International Zeolite signs Agreement with the University of Havana for the Exclusive Development and Commercialization of NEREA(R) - a Revolutionary Breakthrough in Agricultural Technology and Crop Science
Highlights:
- Technology transfer completes vertical integration strategy, allowing the Company to mine, process, market, and distribute multiple zeolite products to a growing global agribusiness market
- NEREA® proprietary zeoponic technology has proven to increase crop yields, produce higher quality agricultural products, reduce fertilizer waste, and lower water use
- Environmentally friendly NEREA® simplifies, improves and accelerates crop production
Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - February 8, 2022) - International Zeolite Corp. (TSXV: IZ) (OTC Pink: IZCFF) (FSE: ZEON) (the "Company"), an international producer and marketer of zeolite products that provide green solutions for key environmental issues, is very pleased to announce the signing of a Technology Transfer Agreement between the University of Havana Foundation (UH) and International Zeolite Corp (IZ) for exclusive development and commercialization of NEREA® - a revolutionary breakthrough in agricultural technology and crop science.
"With the large availability of top-quality zeolite from our deposits, and a complete vertical integration in place to process zeolite into NEREA, package the various products, and distribute it through our value chain, we are positioned extremely well to bring to market a breakthrough technology that benefits commercial growers, and reduces environmental impacts," stated Mark Pearlman, President and COO of IZ. "Ultimately this means we can help provide more - and healthier - food, less expensively, with less water, time, space, and resources - to feed the world. With this groundbreaking agreement, IZ continues to be well-positioned to deliver on its mission: delivering solutions for pressing environmental issues using natural zeolite products."
NEREA® is a proprietary "zeoponic" technology for modern agriculture that embeds the entire suite of plant-required nutrients directly into zeolite, a naturally occurring nano-structured mineral with a broad array of beneficial properties. NEREA® used as a drop-in substrate or soil amendment in field or controlled-environment agriculture (CEA) not only reduces fertilizer waste and runoff by up to 90% but has proven to produce higher yields of crops by 20-30% as well as a higher quality of agricultural product, sooner; lowers water use by up to 30% or more; and inhibits plant infection by fungi, viruses and other pathogens. NEREA® substrates are environmentally friendly and do not produce wastes that damage the environment.
IZ has validated NEREA® in independent A/B trials at two prominent independent research institutions, with impressive results. "NEREA performs remarkably well - lettuce and basil both grew to market-ready without any additional nutrient applications. Our crops matured more quickly, likely owing to the fact that NEREA stores nutrients in a freely accessible format plants pull from on demand, resulting in an optimal growth rate -- we effectively reduced the total crop time by at least 1-2 weeks. This would represent a substantial improvement for a commercial producer looking to produce more crops per year," said Derek Schulze, at the Agricultural and Environmental Technologies Innovation Centre (AETIC) of Niagara College. "NEREA has the potential to both simplify and accelerate crop production for food and ornamental plant producers and would also make an excellent addition to long term crops such as nursery and perennial stock."
Following a separate independent trial of four commercial crops, Qinglu Ying, PhD, of Vineland Research & Innovation Centre, said, "NEREA demonstrated multiple advantages during our greenhouse trials including promoting germination rate and time, promoting flowering, shortening crop cycle, and increasing yield, and provided all the essential nutrients required for the growth of various potted plants throughout the growth period. The recharge/reuse capability after the crop cycle could improve input use efficiency and decrease energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions in horticulture. NEREA is a great candidate for soil amendments, green roof substrates or other low impact development settings, due to its capability of holding water and nutrients in the root zone until plants are ready to utilize them, reducing nutrient leaching and environmental impacts."
The landmark Technology Transfer Agreement is the culmination of many months of planning and negotiation and lays a strategic and operational foundation that puts the Company in a strong position to expand into new markets, introduce innovative products to new customers, and establish International Zeolite's presence in the global agricultural sector.
On Behalf of the Board
"Ray Paquette"
CEO
+1 604.684.3301
For Investor Inquiries:
Bill Mitoulas
Investor Relations
info@internationalzeolite.com
+ 1 416.479.9547
For further information, please visit www.internationalzeolite.com
Forward Looking Statements
Some statements in this news release contain forward-looking information. These statements include, but are not limited to, statements with respect to future expenditures. These statements address future events and conditions and, as such, involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause the actual results, performance or achievements to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by the statements. Such factors include, among others, the ability to complete contemplated work programs and the timing and amount of expenditures. International Zeolite does not assume the obligation to update any forward-looking statement.
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