Chemical-Free, Environmentally Friendly ec-H2O™ Cleaning Technology Wins R&D 100 Award

MINNEAPOLIS—November 17, 2008- Tennant Company (NYSE: TNC), a world leader in designing, manufacturing and marketing solutions that help create a cleaner, safer world, today announces that its breakthrough ec-H2O™ technology, which converts plain tap water into a powerful cleaning agent without any added chemicals, has won a 2008 R&D 100 Award. The R&D 100 Awards, sponsored by R&D Magazine, recognize the 100 most technologically significant new products and processes of the year.

“ec-H2O is the result of years of research and development at Tennant Company. Chemical-free and environmentally friendly, it is a highly innovative and category-changing advancement that is already revolutionizing the cleaning industry,” said Chris Killingstad, president and CEO of Tennant Company. “It is an honor to have ec-H2O recognized as one of the 100 most significant technologies of the year by R&D Magazine.”

Over the years, the R&D 100 Awards, which were established in 1963, have recognized a number of what are today well-known everyday products, including the automated teller machine, the halogen lamp, the fax machine, the printer, the Nicoderm anti-smoking patch, and HDTV to name a few.

“Like many of the past R&D 100 Award winners, Tennant Company’s ec-H2O technology is changing people’s lives for the better—in this case, by improving health and safety while posing no harm to the environment,” said Killingstad.

According to Killingstad, ec-H2O delivers on Tennant Company’s goal of offering cleaning solutions that lower the total cost-of-use, improve health and safety, and are more environmentally friendly. More specifically, ec-H2O delivers proven cleaning results without the negative environmental and health concerns associated with producing, packaging, transporting, using, and disposing of traditional cleaning chemicals.

ec-H2O works by unlocking the vast amounts of energy stored in the water molecule H₂O. To accomplish this, water first passes through electrified screens in an oxygenation chamber, creating highly oxygenated micro-bubbles. This oxygenated water is then sent through a water cell where an electric current is applied. Flowing out of the water cell is highly charged, acidic and alkaline water with all the attributes of a powerful cleaner. In this activated state, ec-H2O is an effective cleaning agent that poses no harm to the surfaces or finishes it cleans, or to the people using the technology.

The electrically charged water attacks the dirt, breaks it into smaller particles and suspends it off the floor’s surface—enabling the scrubber’s pads or brushes to easily remove the soil. Approximately 45 seconds after it was created, the cleaning solution returns to plain H₂O. What is left in the recovery tank is just plain water and dirt. In this process, 100 percent of the water used reverts to neutral tap water and can be handled and disposed of safely.

Among ec-H2O’s additional benefits, it begins as water and ends as water, so it can be handled and disposed of easily and safely; it uses 70 percent less water than traditional cleaning methods; it leaves behind no slippery detergent residue on the floor; and it releases no used detergent discharge into water systems. Further, eliminating the need for chemical additives enhances worker safety and reduces costs for purchasing and disposal of chemicals.

While similar technology is currently in use in some niche applications within food processing, water purification, medical device and other industries, Tennant Company was the first to introduce it for commercial cleaning, specifically for cleaning hard-floor surfaces.

INVESTOR CONTACT:

Tom Paulson
Vice President and Chief Financial Officer
763-540-1204

MEDIA CONTACT:

Kathryn Lovik
Director, Communications
763-540-1212