TDA Research

If you are looking for expertise on cutting edge desulfurization technology, TDA Research (http://www.tda.com/) is a company worth exploring.

According to their brochure …
TDA Research, Inc. was founded in 1987 and is located in Wheat Ridge, CO. TDA􀀁s staff of chemists and engineers develops catalysts, sorbents, advanced materials and hardware components. Our development work is primarily supported by U. S. Government R&D contracts. TDA retains the intellectual property developed under these contracts, and works in partnership with larger manufacturing companies to bring our products to market. In the past three years we have brought three product lines to market. In partnership with companies that are leaders in their fields, we have successfully commercialized the large-scale manufacture of fullerenes and our Direct Oxidation process to remove and recover sulfur from natural gas.

A quick search on LinkedIn (www.linkedin.com) reveals the following …
LINKEDIN
Current Employees (17 total)
John Wright, Vice President
Kurt Rhodus, Editor
Steven Dietz, Project Manager
John Monroe, Chemist
Erik Andersen, Engineer
Popular Profiles
Brian Elliott, Principal Engineer

TDA Research is the assignee for a large number of patents, including …
US7442669 - Oxidation catalysts comprising metal exchanged hexaaluminate wherein the metal is Sr, Pd, La, and/or Mn - 10/28/2008
The present invention provides metal-exchanged hexaaluminate catalysts that exhibit good catalytic activity and/or stability at high temperatures for extended periods with retention of activity as combustion catalysts, and more generally as oxidation catalysts, that make them eminently suitable for use in methane combustion, particularly for use in natural gas fired gas turbines. The hexaaluminate catalysts of this invention are of particular interest for methane combustion processes for minimization of the generation of undesired levels (less than about 10 ppm) of NOx species. Metal exchanged hexaaluminate oxidation catalysts are also useful for oxidation of volatile organic compounds (VOC), particularly hydrocarbons. Metal exchanged hexaaluminate oxidation catalysts are further useful for partial oxidation, particularly at high temperatures, of reduced species, particularly hydrocarbons (alkanes and alkenes).
US7361728 - Electrically conducting materials from branched end-capping intermediates - 04/22/2008
The present invention relates to a class of conducting oligomers and polymers and to a method for the preparation of the same. The conducting oligomers and polymers contain an end-capping group, which is non-electrically conductive and contains at least one branch point. The branched end-capping groups are made by a method that first substitutes the branched group on the heteroaromatic monomer, particularly at the "2" position on these monomers. In a second step, the end-capping intermediate is co-polymerized with one or more additional heteroaromatic monomers to form capped conducting oligomers and polymers.
US7279534 - Poly(heteroaromatic) block copolymers with electrical conductivity - 10/09/2007
The present invention provides block copolymers containing at least one block of a poly(heteroaromatic) polymer and at least two blocks of a non-conjugated polymer. The chemically different blocks of the copolymer are covalently bonded to each other in an alternating fashion through an appropriate linkage group. The poly(heteroaromatic) block may exist in its neutral or oxidized form, and when in the oxidized form, it associates with organic or inorganic counter-anions to balance the charge. The poly(heteroaromatic) polymer is an intrinsically conducting polymer (ICP), and when in the oxidized form it is electrically conducting. When the ICP block or blocks of the block copolymer are in the doped form, the block copolymer is electrically conducting. Preferably the conducting block copolymers have conductivities in the range 10.sup.-6-10.sup.3 S/cm. Block copolymers of this invention are soluble or dispersible in water, one or more organic solvents, or in a mixture thereof at a level of at least about 0.1 g/liter.
US7279137 - Burners and combustion apparatus for carbon nanomaterial production - 10/09/2007
The invention provides improved burners, combustion apparatus, and methods for carbon nanomaterial production. The burners of the invention provide sooting flames of fuel and oxidizing gases. The condensable products of combustion produced by the burners of this invention produce carbon nanomaterials including without limitation, soot, fullerenic soot, and fullerenes. The burners of the invention do not require premixing of the fuel and oxidizing gases and are suitable for use with low vapor pressure fuels such as those containing substantial amounts of polyaromatic hydrocarbons. The burners of the invention can operate with a hot (e.g., uncooled) burner surface and require little, if any, cooling or other forms of heat sinking. The burners of the invention comprise one or more refractory elements forming the outlet of the burner at which a flame can be established. The burners of the invention provide for improved flame stability, can be employed with a wider range of fuel/oxidizer (e.g., air) ratios and a wider range of gas velocities, and are generally more efficient than burners using water-cooled metal burner plates. The burners of the invention can also be operated to reduce the formation of undesirable soot deposits on the burner and on surfaces downstream of the burner.
US7244498 - Nanoparticles modified with multiple organic acids - 07/17/2007
Surface-modified nanoparticles of boehmite, and methods for preparing the same. Aluminum oxyhydroxide nanoparticles are surface modified by reaction with selected amounts of organic acids. In particular, the nanoparticle surface is modified by reactions with two or more different carboxylic acids, at least one of which is an organic carboxylic acid. The product is a surface modified boehmite nanoparticle that has an inorganic aluminum oxyhydroxide core, or part aluminum oxyhydroxide core and a surface-bonded organic shell. Organic carboxylic acids of this invention contain at least one carboxylic acid group and one carbon-hydrogen bond. One embodiment of this invention provides boehmite nanoparticles that have been surface modified with two or more acids one of which additional carries at least one reactive functional group. Another embodiment of this invention provides boehmite nanoparticles that have been surface modified with multiple acids one of which has molecular weight or average molecular weight greater than or equal to 500 Daltons. Yet, another embodiment of this invention provides boehmite nanoparticles that are surface modified with two or more acids one of which is hydrophobic in nature and has solubility in water of less than 15 by weight. The products of the methods of this invention have specific useful properties when used in mixture with liquids, as filler in solids, or as stand-alone entities.
US7208132 - Purification of endohedral and other fullerenes by chemical methods - 04/24/2007
The invention provides a method of separating a first and a second set of fullerenes in a fullerene mixture. In the method of the invention, a stable fullerene cation is formed of one of the first or the second set of fullerenes. The fullerene cation is then separated from the other set of fullerenes. Optionally, the fullerene cation may be returned to its neutral state. The method of the invention is particularly useful for the purification and separation of endohedral fullerenes from empty fullerenes. However, the method may be applied to the purification of a broad range of endohedral and empty fullerene materials.
US7167354 - Mesoporous carbons and polymers from hydroxylated benzenes - 01/23/2007
A mesoporous polymer and method of preparing a mesoporous polymer whose polymerization kinetics are dependent upon pH and whose pore size is controlled by pH and solvent concentration are disclosed. The polymer is optionally pyrolyzed to form a primarily carbonaceous solid. The material has an average pore size in the mesopore range and is suitable for use in liquid-phase surface limited applications including chromatographic, sorbent, catalytic, and electrical applications.
US7157066 - Combustion process for synthesis of carbon nanomaterials from liquid hydrocarbon - 01/02/2007
The present invention provides a combustion apparatus for the production of carbon nanomaterials including fullerenes and fullerenic soot. Most generally the combustion apparatus comprises one or more inlets for introducing an oxygen-containing gas and a hydrocarbon fuel gas in the combustion system such that a flame can be established from the mixed gases, a droplet delivery apparatus for introducing droplets of a liquid hydrocarbon feedstock into the flame, and a collector apparatus for collecting condensable products containing carbon nanomaterials that are generated in the combustion system. The combustion system optionally has a reaction zone downstream of the flame. If this reaction zone is present the hydrocarbon feedstock can be introduced into the flame, the reaction zone or both.
US7150863 - Polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbons for fullerene synthesis in flames - 12/19/2006
This invention provides improved methods for combustion synthesis of carbon nanomaterials, including fullerenes, employing multiple-ring aromatic hydrocarbon fuels selected for high carbon conversion to extractable fullerenes. The multiple-ring aromatic hydrocarbon fuels include those that contain polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbons. More specifically, multiple-ring aromatic hydrocarbon fuels contain a substantial amount of indene, methylnapthalenes or mixtures thereof. Coal tar and petroleum distillate fractions provide low cost hydrocarbon fuels containing polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbons, including without limitation, indene, methylnapthalenes or mixtures thereof.
US7090788 - Nanoporous composites of polymerized lyotropic liquid-crystalline monomers, and hydrophobic polymers - 08/15/2006
This invention provides composite materials that combine the material properties of hydrophobic polymers with internal structure and order provided by polymerization of lyotropic liquid crystals (LLCs). Composites, particularly nanocomposites, are made by forming a LLC assembly that has hydrophobic regions and hydrophilic regions, combining hydrophobic polymer in the assembly and polymerizing the polymerizable LLC monomers in the assembly. The hydrophobic polymer, polymerized LLC assembly or both can be crosslinked in the composite. Nanoporous composites, particularly those with uniform-sized pores and/or with uniform pores distribution can be prepared in this way. In addition, complex polymers in which a second polymeric material, which may be organic or inorganic, can be introduced into the pores or other structural features of the composite can be prepared. Adding flexible hydrophobic polymers to the LLC assembly increases the flexibility and toughness of the resultant polymerized composite material to provide improved composite materials for use as membranes and in other applications. Hydrophobic polymer addition can also increase the diffusion resistance in the organic phase of the composite. Of particular interest are composites in which the hydrophobic polymer is butyl rubber or related synthetic rubber.
US7060233 - Process for the simultaneous removal of sulfur and mercury - 06/13/2006
US6986943 - Surface modified particles by multi-step addition and process for the preparation thereof - 01/17/2006
US6933046 - Releasable corrosion inhibitor compositions - 08/23/2005
US6923915 - Process for the removal of impurities from combustion fullerenes - 08/02/2005
US6887291 - Filter devices and methods for carbon nanomaterial collection - 05/03/2005
US6737445 - Mesoporous carbons and polymers - 05/18/2004
US6517799 - Isolation of small-bandgap fullerenes and endohedral metallofullerenes - 02/11/2003
US6482311 - Methods for suppression of filamentous coke formation - 11/19/2002
US6435274 - Pulse thermal loop - 08/20/2002

Source: http://www.patents.com/TDA-Research-Inc/Wheat-Ridge/CO/2576/company/