‘Single Process’ Removes Sulfur, Nitrogen and Trace Metals From Oil Distillates

RENSSELAER, NY–(EMWNews – July 29, 2008) – Applied NanoWorks, an inorganic materials

development company, announces FlexDS™, a new, patent-pending process

for the removal of sulfur, nitrogen and trace metals from oil and oil

distillates. In developmental testing FlexDS™ outperforms both existing

hydrodesulfurization (HDS) and other oxydesulfurization (ODS) processes in

converting sulfur compounds for extraction from oil feeds.

FlexDS™ is a ‘single process’ for the conversion and extraction of

sulfur, to oxidize and remove nitrogen compounds and remove trace metals.

The FlexDS™ process ensures no unwanted oxidation takes place, with

oxidant selectivity greater than 99.1%. The process provides the ability

to remove thiols, sulfides and disulfides, and is effective in converting

alkylated dibenzothiophenes without oxidizing benzylic hydrocarbons (i.e.

cumene, tetralin, or toluene) or internal olefins. The petroleum industry

currently employs separate processes to extract sulfur, remove nitrogen,

and reduce trace metal concentrations. The FlexDS™ process utilizes a

unique chemistry to achieve high conversion, high selectivity, and

straightforward separations.

“FlexDS provides significant process and economic advantages over

traditional HDS methods,” said Eric Burnett, CEO, Applied NanoWorks. “In a

front-end crude oil upgrading unit or an ultra-low sulfur diesel polisher,

achieving low levels of sulfur and extracting other unwanted elements

without the use of hydrogen or ancillary processes creates an immediate

economic advantage.”

The technology is based on an Applied NanoWorks patented titanium catalyst

that enables ODS chemistry that has the highest reactivity rates to date

for an ODS catalyst. The highly reactive FlexDS™ process efficiently

converts and extracts sulfur from 15,000 ppm to well below 10 ppm. Current

HDS processes become increasingly inefficient at extracting sulfur at

levels below 1,000 ppm, requiring very high pressures to achieve ULSD

standards. The FlexDS™ operates at ambient pressure and near ambient

temperature conditions, greatly reducing conditions for hazardous reactions

found with the high temperature and pressures required by current HDS

processes.

The titanium catalyst, in both homogeneous and heterogeneous versions, was

created through Applied NanoWorks’ patent-pending MCP Technology™, a

platform to invent and develop inorganic materials required for disruptive

advancements in material and energy systems.

“In an industry facing increasingly stringent international standards for

sulfur in petroleum products, FlexDS offers a single, clean approach to

processing oil and oil distillates that can economically meet global sulfur

dioxide emission standards,” said Burnett. “And with global oil reserves

rapidly growing more sour, the extraction of these sulfur compounds is

becoming increasingly cumbersome and expensive with current industry

processes. The FlexDS process offers the flexibility to handle a wide

range of crude oil quality.”

Applied NanoWorks is an inorganic materials development company focused on

creating new inorganics that provide the performance and compatibilities

required to build new material and energy systems in a clean tech world.

For information you can find us at www.appliednanoworks.com or call

518.471.5780.