23 June 2006
News Release
ARID Technologies, Inc. today announced that H. E. Butt Grocery
Company (H-E-B), headquartered in San Antonio, TX, has agreed to purchase ARID’s
PERMEATOR Gasoline Vapor Containment System for 32 of the company’s retail
gasoline sites in order to satisfy Texas’ ORVR Compatibility requirements. Last year,
the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) approved ARID’s patented
PERMEATOR System for ORVR Compatibility. H-E-B joins a growing list of Texas
petroleum retailers who have chosen the PERMEATOR as their ORVR solution.
By adopting the PERMEATOR technology, H-E-B has again demonstrated their
commitment to their customers and to the environment. The PERMEATOR will help
contribute to the health of its customers and employees by reducing emissions from the
underground storage tanks at their fueling sites. In 2003, H-E-B ranked sixth in the nation
and first in Texas in a Consumer Reports reader's survey of the nation's top conventional
supermarkets. In 2003, Forbes Magazine ranked H-E-B 10th in the nation among
privately held companies with an estimated $11 billion in annual sales.
“ARID’s PERMEATOR System makes a lot of sense for H-E-B. This solution helps us
with compliance and makes it possible to maximize the volume we get from our
underground tanks,” said H-E-B Vice President of Petroleum Marketing James Aulds.
“Most important, our use of PERMEATOR technology is right in line with our
commitment to sustaining the environment by reducing emissions.”
Hydrocarbon emissions result from the incompatibility of Stage II vacuum assist systems
refueling vehicles equipped with ORVR (On Board Refueling Vapor Recovery) canisters.
“Currently, Stage II vapor recovery efficiencies are being compromised by vacuumassisted
systems returning excess air to the storage tanks and causing significant
evaporative emissions of product,” said ARID president Ted Tiberi. He added, “These
emissions represent a potential health and safety hazard for the public as well as an
economic burden to petroleum marketers who will not be able to sell the same volume of
product that they originally purchased. ARID’s PERMEATOR system provides the
solution to both of these issues.”
The PERMEATOR prevents the venting of gasoline vapors (VOC’s, volatile organic
compounds) and associated product loss from gasoline storage tanks through the use of a
patented hydrocarbon-selective membrane. The system virtually eliminates evaporative emissions
and has been proven since 1989 in large tank storage and refinery applications.
A recent third party study conducted in Florida has shown that evaporative losses can be
as high as 0.35% of throughput (3.5 gallons per 1,000 gallons pumped). This same study
showed PERMEATOR recovery efficiencies of 99.27%.
About Texas ORVR Compatibility:
All Stage II vapor recovery systems installed on refueling stations located within the
Texas counties of Brazoria, Chambers, Fort Bend, Galveston, Harris, Liberty,
Montgomery, Waller, Hardin, Jefferson, Orange, El Paso, Collin, Dallas, Denton, and
Tarrant must be ORVR Compatible according to the following schedule:
- Stage II vapor recovery systems installed on or after April 1, 2005, must be
ORVR compatible; and
- Stage II vapor recovery systems installed before April 1, 2005, must be upgraded
to an ORVR compatible system no later than April 1, 2007.
About H-E-B:
For more than 100 Years, H-E-B has been an innovative retailer. Known for its fresh
food, quality products and convenient services, H-E-B strives to provide the best
customer experience at every day low prices. Based in San Antonio, TX, H-E-B employs
more than 60,000 Partners and serves millions of customers in more than 150
communities throughout Texas and Mexico. For more information about H-E-B, please
visit www.heb.com.
About ARID Technologies:
ARID Technologies, Inc. is a recognized leader in membrane based gasoline vapor
recovery technology. Based in Wheaton, IL, ARID has over 146 of it’s PERMEATOR
systems installed worldwide, including locations in Europe and Japan internationally,
and in California, Delaware, Florida, Maryland, New Hampshire, New Jersey, Nevada,
Pennsylvania, Texas and Virginia domestically. For more information about ARID,
please visit www.ARIDtech.com.
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