ASCO Carbon Dioxide Ltd. resident in Romanshorn, Switzerland, a wholly owned affiliate of the Messer Schweiz AG, announces that it has established a long term cooperation with HTC Purenergy Inc. located in Regina, Canada. ASCO acquires from HTC 4,500,000 treasury shares representing a shareholding of close to 20 per cent.

ASCO covers the full range of CO₂ − from automatic dry ice production machines to CO₂ production and recovery plants, from dry ice blasting technology to cylinder filling systems, vaporisers and other CO₂ equipment.

HTC is listed at the Toronto Stock Exchange under TSX-V:HTC. It is an energy company focused on providing commercial engineering solutions to gas processors, oil & natural gas producers and other major industry sectors including companies producing fertilizer, cement, steel, aluminum, thermal power, lime and petro-chemical. HTC's Engineering Services and Products are designed to increase production, reduce operating costs, mitigate risk and manage process impurities. HTC personnel are fully qualified engineers with expertise and know-how in the energy, petro-chemical and other global industry sectors.