Birchtech Corp. 10-K

Item 1. Business. Overview We are an environmental services and technologies company developing and delivering patented and proprietary solutions to the global power industry. Our leading-edge services have been shown to achieve mercury emissions removal at a significantly lower cost and with less operational impact to coal-fired power plants than currently used methods, while maintaining and/or increasing power plant output and preserving the marketability of byproducts for beneficial use. We are also developing new technologies to improve the capture rate and environmental concerns of processing rare earth elements (REEs). Background and Acquisition of Patent Rights We provide mercury capture solutions driven by our patented two-part Sorbent Enhancement Additive (SEA®) process using a powerful combination of science and engineering. We design systems and materials tailored and formulated specifically to each customer’s coal-fired units. Our mercury removal technologies and systems will achieve mercury removal levels which meet or exceed the 2012 Coal- and Oil-Fired Electric Utility Steam Generating Units National Emission Standards for Hazardous Air Pollutants, as revised, known as the MATS, requirements with lower cost and plant systems impacts than typical PAC or BAC sorbent injection systems. Our products have been shown to be successful across a myriad of fuel and system types, tunable to any configuration, and environmentally friendly, allowing for the recycling of fly ash for beneficial use. Our SEA® technology was originally developed by the University of North Dakota’s Energy and Environmental Research Center. It was tested and refined on numerous operating coal-fired EGUs, with the founder of our wholly owned subsidiary participating with the Energy and Environmental Research Center on these tests since 2008. The Energy and Environmental Research Center Foundation, a non-profit entity, obtained patents on this technology. Between 2009 and 2017, we maintained an exclusive worldwide license with respect to this patented technology, which applied to various domestic and foreign patents and patent applications. Such formed the basis of our mercury control technology. On April 24, 2017, we acquired from The Energy and Environmental Research Center Foundation all such patent rights, including all patents and patents pending, domestic and foreign, relating to the foregoing technology. Industry Background The markets for mercury removal from power plant emissions have largely been driven by federal regulations. On December 21, 2011, the EPA announced MATS for power plants in the U.S. The MATS rule is intended to reduce air emissions of heavy metals, including mercury (Hg), from all major U.S. power plants burning coal or oil, which are the leading source of non-natural mercury emissions in the U.S. Existing power plants were granted three years (plus a potential one-year extension in cases of hardship, ruled on by state EPAs where the plant is domiciled) from April 16, 2012 to comply with the new emission limits. The MATS rule applies to EGUs that are larger than 25 MW that burn coal or oil for the purpose of generating electricity for sale and distribution through the national electric grid to the public. They include investor-owned units, as well as units owned by the Federal government, municipalities, and cooperatives that provide electricity for commercial, industrial, and residential uses. At the time of MATS being promulgated, there were approximately 1,250 coal-fired EGUs affected by this new rule. Since that time, many of such EGUs have been shut down as a result of this regulation and due to competitive disadvantage to newer or gas-fired EGUs and renewable energy sources (e.g. wind, solar). We believe that at the end of 2021, there are approximately 240 coal-fired EGUs remaining in the power market which make up the large mercury-emissions control market into which we sell. The final MATS rule identifies two subcategories of coal-fired EGUs, four subcategories of oil-fired EGUs, and a subcategory for units that combust gasified coal or solid oil (integrated gasification combine cycle “IGCC” units) based on the design, utilization, and/or location of the various types of boilers at different power stations. The rule includes emission standards and/or other requirements for each subcategory. The rule set nationwide emission limits estimated to reduce mercury emissions in coal-fired plants by about 90%. 5 Table of Contents In addition to the U.S. federal MATS rule, more than 20 states currently have regulations that limit mercury emissions and are similar to or more restrictive than the MATS rule. There are several choices of pollution control technologies available to reduce mercury emissions, but they do not all work consistently or cost-effectively for every plant design or for all of the various types of coal. The most common technology employed to reduce mercury emissions is a sorbent injection system which provides for the injection of PAC or BAC into the flue-gas of an EGU after the boiler itself but in front of the ESP. Such injections have proven effective with many coals, especially at reduction levels of 70% or less. At required mercury reduction levels above 80%, these injection systems require substantial injection rates which often have severe operational issues including over-loading the ESP and rendering the fly ash unfit for sale to concrete companies, and at times even causing combustion concerns with the fly ash itself. Mercury is also removed as a co-benefit by special pollution control equipment installed to remove SOX and NOX. To achieve very high levels of SOX reduction, large, complex, and expensive (capital costs in the hundreds of millions of dollars for a medium-sized EGU) systems called scrubbers can be installed in the plant exhaust system, typically just before the flue-gas goes up the stack for release. As a co-benefit to their primary mission, scrubbers have been shown to remove significant quantities of oxidized mercury. Mercury is typically found in two basic forms in coal: elemental and oxidized. The amount of each form varies in any given seam of coal and is affected by the other natural elements (such as chlorine) which might also be present in the coal. We believe about 30-40% of the mercury in the post-combustion flue-gas exists in the oxidized state for power plants burning low-rank coal and about 60-70% for power plants burning high-rank coals. Mercury is found in only trace amounts in coal making it difficult to remove from coal or from the flue gas when combusted with the coal. It is in the burning of millions of tons of coal that these trace amounts become problematic and is why MATS was promulgated. The other major pollution control system which contributes significantly to the co-benefits of mercury removal is an SCR system which can be installed to achieve high levels of removal of NOX. SCRs are also very large and expensive systems (costing hundreds of millions of dollars in capital costs to install on a medium-size EGU) that are typically installed just after the flue-gas exits from the unit boiler. As a co-benefit, SCRs have been shown to oxidize a considerable percentage of the elemental mercury in many types of coal. If the EGU then has a combination of an SCR and a scrubber, we estimate that the EGU might achieve an overall reduction of 80-85% of the mercury in power plants that burn high-rank coals. The exact level of mercury emission reductions depends on the designs of these systems, the types of coal being burned and the operations of the power plant. We believe that the large majority of the coal-fired EGUs in the U.S. employ some sort of sorbent injection system to achieve the very low mercury emission levels required by the MATS rule. Either the sorbent injection system is the primary removal method or such a system is employed as a supplemental system to SCR/scrubber combinations to achieve the emission limits. Our Mercury Technology SEA® Technology Our SEA® technology provides total mercury control with solutions that are based on a thorough scientific understanding of actual and probable interactions involved in mercury capture in coal-fired flue gas. A complete understanding of the complexity of mercury-sorbent-flue gas interactions and chemisorption mechanisms allows for optimal control strategy and product formulation, resulting in effective mercury capture. Combined with a thorough proprietary audit of the plant and its configuration and instrumentation, we believe our complete science and engineering approach for mercury-sorbent-flue gas interactions are well-understood, highly predictive, and critical to delivering total mercury control. The SEA® approach to mercury capture is specifically tailored for each application to match a customer’s coal type and boiler configuration for optimal results. Our two-pronged solution consists of a front-end sorbent injected directly into the boiler in minimal amounts combined with a back-end sorbent injection solution to ensure maximum mercury capture. We believe our two-part process uses fewer raw materials than other mercury capture systems and causes less disruption to plant operations. We believe our sorbent line, which is designed to meet or exceed the mercury mitigation requirements of our customers, offers superior performance and the lowest possible feed rates when compared to other solutions on the market. Our processes also preserve fly ash which can be sold and recycled for beneficial use. 6 Table of Contents Customized Emissions Services In order to evaluate each customer’s needs, we finely tune the combustion chemistry using our technologies and specially formulated products. In order to achieve optimal results, we bring mercury emission analytics to the field for our demonstrations as opposed to collecting samples for laboratory analysis while our team analyzes the entire plant’s performance once compliance testing has begun. As a result, we are able to offer customers: · Assessment of existing systems and suggested improvements; · Assessment and guidance of mercury capture and emissions; · Optimal design of the injection strategy and appropriate equipment layout and installation; · Sorbent optimization using flow modeling for a customized, low-cost plan for each unit; · Emission testing for mercury and other trace metals with our mobile laboratory; and · Ongoing research toward improved technology for mercury capture and rapid-response scientific support for emission or combustion issues as operations and regulations change. Our Growth Strategy for Mercury Emissions North American Markets for Our Mercury Technologies North America is currently the largest market for our emissions technologies. In the U.S. market, our success depends, in part, on the success of demonstrations performed with utility customers and the resulting contract awards to meet the MATS requirements in the long-term period and our operational performance with EGUs under contract. In Canada, there are the 2000 Canada-wide Standards for Mercury Emissions and the 2006 Canada-wide Standards for Mercury Emissions from Coal-Fired Electric Power Generation Plants among all the provinces which was initially implemented in 2010, with caps in mercury emissions for each of the provinces. We believe we have the most effective technology for the EGUs in Canada and a strong patent position there, given our various registered patents all in the field of reducing and removing mercury emissions. In 2010, we were awarded our first commercial contract to design, build, and install our solution on two large (670MW each) coal units in the western part of the U.S. This was a multimillion-dollar, three year renewable contract, which was awarded as a result of a competitive demonstration process. We invested more than $1.4 million in the capital equipment for this project. Our systems out-performed the contract guarantees in all operational areas during startup and testing and went into commercial operation at the start of 2012. The system has successfully kept the plant in compliance since 2012. At the present time, there are 24 EGUs in the U.S. that currently use our SEA® technologies and buy product from us. We expect to continue to conduct numerous demonstrations on prospective customer units and make supply offerings throughout the rest of 2022 and thereafter. Patent Enforcement We believe that a significant percentage of coal-fired power plants in the United States have adopted and are infringing upon our two-part Sorbent Enhancement Additive (SEA ® ) process for mercury removal from coal-fired power plants. Since 2018, we have engaged a Dallas-based intellectual property and business litigation firm to oversee and spearhead our efforts to protect our intellectual property. Beginning in 2019, we began to actively enforce our patent rights against unauthorized use of our patented technologies (i.e., infringers). In July 2019, we initiated our first patent litigation against four major owners and/or operators of coal-fired power plants in the United States and certain of their affiliates, along with certain other third parties in which we have claimed infringement of our patents related to our two-part process for mercury removal from coal-fired power plants. We have entered into agreements with four of the major defendants. Such litigation is continuing against the other parties. See Part I, Item 3 Legal Proceedings. 7 Table of Contents We expect to pursue other infringers and have communicated our position to a significant number of them . Although additional litigation may be necessary to enforce our intellectual property rights, we view this as a last resort. Our goal and overall strategy is to convert infringers to our supply chain of sorbent products for mercury removal, or otherwise license our patents to them on a non-exclusive basis in connection with their respective coal-fired power plants. Other Markets for Our Emissions Technologies In May 2017, the European Union and seven of its member states ratified the Minamata Convention on Mercury, which triggered its entry into force with implementation starting in 2021. The Minamata Convention on Mercury is a global treaty to protect human health and the environment from the adverse effects of mercury. This Convention was a result of three years of meeting and negotiating, after which the text of the Convention was approved by delegates representing approximately 140 countries in January 2013 in Geneva and adopted and signed later that year in October 2013 by approximately 125 countries at a diplomatic conference held in Japan. It is expected that over the next few decades, this international agreement will enhance the reduction of mercury pollution from the targeted activities responsible for the major release of mercury to the environment. In addition, in July 2017, the European Union, through the European Commission, adopted certain BREF standards for large coal-fired electric generating units. The BREFs are a series of reference documents covering certain industrial activities and provide descriptions of a range of industrial processes and their respective operating conditions and emission rates. Member states are required to take these documents into account when determining best available techniques. As a result of the EU’s adoption of these BREF conclusions, specific emissions limits are currently being developed. We previously attempted to pursue the European market and had entered into an agreement with one of our suppliers in 2018 to allow them to commercialize our technology throughout Europe. Such agreement was terminated in 2020. Prior to its termination, no revenues had been generated from such agreement. We intend to continue to pursue the European market although no assurance can be made that any such efforts will be successful. The European market is significant although not as large as the market in the U.S. We believe more coal-fired EGUs operate throughout Europe than in the U.S. but are generally smaller EGUs. With regard to business opportunities in China and other Asian countries, there currently exists no specific mandate for mercury capture that requires specific control technology. Nevertheless, we are optimistic of the prospects for mercury emissions regulations in China and Southeast Asia in the coming years, and because we have very broad patent rights in China, this has the potential to become a large business opportunity for us in future years. It is estimated that China represents approximately 50% of the world’s electric production from coal compared to the United States which represents 14%. We are hopeful that as a result of the Minamata Convention, China as well as other countries will follow the U.S. in regulating mercury emissions. Additional Business Opportunities In October 2019, we entered into a license and development agreement with a nonrelated third party located in Alabama pursuant to which the parties have been developing a plan to commercialize and market certain technology owned by such entity related to the removal of mercury from air and water emissions generated by coal burning power plants. Although no assurance can be given, we are optimistic that this arrangement will lead to a new revenue stream for us in the future. During the first quarter of 2021, we announced that we are in the process of developing a proprietary methane gas emissions control technology which we believe can be adopted within the oil and gas industry. Methane is emitted from oil and gas operations worldwide and is believed to be a contributor to global warming. Methane is considered a greenhouse gas, like carbon dioxide. We have not established a timeline for the introduction of our technology. 8 Table of Contents In addition, during the first quarter of 2021, we announced new technologies under development intended to improve the processing of REEs in North America. Currently, most of the demand for REEs in the United States is purchased from China. REEs are commonly used today in automobile catalysts and petroleum refining catalysts, televisions, magnets, batteries and medical devices. Our new technologies are under development in conjunction with our collaboration with the Alabama third party entity mentioned above and its affiliates. Such technologies focus on coal ash remediation by improving the cost of extracting rare earth minerals along with improving the environmental footprint of extracting those REEs from their solvent state. In October 2021, we announced that we had completed phase 1 testing of our REE technology with Pennsylvania State University’s College of Earth and Mineral Sciences confirming 80-90% efficiency rate in extracting select REEs. While there is no established timeline for the introduction of these technologies after further testing is performed, we hope that if such further testing is successful, these technologies can be commercialized in 2022 and thereafter. Our Sales and Marketing Our marketing strategy is designed to grow our mercury capture solutions in the North American region by building and maintaining the reputation and trust of our work among our customers—specifically by carrying out successful demonstrations performed with utility customers and the resulting contract awards to meet the MATS requirements in the long-term period and sustaining our operational performance with EGUs under contract—and developing new, and refining our existing, unique emissions technologies. We believe that by offering proven and innovative service offerings, we can attract more customers and partners to our services, creating a network growth effect. We also expect that the continuing pursuit of infringers of our patented technologies will yield further licensing and supply agreements. We believe that these targeted marketing initiatives are the most efficient and cost-effective strategy to sustain the growth of both our new and existing customers. Our Operations Raw Materials We buy all the raw materials needed to implement our technologies and provide uniquely formulated products for effective mercury removal. Material components of our proprietary SEA® technology are readily available from numerous sources in the market. Suppliers of our raw materials include large companies that have provided materials for decades and have an international presence. When we use PAC as one component of our sorbent material, we buy it in the market from large activated carbon manufacturers. We believe that we have excellent relationships with our current suppliers. If any of our suppliers should become unavailable to us for any reason, there are a number of other suppliers that we believe can be contracted with expeditiously to supply the raw materials that we need, ensuring a continued supply of our products to our customers. Seasonality The power market has changed over recent years, creating a greater proportional residential load demand. With this shift in demand and load, we have experienced some seasonal changes in our billing cycles due to our current customer concentration in the Southwestern United States, where many of our customers decrease capacity in such winter months. Our Competition Our major competitors in the U.S. and Canada include companies such as Advanced Emissions Solutions, Inc., Albemarle Corporation, Cabot Corporation, Calgon Carbon Corporation, Carbonxt, Inc., Environmental Energy Services Inc., and Nalco Company. Some of these companies employ large sales staff and are well positioned in the market. However, in most head-to-head tests with competitor products our SEA® technology has consistently performed better in mercury removal, at lower projected costs. We believe that our SEA® technology is superior to offerings of our competitors and, with our highly experienced staff, we have shown that we can compete effectively in these markets. 9 Table of Contents Our Intellectual Property We have a patent portfolio consisting of 37 active patents throughout the U.S., Canada, Europe, and China and 5 patents pending applications. We believe that our patent position is strong in the U.S., Canada, and Europe. Our Employees We currently have 11 full-time employees. Our employees are not represented by labor unions. We believe that relations with our employees are good. Corporate Information We were originally incorporated on July 19, 1983 in the State of Utah and subsequently domesticated as a Delaware corporation in February 2007. We changed our name to Midwest Energy Emissions Corp. in September 2011. ME2C Environmental is a trade name of Midwest Energy Emissions Corp. Our wholly owned subsidiary, MES, Inc., was originally incorporated in December 2008 in the State of North Dakota. On June 23, 2011, we completed a merger transaction (the “Merger”) whereby MES, Inc. (then called Midwest Energy Emissions Corp.) became our wholly owned subsidiary. As a result of the Merger, our business began to focus on the delivery of mercury capture technologies to power plants in North America, Europe, and Asia. Our principal place of business is located at 1810 Jester Drive, Corsicana, Texas 75109, which location we have maintained for manufacturing and distribution of our products since 2015. As of December 2019, we relocated our corporate headquarters to such address which corporate headquarters prior thereto were maintained in Lewis Center, Ohio. Our telephone number is (614) 505-6115. Our corporate website address is http://www.me2cenvironmental.com. Available Information We file with or submit to the SEC annual, quarterly and current periodic reports, proxy statements and other information meeting the informational requirements of the Exchange Act. The SEC maintains an Internet website that contains reports, proxy and information statements and other information regarding issuers that file electronically with the SEC at www.sec.gov . Our SEC filings are also available on our website at www.me2cenvironmental.com . Information on or connected to our website is neither part of, nor incorporated by reference into, this Form 10-K or any other report filed with or furnished to the SEC. We are a “smaller reporting company” as defined in the Exchange Act. We may take advantage of certain of the scaled disclosures available to smaller reporting companies until the fiscal year following the determination that the aggregate market price of our voting and non-voting common stock held by non-affiliates is more than $250 million measured on the last business day of our second fiscal quarter, or our annual revenues are less than $100 million during the most recently completed fiscal year and the aggregate market price of our voting and non-voting common stock held by non-affiliates is more than $700 million measured on the last business day of our second fiscal quarter.