dynaCERT Inc and H2 Tek have taken home the $5,000 top prize at the Mining Cleantech Challenge in Denver, the Colorado Cleantech Industries Association (CCIA) has reported.

The two companies’ technology was chosen by mining executives and investors in the industry as the best among a competitive field of 12 total companies representing the US, Canada and Israel, the CCIA said. An international team of judges reviewed and voted on the winners, the CCIA said.

dynaCERT’s HydraGEN™ turns distilled water into H2 and O2 gases on-demand and introduces these gases directly to diesel engines’ air intakes. H2 Tek Vice President of Sales and Marketing, David Van Klaveren, said: “Our technology, HydraGEN can actually improve significantly those carbon emissions, reduce them and, along the way, pay for the capital cost of all this through fuel efficiency savings.

“We can’t ignore the fact that clean technology is an important part of our responsibility as participants and members of this industry, the mining industry,” he said. “I think it’s remarkable that an association considers this a priority: bringing together companies that have innovation for an extremely important cause.”

Hydrocarbons and CO2 are reduced due to the absence of carbon in hydrogen fuel and also due to better combustion of diesel fuel with the aid of hydrogen which has a higher flame speed, dynaCERT said.

“Although CO values for neat diesel operation is relatively lower, by inducting H2 & O2 into diesel the CO amount is further reduced,” dynaCERT said. dynaCERT has created partnerships to perfect a technology that would deliver on the promising findings with H2 & O2 injection. Not only have we developed patent-pending technology, we have completed testing and have validated that our technology works.”

Some of the features delivered through the technology, dynaCERT said:

• “Our patent-pending electrolysis system and Smart ECM provides a reliable and adjustable delivery of H2 & O2 concentrations. Not all engines are the same and having the optimal ratio of gases provides increased benefits;
• “Our technology is scalable allowing use with Class 6-8 on-road vehicles and transition to applications with rail, marine, off-road and power generation;
• “Our technology is leading edge and provides solutions without drawing excessive power to perform the task;
• “It is designed to work with OEM manufacturer’s and compliment technological improvements.”

Second place in the cleantech competition went to Earth Alive Clean Technologies, a microbial dust control technology that is non-hazmat, 100% organic and has biodegradable properties, while Rail-Veyor and its light rail solution rounded off the top three.