Company: BCHT
Filing Date: 2025-03-31
Form Type: 10-K
Source: 0001477932-25-002237
Chunk: 7

Company: Birchtech Corp.
Filing Date: 2025-03-31
Form: 10-K
Item: Item 1
Chunk 7
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 EGUs in the U.S. that currently use our SEA® technologies and buy product from us. 

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. 

 4Table of Contents

Beginning in 2019, we began to actively enforce our patent rights against unauthorized use of our patented technologies, and have since initiated patent litigation in various jurisdictions against multiple infringers, claiming infringement of our patents related to our two-part process for mercury removal from coal-fired power plants. See Part I, Item 3. “Legal Proceedings”.   We view such litigation 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 Possible Markets for Our Emissions Technologies

In May 2017, the European Union and seven of its member states ratified the Minamata Convention on Mercury. 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.  As of September 2020, 123 countries have joined the Convention.  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.  Specific emissions limits are being developed by the European Union, although the timing of any enactment of such is uncertain.  Any such regulations may lead to additional business opportunities for our mercury control technologies within the European Union although there are no such prospects at the present time.    

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. 

Water Treatment

Initially, we intend to focus our marketing efforts on municipalities that have limited resources and engineering experience and offer shaped activated carbons (including reactivated GAC), testing and consulting services.

While the initial focus for our water treatment technologies will be on the potable water market,