Aeration Industries Pledges Equipment For Tsunami Region

Pollution Treatment Aids in Disease Prevention

Chaska, MN -- Aeration Industries International, Inc. has pledged to donate aeration equipment to the region in Southeast Asia ravaged by the recent Tsunami. Aeration Industries is a leading manufacturer of aeration systems designed to treat polluted lakes, rivers, and harbors and to be used in municipal and industrial wastewater treatment plants.

The World Health Organization has warned of the dangers of drinking dirty water combined with the lack of proper sewage disposal that can lead to life-threatening outbreaks of diseases such as cholera, dysentery, and typhoid. Treatment of wastewater, including aeration, is a proven method of cleaning polluted water sources. Aeration Industries has representatives in many of the effected countries. The Company and its staff wish to express their concern and support for the populations effected by this disaster.

The equipment consists of 48 wastewater aerators and has a total value of $750,000. All of the units are 30 horsepower Aire-O2® aspirator aerators suitable in the electrical and voltage combination for the region.

The Aire-O2® aerator consists of electric motor that is mounted on pontoons. The motor turns a propeller at the end of a hollow shaft, positioned below the water line. Rotating at a very high speed, the propeller does two things. First, it keeps the water moving so that pollutants remain in suspension rather than settling into sludge on the bottom. Second, it pushes water outward from the end of the shaft, creating a vacuum that causes air above the water line to be drawn through the shaft and dispersed into the water. The resulting higher oxygen levels increase bacterial activity and speed up the natural treatment of wastes.

The late Joseph Durda and Daniel Durda, the Company's current president and chairman, founded the Minnesota-based private corporation in 1974. The mission of Aeration Industries is to improve water quality throughout the world because, says Durda, "Water is our most precious resource on earth." Aeration Industries is a recognized leader in the treatment of municipal and industrial wastewater and the world's leading manufacturer of surface aerators with more than 50,000 units in operation throughout the U.S. and in more than 85 countries around the world.

Source: Aeration Industries International