blue Earth Labs receives protection for production of a chemical product containing supplemental oxidants using a flow-through electrochemical module and dosing a water distribution system with the product to yield supplemental oxidants in a range of 1 to 50 parts per billion - including (but not limited to) manufacturing the chemical product in bulk for delivery to an end-user.
“I cannot be more pleased that the years of research and innovation have been rewarded with the patent that identifies the novel way we can improve the lives of operators of utilities, owners of facilities, but mostly, the people that expect safer, cleaner, better water every time they turn on a tap.  This cements Blue Earth Labs’ role in improving quality of life, if even just a little bit, “ said Dane Madsen, CEO of Blue Earth Labs.
Clearitas’ effective scale removal properties have been validated in a variety of applications including cooling towers, food processing and bottling facilities, hospitals and healthcare and various agricultural applications. There are currently four Clearitas product versions formulated for different applications.
About Blue Earth Labs
Blue Earth Labs, a chemical research and development company, develops advanced cleaning and maintenance solutions to assist commercial facilities in providing safe, clean water.  The Company’s NSF 60 certified products are specifically engineered to extend the operational life and efficiency of any water infrastructure by removing organic and inorganic contaminants both online and off-line. Founded in 2010, Blue Earth Labs combines chemistry with commitment, innovation and expertise to deliver simple, cost-effective water infrastructure solutions to customers across the globe. Visit BlueEarthLabs.com for more information.
Elizabeth Rietz
Blue Earth Labs
elizabeth.rietz@blueearthlabs.com
310.770.5115
