EXHIBIT 99.1


 CONTACT:  Air & Water Technologies Corporation 
           Robert S. Volland 
           908/685-4600 



 CONTACT:  Hamon & Cie                                Hamon Corporation 
           M.C. Majerus                 or            Michael J. Billington 
           32/2 535-1209                              908/685-4242 
      

                                                     FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 
  
  
      AIR & WATER TECHNOLOGIES CORPORATION AND HAMON & CIE CONCLUDE SALE OF
                CERTAIN RESEARCH-COTTRELL ASSETS TO HAMON & CIE
  
  
 Branchburg, New Jersey - July 27, 1998 - Air & Water Technologies
 Corporation (AMEX: AWT) and Hamon & Cie (International) S.A. (Belgium)
 (Brussels Stock Exchange: HAMON) jointly announced today that the
 acquisition in which Hamon would acquire certain assets and liabilities of
 Research-Cottrell, Inc. (Research-Cottrell), a wholly-owned subsidiary of
 AWT, has been concluded.  The price was not disclosed. 
  
 The transaction involved the assets and liabilities of the following
 entities: the air pollution control division of Research-Cottrell, Inc.,
 Thermal Transfer Corporation, Custodis-Cottrell, Inc., Custodis-Cottrell
 Canada, Inc., and Research-Cottrell (Belgium) S.A., as well as the common
 stock of Research-Cottrell's subsidiaries in France, Germany, Poland, and
 the United Kingdom.  The acquired businesses will continue to do business
 in the United States and overseas under the names Research-Cottrell, APCD,
 Custodis, and Thermal Transfer Corporation, among others. 
  
 AWT President and Chief Executive Officer, Thierry Mallet, commented: "We
 are pleased to have concluded this part of the divestiture of Research-
 Cottrell.   We wish Hamon & Cie and our former employees success in the
 future.  We continue to have discussions with other parties regarding the
 divestiture of our remaining air business units and look forward to fully
 developing our core water and wastewater business." 
  


 Hamon Managing Director, Francis Lambilliotte, commented: "We are delighted
 to close this strategic acquisition.  By merging our existing operations in
 air pollution equipment with the operations acquired with Research-
 Cottrell, we will better serve the industry on a world-wide basis and also
 strengthen our technical capabilities and develop new technologies.  U.S.
 and European operations will be merged by product with a global approach. 
 the U.S. Custodis chimney business will be integrated with the world-wide
 activities of the group and renamed " 'Hamon Custodis' throughout the
 world." 
  
 Air & Water Technologies Corporation provides a comprehensive range of
 services and technologies for the operation, maintenance, and management of
 water and wastewater systems; engineering, design, and construction of
 water and wastewater facilities; and the remediation of contaminated soil. 
 AWT is a subsidiary of Vivendi, the world's largest water company. 
  
 Hamon & Cie, through its subsidiaries, provides a large range of products
 and services world-wide to the power and manufacturing industry for
 cooling, heating water, and liquid gas processing, also supplying ancillary
 equipment for power plants and air pollution control equipment.  This
 acquisition will strengthen its third division in air pollution equipment
 on a world-wide basis with a prestigious name like Research-Cottrell. 
  
                                     ###