| Summary of Operations and Significant Accounting Policies | Summary of Operations and Significant Accounting Policies Nature of Operations Advanced Emissions Solutions, Inc. ("ADES" or the "Company") is a Delaware corporation with its principal office located in Highlands Ranch, Colorado and operations located in Louisiana. The Company is principally engaged in consumable mercury control options including powdered activated carbon ("PAC") and chemical technologies. The Company's proprietary environmental technologies in the power generation and industrial ("PGI") market enable customers to reduce emissions of mercury and other pollutants, maximize utilization levels and improve operating efficiencies to meet the challenges of existing and pending emission control regulations. The Company generates substantial earnings and tax credits under Section 45 ("Section 45 tax credits") of the Internal Revenue Code ("IRC") from its equity investments in certain entities and earns royalties for technologies that are licensed to Tinuum Group, LLC, a Colorado limited liability company ("Tinuum Group"). Such technologies allow Tinuum Group to provide their customers with various solutions to enhance combustion and reduced emissions of nitrogen oxide ("NO x ") and mercury from coal burned to generate electrical power. The Company’s sales occur principally throughout the United States. See Note 15 for additional information regarding the Company's operating segments. On December 7, 2018 (the "Acquisition Date"), the Company acquired (the "Carbon Solutions Acquisition") 100% of the equity interests of ADA Carbon Solutions, LLC (“Carbon Solutions”). Carbon Solutions is a manufacturer and seller of activated carbon ("AC") and the North American leader in mercury capture using PAC for the coal-fired power plant, industrial and water treatment markets. Carbon Solutions also owns an associated lignite mine (the "Five Forks Mine") that supplies the raw material for the activated carbon plant. Carbon Solutions was formed in 2008 as a 50/50 joint venture by the Company and Energy Capital Partners LLC. The Company relinquished its ownership in 2011 as part of a legal settlement agreement as described in the Company's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2017. The Company acquired Carbon Solutions primarily to expand the Company's product offerings in the mercury control industry and other complementary AC markets. Principles of Consolidation The Consolidated Financial Statements include accounts of wholly-owned subsidiaries. All significant intercompany balances and transactions have been eliminated in consolidation. All investments in partially owned entities for which the Company has greater than 20% ownership are accounted for using the equity method based on the legal form of the Company's ownership percentage and the applicable ownership percentage of the entity and are included in the Equity method investments line item in the Consolidated Balance Sheet . As of December 31, 2019 , the Company holds equity interests of 42.5% and 50.0% in Tinuum Group and Tinuum Services, LLC ("Tinuum Services"), respectively. Tinuum Group is deemed to be variable interest entity ("VIE") under the VIE model of consolidation, but the Company does not consolidate Tinuum Group as it is not deemed to be its primary beneficiary. Cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash Cash and cash equivalents include bank deposits and other highly liquid investments purchased with an original maturity of three months or less. Restricted cash primarily consists of minimum cash balance requirements under the Term Loan and Security Agreement (the "Senior Term Loan") and is classified according to the period at which it will no longer be restricted. Receivables, net Receivables, net are recorded at net realizable value. This carrying value includes an appropriate allowance for estimated uncollectible amounts to reflect any loss anticipated on the receivables balances. Increases and decreases in the allowance for doubtful accounts are established based upon changes in the credit quality of receivables and are included as a component of the General and administrative line item in the Consolidated Statements of Operations . The allowance for doubtful accounts is based on historical experience, general economic conditions and the credit quality of specific accounts. Inventories Inventories are stated at the lower of average cost or net realizable value and consist principally of raw materials and finished goods related to the Company's PAC and chemical product offerings. The cost of inventory is determined using the average cost method. Inventories are periodically reviewed for both potential obsolescence and potential declines in anticipated selling prices. In this review, the Company makes assumptions about the future demand for and market value of the inventory, and based on these assumptions estimates the amount of any obsolete, unmarketable, slow moving or overvalued inventory. The Company will write down the value of inventories by an amount equal to the difference between the cost of the inventory and its estimated net realizable value. Additional details regarding Inventory balances are included in Note 3 . Intangible Assets Intangible assets consist of patents, licensed technology, customer relationships, developed technologies and trade names. The Company has developed technologies resulting in patents being granted by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. Legal costs associated with securing the patent are capitalized and amortized over the legal or useful life beginning on the patent filing date. The remaining intangible assets were recorded at fair value in connection with the Carbon Solutions Acquisition. The following table details the components of the Company's intangible assets: As of December 31, 2019 2018 (in thousands, except years) Weighted average amortization (in years) Initial Cost Net of Accumulated Amortization Initial Cost Net of Accumulated Amortization Customer relationships 5 $ 2,200 $ 1,731 $ 2,100 $ 2,071 Patents 16 1,489 1,039 1,244 891 Developed technology 5 1,600 1,259 1,600 1,578 Trade name 2 300 140 300 290 Total $ 5,589 $ 4,169 $ 5,244 $ 4,830 Included in the Consolidated Statements of Operations is amortization expense related to intangible assets of $1.0 million and $0.2 million for the years ended December 31, 2019 and 2018 , respectively. The estimated future amortization expense for existing intangible assets as of December 31, 2019 is expected to be $0.8 million for each of the five succeeding fiscal years. Investments The investments in entities in which the Company does not have a controlling interest (financial or operating), but where it has the ability to exercise significant influence over operating and financial policies, are accounted for using the equity method of accounting. Whether or not the Company exercises significant influence with respect to an investee depends on an evaluation of several factors including, among others, representation on the investee company’s board of directors and the Company's ownership level. Under the equity method of accounting, an investee company’s accounts are not reflected in the Company’s Consolidated Balance Sheet s and Consolidated Statements of Operations ; however, the Company’s share of the earnings or losses of the investee company is reported in the Earnings from equity method investments line item in the Consolidated Statements of Operations , and the Company’s carrying value in an equity method investee company is reported in the Equity method investments line in the Consolidated Balance Sheet . When the Company receives distributions in excess of the carrying value of the investment and has not guaranteed any obligations of the investee and/or is not required to provide additional funding to the investee, the Company recognizes such excess distributions as equity method earnings in the period the distributions occur. When the investee subsequently reports income, the Company does not record its share of such income until it equals the amount of distributions in excess of carrying value that were previously recognized in income. During the years ended December 31, 2019 and 2018 , the Company had no guarantees or requirements to provide additional funding to investees. Additionally, when the Company's carrying value in an equity method investment is zero and the Company has not guaranteed any obligations of the investee and/or is not required to provide additional funding to the investee, the Company will not recognize its share of any reported losses by the investee until future earnings are generated to offset previously unrecognized losses. As a result, equity income or loss reported on the Company's Consolidated Statements of Operations for certain equity method investees may differ from a mathematical calculation of net income or loss attributable to its equity interest based on the percentage ownership of the Company's equity interest and the net income or loss attributable to equity owners as shown on the investee company's statements of operations. Likewise, distributions from equity method investees are reported on the Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows as “return on investment” in Operating cash flows until such time as the carrying value in an equity method investee company is reduced to zero; thereafter, such distributions are reported as “distributions in excess of cumulative earnings” in Investing cash flows. See Note 5 for additional information regarding the Company's equity method investments. Investments in partially-owned subsidiaries for which the Company has less-than-20% ownership are accounted for in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States ("U.S. GAAP") applicable to equity investments that do not qualify for the equity method of accounting. The Company evaluates these types of investments for changes in fair value and, if there is change, recognizes the change in the Consolidated Statement of Operations. If no such events or changes in circumstances have occurred related to these types of investments, the fair value is estimated only if practicable to do so. Property, Plant and Equipment Property, plant and equipment is stated at cost less accumulated depreciation and includes leasehold improvements. Depreciation on assets is computed using the straight-line method over the lesser of the estimated useful lives of the related assets or the lease term (ranging from 1 to 31 years). Maintenance and repairs that do not extend the useful life of the respective asset are charged to Operating expenses as incurred. When assets are retired, or otherwise disposed of, the property accounts are relieved of costs and accumulated depreciation and any resulting gain or loss is credited or charged to income. The Company performs an evaluation of the recoverability of the carrying value of its property, plant and equipment to determine if facts and circumstances indicate that their carrying value may be impaired and if any adjustment is warranted. Amortization of finance leased assets is included in depreciation expense and is calculated using the straight-line method over the term of the lease. Other Assets Mine Development Costs Mine development costs, which are related to the Five Forks Mine, are stated at cost less accumulated depletion and include acquisition costs, the cost of other development work and mitigation costs. Costs are amortized over the estimated life of the related mine reserves, which is 21 years . The Company performs an evaluation of the recoverability of the carrying value of mine development costs to determine if facts and circumstances indicate that their carrying value may be impaired and if any adjustment is warranted. Mine development costs are reported in the "Other long-term assets, net" line item on the Consolidated Balance Sheet. Spare Parts Spare parts include critical spares required to support plant operations. Parts and supply costs are determined using the lower of cost or estimated replacement cost. Parts are recorded as maintenance expenses in the period in which they are consumed. Spare parts are reported in the "Other long-term assets, net" line item on the Consolidated Balance Sheet. Revenue Recognition On January 1, 2018, the Company adopted ASC 606 - Revenue from Contracts with Customers ("ASC 606") using the modified retrospective method applied to those contracts that were not completed as of January 1, 2018. The Company recognized the cumulative effect of initially applying ASC 606 to the opening balance of the Accumulated deficit. See further discussion of the impact of the adoption of ASC 606 in Note 8 . Effective with the Acquisition Date, Carbon Solutions adopted ASC 606 using the modified retrospective method applied to those contracts that were not completed as of December 7, 2018. There was no impact to the consolidated financial statements of the Company upon Carbon Solutions’ adoption of ASC 606, except for a reclassification from revenues to cost of revenue for Carbon Solutions for freight costs billed to its customers in conjunction with product sales, which historically were recorded as revenues. This reclassification of freight costs billed to customers to cost of revenue results in an offset to Carbon Solutions' actual freight costs recorded in cost of revenue and has no impact to Carbon Solutions' operating results. This presentation is consistent with ADES' policy of reporting freight costs, net of freight costs billed to customers, under cost of revenue. ADES adopted this policy effective with its adoption of ASC 606 on January 1, 2018. The Company recognizes revenue from a contract with a customer when a performance obligation under the terms of a contract with a customer is satisfied, which is when the customer controls the promised goods or services that are transferred in satisfaction of the performance obligation. Revenue is measured as the amount of consideration that is expected to be received in exchange for transferring goods or providing services, and the transaction price is generally fixed and generally does not contain variable or noncash consideration. In addition, the Company’s contracts with customers generally do not contain customer refund or return provisions or other similar obligations. Transfer of control and satisfaction of performance obligations are further discussed in each of the revenue components listed below. The Company uses estimates and judgments in determining the nature and timing of satisfaction of performance obligations, the standalone selling price ("SSP") of performance obligations and the allocation of the transaction price to multiple performance obligations. The Company’s principal revenue components are Consumables sales and License royalties. Consumables Consumables are comprised of the sale of AC and chemicals for mercury capture for the coal-fired power plant, industrial and water treatment markets. Customer contracts for consumables are short duration and performance obligations generally do not extend beyond one year. Certain customer contracts for consumables are comprised of evaluation tests of the Company's consumables' effectiveness and efficiency in reducing emissions. These contracts entail the delivery of consumables to the customer and the Company's evaluation of results of emissions reduction over the term of the contract. Under these types of arrangements, which are generally for durations that are short term, the Company has determined that the customer is simultaneously receiving benefits of emissions reduction from the consumption of the consumables over the testing period and this represents a single performance obligation that is satisfied over time. This determination may require significant judgment. The Company recognizes revenue over time using an input model that is generally based on the cost of consumables used by the customer during the testing period. The use of an input model and the use of total costs as the measure of progress in the satisfaction of the performance obligations may require significant judgment. In addition, under these types of contracts, the Company has determined that the services performed and related costs incurred by the Company during the testing period represent costs to fulfill a contract. License royalties, related party The Company generates revenues from royalties ("M-45 Royalties") earned under a licensing arrangement ("M-45 License") of its M-45 TM and M-45-PC TM emissions control technologies ("M-45 Technology") between the Company and Tinuum Group. The Company recognizes M-45 Royalties at a point in time based on the use of the M-45 Technology at certain RC facilities or through Tinuum Group’s use of licensed technology for rates in excess of amounts allowed for RC application. The amount of M-45 Royalties recognized is generally based on a percentage of pre-tax margins (as defined in the M-45 License) of the RC facilities using the M-45 Technology. Practical Expedients and Exemptions The Company does not disclose the value of unsatisfied performance obligations for contracts with an original expected length of one year or less. Sales and other taxes that are collected concurrently with revenue-producing activities are excluded from revenue. The Company has elected to account for freight costs as activities to fulfill the promise to transfer the goods, and therefore these activities are also not assessed as a separate service to customers. The Company accounts for all shipping and handling activities that occur after control of the related good transfers as fulfillment activities. These activities are included in Cost of Revenue line items of the Consolidated Statement of Operations. The Company generally expenses sales commissions when incurred because the amortization period of the asset that the Company would have recognized is one year or less. These costs are recorded in sales and marketing expenses in the General and administrative line item of the Consolidated Statement of Operations. Cost of Revenue Cost of revenue includes all labor, fringe benefits, subcontract labor, additive and coal costs, materials, equipment, supplies, travel costs and any other costs and expenses directly related to the Company’s production of revenues. The Company records estimated contract losses, if any, in the period they are determined. Payroll and Benefits Payroll and benefits costs include direct payroll, personnel related fringe benefits, sales and administrative staff labor costs and stock compensation expense. Payroll and benefits costs exclude direct labor included in Cost of revenue. Legal and Professional Legal and professional costs include external legal, audit and consulting expenses. General and Administrative General and administrative costs include director fees and expenses, rent, insurance and occupancy-related expenses, bad debt expense, impairments and other general costs of conducting business. Research and development costs are charged to expense in the period incurred and are reported in the General and administrative line item in the Consolidated Statements of Operations . Asset Retirement Obligations Reclamation obligations, which are related to the Five Forks Mine, are recognized when incurred and recorded as liabilities at fair value. The liability is accreted over time through periodic charges to earnings. In addition, a corresponding asset retirement cost is capitalized as part of the asset’s carrying value and amortized over the life of the related asset. Reclamation costs are periodically adjusted to reflect changes in the estimated present value resulting from the passage of time and revisions to the estimates of either the timing or amount of the reclamation costs. The estimated reclamation obligation is based on when spending for an existing disturbance is expected to occur. The Company reviews, on an annual basis, unless otherwise deemed necessary, the reclamation obligation for the Five Forks Mine. Income Taxes The Company accounts for income taxes under the asset and liability method, which requires the recognition of deferred tax assets and liabilities for the expected future tax consequences of events that have been included in the financial statements. Under this method, deferred tax assets and liabilities are determined on the basis of the differences between the financial statements and tax basis of assets and liabilities using enacted tax rates in effect for the year in which the differences are expected to reverse. The effect of a change in tax rates on deferred tax assets and liabilities is recognized in operations in the period that includes the enactment date. The Company recognizes deferred tax assets and liabilities and maintains valuation allowances where it is more likely than not that all or a portion of deferred tax assets will not be realized. In making such a determination, the Company considers all available positive and negative evidence, including future reversals of existing taxable temporary differences, projected future taxable income, tax-planning strategies, and results of recent operations. The Company records uncertain tax positions on the basis of a two-step process whereby (1) the Company determines whether it is more-likely-than-not that the tax positions will be sustained on the basis of the technical merits of the position and (2) for those tax positions that meet the more-likely-than-not recognition threshold, the Company recognizes the amount of tax benefit that is more than 50 percent likely to be realized upon ultimate settlement with the related tax authority. The Company records interest expense due to the Company's share of Tinuum Group's equity method earnings for Refined Coal ("RC") facilities, in which the related lease income or sale are treated as installment sales for federal income tax purposes. IRS section 453A requires taxpayers using the installment method to pay an interest charge on the portion of the tax liability that is deferred under the installment method. The Company recognizes IRS section 453A interest ("453A interest") and other interest and penalties related to unrecognized tax benefits in the Interest expense line item in the Consolidated Statements of Operations . Stock-Based Compensation Stock-based compensation expense is measured at the grant date based on the estimated fair value of the stock-based award and is generally expensed on a straight-line basis over the requisite service period and/or performance period of the award. Forfeitures are recognized when incurred. Stock-based compensation expense related to manufacturing employees and administrative employees is included in the Consumables, Cost of revenues and Payroll and benefits line items, respectively, in the Consolidated Statements of Operations. Stock-based compensation expense related to non-employee directors and consultants is included in the General and administrative line item in the Consolidated Statements of Operations. Dividends When a sufficient amount of available earnings exists at the time of declaration, dividends are charged as a reduction to Retained earnings in the Consolidated Balance Sheet when declared. If sufficient Retained earnings is not available, dividends declared are charged as a reduction to Additional paid-in capital in the Consolidated Balance Sheet . Earnings (Loss) Per Share Basic earnings (loss) per share is computed using the two-class method, which is an earnings allocation formula that determines earnings (loss) per share for common stock and any participating securities according to dividend and participating rights in undistributed earnings. The Company's restricted stock awards ("RSA's") granted prior to December 31, 2016 contain non-forfeitable rights to dividends or dividend equivalents and are deemed to be participating securities. RSA's granted subsequent to December 31, 2016 do not contain non-forfeitable rights to dividends and are not deemed to be participating securities. Under the two-class method, net income (loss) for the period is allocated between common stockholders and the holders of the participating securities based on the weighted-average of common shares outstanding during the period, excluding participating, unvested RSA's ("common shares"), and the weighted-average number of participating, unvested RSA's outstanding during the period, respectively. The allocated, undistributed income for the period is then divided by the weighted-average number of common shares and participating, unvested RSA's outstanding during the period to determine basic earnings per common share and participating security for the period, respectively. Pursuant to U.S. GAAP, the Company has elected not to separately present basic or diluted earnings per share attributable to participating securities in the Consolidated Statements of Operations. Diluted earnings per share is computed in a manner consistent with that of basic earnings per share, while considering other potentially dilutive securities. Potentially dilutive securities consist of both unvested, participating and non-participating RSA's, as well as outstanding options to purchase common stock ("Stock Options") and contingent performance stock units ("PSU's") (collectively, "Potential dilutive shares"). The dilutive effect, if any, for non-participating RSA's, Stock Options and PSU's is determined using the greater of dilution as calculated under the treasury stock method or the two-class method. Potential dilutive shares are excluded from diluted earnings (loss) per share when their effect is anti-dilutive. When there is a net loss for a period, all Potential dilutive shares are anti-dilutive and are excluded from the calculation of diluted loss per share for that period. Each PSU represents a contingent right to receive shares of the Company’s common stock, and the number of shares may range from zero to two times the number of PSU's granted on the award date depending upon the price performance of the Company's common stock as measured against a general index and a specific peer group index over requisite performance periods. The number of Potential dilutive shares related to PSU's is based on the number of shares of the Company's common stock, if any, that would be issuable at the end of the respective reporting period, assuming that the end of the reporting period is the end of the contingency period applicable to such PSU's. See Note 11 for additional information related to PSU's. The following table sets forth the calculations of basic and diluted earnings per common share: Years Ended December 31, (in thousands, except per share amounts) 2019 2018 Net income $ 35,537 $ 35,454 Less: Dividends and undistributed income allocated to participating securities 44 112 Income attributable to common stockholders $ 35,493 $ 35,342 Basic weighted-average number of common shares outstanding 18,154 19,901 Add: dilutive effect of equity instruments 218 132 Diluted weighted-average shares outstanding 18,372 20,033 Earnings per share - basic $ 1.96 $ 1.78 Earnings per share - diluted $ 1.93 $ 1.76 For the years ended December 31, 2019 and 2018 , options to purchase 0.3 million and 0.3 million shares of common stock for each of the years presented were outstanding but were no t included in the computation of diluted net income per share because the exercise price exceeded the average price of the underlying shares and the effect would have been anti-dilutive. Use of Estimates The preparation of the Company’s consolidated financial statements in conformity with U.S. GAAP requires the Company’s management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the amounts reported in these financial statements and accompanying notes. Actual results could differ from those estimates. The Company makes assumptions on the following significant financial statement components including: • business combinations; • the carrying value of its long-lived assets; • the carrying value of its intangible assets; • asset retirement obligation; and • income taxes, including the valuation allowance for deferred tax assets and uncertain tax positions. Risks and Uncertainties The Company’s earnings are significantly affected by equity earnings it receives from Tinuum Group. As of December 31, 2019 , Tinuum Group has 20 invested RC facilities of which 8 are leased to a single customer. A majority of these leases are periodically renewed and the loss of this customer by Tinuum Group would have a significant adverse impact on its financial position, results of operations and cash flows, which in turn would have material adverse impact on the Company’s financial position, results of operations and cash flows. Reclassifications Certain balances have been reclassified from prior years to conform to the current year presentation. Such reclassifications had no effect on the Company’s results of operations or financial position in any of the periods presented. New Accounting Guidance Recently Adopted In February 2016, the FASB issued ASU 2016-02, Leases (Topic 842) ("ASU 2016-02"), which created ASC Topic 842 - Leases ("ASC 842"), requiring lessees to recognize a right of use asset and related lease liability for those leases classified as operating leases at the commencement date and have lease terms of more than 12 months. ASC 842 retains the distinction between finance leases (formerly defined as capital leases) and operating leases. On January 1, 2019, the Company adopted ASC 842 retrospectively beginning with the date of adoption. Under this adoption method, the application date is the beginning of the reporting period in which the Company first applies the provisions of ASC 842. Accordingly, the Company’s reporting for the comparative periods presented in the financial statements and related disclosures continues in accordance with legacy U.S. GAAP under ASC Topic 840 - Leases ("ASC 840"). The adoption of ASC 842 had no impact to the opening balance of Retained earnings. As of the adoption date, the Company recorded $7.0 million and $7.0 million of "right of use" ("ROU") assets and incremental lease liabilities, respectively. The cumulative effect of the change from the adoption of ASC 842 to the Consolidated Balance Sheet as of January 1, 2019 is shown in the table that follows: Balance as of Impact of Balance as of (in thousands) December 31, 2018 Adoption January 1, 2019 Balance Sheet Other long-term assets $ 7,993 $ 6,956 $ 14,949 Other liabilities $ 50,058 $ 3,085 $ 53,143 Other long-term liabilities $ 940 $ 3,871 $ 4,811 See Note 7 for additional disclosures required under ASC 842 in the year of adoption. As of January 1, 2019, Tinuum Group adopted ASC 606 and ASC 842. As a result of Tinuum Group’s adoption of these pronouncements, the Company recorded a cumulative effect increase of $27.4 million to Retained earnings as of January 1, 2019, based on the Company's ownership percentage of Tinuum Group's cumulative effect adjustment, and increased its investment balance in Tinuum Group in the amount of $37.2 million and established a deferred tax liability of $9.8 million . As a result of the increase in the investment balance in Tinuum Group, for the year ended December 31, 2019 , the Company recognized equity earnings in Tinuum Group based on its pro-rata share of Tinuum Group’s net income rather than based on cash distributions received as had been required in prior periods as a result of the cumulative cash distributions exceeding the cumulative pro-rata share of Tinuum Group's net income. Not yet Adopted In June 2016, the FASB issued ASU 2016-13, Financial Instruments - Credit Losses (Topic 326) Measurement of Credit Losses on Financial Instruments ("ASU 2016-13"). The main objective of ASU 2016-13 is to provide financial statement users with more decision-useful information about the expected credit losses on financial instruments and other commitments to extend credit held by a reporting entity at each reporting date. To achieve this objective, the amendments in ASU 2016-13 replace the incurred loss impairment methodology in current U.S. GAAP with a methodology that reflects expected credit losses and requires consideration of a broader range of reasonable and supportable information to inform credit loss estimates. ASU 2016-13 is effective for "smaller reporting companies" (as defined by the Securities and Exchange Commission) for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2022, including interim periods within those years, and must be adopted under a modified retrospective method approach. Entities may ado |
