Zeba® Superabsorbent Awarded 'Best New Product' at Kildare Growers Trade Show in Ireland

Business Wire, Sept 24, 2007

BEAVERTON, Ore. -- Zeba[R] superabsorbent was selected as the Best New Product of 2007 during the Kildare Growers Trade Show held recently in Nass, Kildare County, Ireland. The Kildare Growers Trade Show is the only show of its kind in Ireland and is recognized internationally as the flagship of the Irish ornamental and nursery-stock industry.

"The high demand for quality ornamentals and nursery stock has created a definite need for a product such as Zeba," says Brendan Guilfoyle, Kildare Growers. "Zeba was chosen as Best New Product of 2007 because of its ability to improve plant survival rate and boost the quality of nursery stock in container or field operations, helping growers more efficiently meet consumer demand."

Zeba is a unique biodegradable soil enhancement which helps hold water near the roots of plants for use as the plants demand. Based upon natural corn starch, Zeba is capable of absorbing 400 times its weight in water and giving back 95 percent of this moisture to the plant over and over again helping prolong the benefits of rain or irrigation events.

Zeba helps nursery producers by capturing moisture in all types of potting mixes, including peat moss and soil-less types. When applied as a root dip, the product also protects roots during transportation and transplanting.

The material is patented by Absorbent Technologies, Inc., the world leader in super-absorbent technologies for plant production.

"We are thrilled to see Zeba selected by ornamental and nursery-stock growers as the outstanding new product at the Kildare Growers show," said Larry Logan, chief marketing officer for the ZEBA brand. "Zeba continues to prove its success worldwide in commercial plant production, turf and agricultural crops." In March, Zeba was selected to receive the new Turfcare Product of the Year Award from Turf Professional magazine.

The Kildare Growers Trade Show is now in its 22nd year. From a modest beginning in 1985, the show has grown to accommodate more than 185 exhibiting companies from Ireland and abroad and is visited annually by more than 5,000 people associated with the nursery and ornamental production trade.

Absorbent Technologies, Inc. (ATI), based in Beaverton, Ore., is the world leader in the development and manufacturing of starch-based superabsorbent products that are specifically formulated to optimize the quality of turf and plants of all types.

The company's patented Zeba[R] branded products repeatedly hold and release water in the root zone, reducing moisture stress in plants. By creating a more favorable growing environment, Zeba also improves stand establishment and plant consistency. The company's products are sold for commercial agricultural production, turf and ornamentals, reforestation, seed coating, and at retail to lawn and garden enthusiasts.

The foundation for Zeba's technology was created initially by United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) researchers and has been further developed by ATI through its patents. The company maintains two exclusive Cooperative Research and Development Agreements with the USDA for ongoing advancements in starch-based technologies. ATI began large-scale commercial manufacturing of Zeba in 2004 at company-owned facilities in Albany, Ore.

(c) 2007 Absorbent Technologies, Inc. All rights reserved. Absorbent Technologies, Inc., 8705 SW Nimbus Avenue, Beaverton, OR USA 97008. Zeba is a trademark of Absorbent Technologies, Inc., in the United States and other countries. Other names and brands contained herein are the property of their respective owners. THIS DOCUMENT IS PROVIDED "AS IS" WITH NO WARRANTIES WHATSOEVER, INCLUDING ANY WARRANTY OF MERCHANTABILITY OR FITNESS FOR ANY PARTICULAR PURPOSE, OR ANY WARRANTY OTHERWISE ARISING OUT OF ANY PROPOSAL, SPECIFICATION OR SAMPLE.