Fleetguard Introduces Recycled Coolants; First in Industry to Offer

NASHVILLE, Tenn.--Jan. 6, 2004--Fleetguard Inc., the global filtration, exhaust, coolant and chemical specialist for diesel-powered equipment, has become the first coolant/chemical supplier in the industry to offer recycled coolant in its comprehensive product line of heavy-duty antifreeze products. Fleetguard entered a collaborative agreement with EET Corporation (www.eetcorp.com), an antifreeze recycler headquartered in Harriman, Tennessee, to supply the high quality recycled product.

"We are very happy to be able to supply customers with the option of high quality recycled antifreeze/coolant for their cooling system maintenance," said Marilyn Johnson, Director of Coolant Product Management for Fleetguard. "Cooling system problems contribute to 40 percent of engine failures through corrosion, damaged water pumps, or increased engine wear. We offer many solutions to avoid these problems with our comprehensive line of lifetime coolants, supplemental coolant additives and recycled coolants. Providing recycled coolant as an option is another example of Fleetguard's broad product range to meet a wide variety of customer needs."

Johnson said that providing recycled coolant promotes environmental responsibility. "Used antifreeze contains a variety of components, some benign and some quite detrimental to the environment, such as water, glycol, soluble salts, oil, dye; metal; and trace hydrocarbons. When contaminated with lead and benzene from vehicle engines, used antifreeze poses a danger to the environment unless it is safely recycled. We promote the viability of using recycled coolant as a safe alternative to new," she said.

"Used antifreeze doesn't belong in the environment," said Rick Neves, Environmental Specialist with the Florida State Department of Environmental Protection. "The concern is not so much the ethylene or propylene glycol, but when you take it out of a vehicle or cooling system, what comes with it are things that are dissolved in it such as heavy metals and solvents. Those definitely have an environmental effect."

Current economic conditions also support antifreeze recycling, Neves explained. Glycol is becoming increasingly expensive to manufacture as the price of wholesale petroleum and natural gas rises. Federal Reserve chairman Alan Greenspan testified to the U.S. Congress that high natural gas prices are forecast through at least 2004. The production of glycol from natural gas and petroleum also places a tremendous burden on dwindling natural resources.

"Any opposition to the use of recycled products stems from quality concerns based on incorrect assumptions," Neves added. "However, according to the U. S. government, recycled antifreeze can actually be purer than new antifreeze because the recycling process reduces chlorides that come from hard water. The best recycled antifreeze meets virgin requirements, such as the product offered by Fleetguard," said Johnson.

Several methods are capable of producing recycled antifreeze comparable in quality to new coolant, Johnson explained. "The addition of corrosion inhibitors plays a vital role in performance. It pays to use antifreeze products that meet nationally recognized performance standards established by the American Society for Testing Materials (ASTM) and the Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE). Fleetguard's recycled coolant meets ASTM standards, so we have no concerns."

Regulation of used antifreeze varies from state-to-state. In California, recycling is required if possible, and it is illegal to dispose of antifreeze in the trash or down storm drains. Florida offers another example of how antifreeze is regulated. Because the state classifies used antifreeze as a solid waste, recycling is encouraged as an economical alternative for businesses.

EET Corporation provides the Fleetguard recycled coolant product based on its patented and patents pending High Efficiency Electrodialysis (HEED(TM)) technology, which moves dissolved minerals away from liquids, rather than the reverse, setting it apart from evaporative techniques and other membrane-based processes. "It is top quality recycled coolant chemically indistinguishable from coolant made with virgin materials," added Johnson. "We supply only top quality coolant and chemical products to our customers."

Fleetguard Inc. is a wholly owned business unit of Cummins Inc. and the world's leading designer and manufacturer of heavy-duty air, fuel, hydraulic and lube filtration, chemicals and exhaust system technology products for diesel-powered equipment. Fleetguard cares about maintaining a cleaner, healthier, and safer environment. Going beyond compliance, Fleetguard proactively seeks improvements to products and processes and offers environmentally friendlier product choices for all major engine systems. Fleetguard's homepage on the Internet can be found at www.fleetguard.com. In North America, customers can call Fleetguard(R) Customer Assistance at 1-800-22FILTER (1-800-223-4583) for more information.

EET Corporation has provided waste management technologies and services since 1990. In 1997, it ranked as one of the fastest growing privately held company in the nation. EET recently relocated to a 77,000 square foot facility in East Tennessee where it offers recycling services for used engine coolant and develops, tests and manufactures liquid treatment and recycling systems for numerous applications worldwide.