History of Innovation
New location established to better serve our North American customers.
emew Smart SystemTM
In January, restructuring completed and name changed to the emew Group. Scope is broadened to include environmental remediation, fluid treatment and metal production. The group now consists of companies in Australia, Canada, US, India and Cyprus serving customers globally. Waverton owns 100% of the equity of all of these companies.
Expansion into wastewater treatment with the installation of the first hybrid emew technology for semiconductor plant wastewater – chemical destruction, low concentration copper and copper cathode production.
Global headquarters moved to Canada and restructuring begins.
The company develops the first emew polish plant in India for an existing silver customer – removes silver from solution to less than 5ppm and eliminates the requirement for silver chloride precipitation.
Broadened technology for commercial tin recovery. First emew tin plant installed in USA.
First emew silver powder plant – 9999 silver for major refinery for 500kg per day.
Start up of 2 new generation emew copper plants in USA.
Waverton Holdings Limited invests in Electrometals purchasing 15% of the company which eventually increases to 100% ownership, and invests a further $10m developing the various emew technologies over the next 12 years.
Further innovation for silver recovery from cyanide solutions with first plant in Australia.
First combination emew vortex and powder plant installed in Chile. One of the largest applications at the time and is still operating successfully.
Invented metal powder technology for automated harvesting and filed Patent W0 01/07684 A2 Electrometals Technologies Limited.
Technology and know-how further developed to broaden from copper to nickel with installation of the first emew nickel plant in USA.
Several Improvement patents granted including for example WO94/02663 and WO96/38602 – for membranes and split sleeve for harvesting etc.
Intellectual Property purchased by Euralba Mining. Patrick Treasure, the Managing Director at the time, named the technology EMEW after Euralba Mining ElectroWinning. Later Euralba Mining was purchased by Electrometals Technologies Limited.
The original patent was filed by Materials Research Pty Ltd on behalf of the inventors Neil Barr, Robert Dedenus and Patrick Treasure. International Patent No PCT/AU92/00052. This is the first patent for vortex technology filed anywhere in the world.