Friday 20th July 2007
Finalist in Chemical Industry Association Awards
Oxford Catalysts Group PLC, the leading catalyst innovator for clean fuels, is pleased to announce that the Company reached the finals in the innovation category of the annual Chemical Industry Association ("CIA") Awards for its work on Instant Steam and Hydrogen. The innovation is a radically new chemical process whereby a liquid fuel is passed over one of two proprietary catalysts to produce either hydrogen gas or high temperature steam, instantaneously starting from room temperature.
As one of the finalists, Oxford Catalysts was in the company of the world's two largest chemical businesses, BASF and The Dow Chemical Company.
The CIA awards, which are the premier accolades for the UK chemical industry, were presented in early July at a ceremony attended by many of the industry's most prominent players.
Roy Lipski, Chief Executive of Oxford Catalysts said:
"We are thrilled that our breakthrough technology has been recognised by the industry, and that we were able to reach the final stage of these prestigious awards."
For further information, please contact:
Dave Wardle, Business Development Director, Oxford Catalysts 01235 841 700
Notes to Editors
Oxford Catalysts Group PLC, the leading catalyst innovator for clean fuels, designs and develops specialty catalysts for the generation of clean fuels from both conventional fossil fuels and certain renewable sources such as biomass. Its patent-pending technology is the result of almost 20 years of research at the University of Oxford's prestigious Wolfson Catalysis Centre, headed by Professor Malcolm Green, one of the world's most respected inorganic chemists. Oxford Catalysts was founded by Professor Green and Dr Xiao in October 2004 and was admitted to trading on the AIM market of the London Stock Exchange on 26th April 2006, having raised £15m before expenses from a solid base of institutional investors.
Oxford Catalysts' strategy is to license its catalysts for commercial application by entering into co-development partnerships with leading manufacturers, producers and suppliers in the petroleum, petrochemicals, fuel cells, biogas, steam applications and catalysis markets.
Oxford Catalysts has two key platform technologies. The first is for a novel class of catalysts made from metal carbides which, for certain reactions, can match or exceed the benefits of traditional precious metal catalysts at a lower cost. Applications of these metal-carbide catalysts include the removal of sulphur from crude oil fractions (known as hydro-desulphurisation or HDS), the conversion of natural gas or coal into virtually sulphur-free liquid fuels via the Fischer-Tropsch reaction (known as the GTL and CTL processes respectively), and the transformation of biogas (waste methane) into syngas - the building block of liquid fuels.
The second platform relates to chemical reactions involving a liquid fuel containing an alcohol (such as methanol), hydrogen peroxide and water. The company's novel catalyst can be used to release hydrogen gas from this liquid fuel, instantaneously starting from room temperature. This groundbreaking hydrogen-on-demand technology has the potential to significantly accelerate the commercial adoption of fuel cells in the portable and other mobile markets, by providing the much needed source of cheap, safe transportable hydrogen.
Another of the company's catalysts can be used to produce superheated steam (800c+) from the above fuel, instantaneously starting from room temperature. Such portable high-temperature steam could have important applications in a broad range of markets, from cleaning and disinfecting, to motive power and electricity generation.
