“Reinventing the wheel is sometimes the right thing, when the result is the radial tire.” -- Jonathan Gilbert (American, b.1946)
Conversion Extraction Desulfurization (CED): "CED is considered a generic term covering all desulfurization processes that involve oxidation and extraction. The CED process first extracts a fraction of the sulfur from the diesel, then selectively oxidizes the remaining sulfur compounds, and finally extracts these oxidized materials." -- Conversion Extraction Desulfurization (CED) Phase III ; Final Technical Report (March 2005) (www.osti.gov/bridge/servlets/purl/840665-vSaLPk/native/840665.pdf)
Academic institutions have set up technology transfer organizations, often called Centers of Excellence, designed to enable companies to commercialize the results of research performed by innovative university scientists. One such is the Florida Institute For The Commercialization Of Public Research (http://www.florida-institute.com/index.cfm).
According to its Web …
“The Institute enables interested parties to evaluate potential opportunities and facilitates the process by which these discoveries enter the commercial marketplace. The Institute showcases technologies and products developed by publicly supported organizations across the state, and commercially-viable discoveries are paired with seasoned entrepreneurs and investors to ensure their growth and success.”
One of the technologies of particular interest to a desulfurization researcher is Conversion Extraction Desulfurization (CED), described below …
Technology Name: Fossil Fuel Desulfurization
Technology Background: There are over 13 million diesel trucks on the roadways in the United States. An older, diesel vehicle can produce about 8 tons of air pollution each year. Diesel exhaust is implicated in lung cancer, chronic bronchitis, acute bronchitis, asthma attacks, and respiratory symptoms. The introduction of ultra-low sulfur diesel fuel (ULSD) (reduced from 500 ppm to 15 ppm) will reduce air pollution significantly.
Market Potential: This method can be applied to produce ULSD and has been demonstrated to reduce the sulfur content of fuel from approximately 2% to 0.5% sulfur.
Applications: This invention is a novel, low cost, safe (ambient temperature, no concentrated acid) method for dramatically reducing the sulfur content of fossil fuel (diesel). The generalized method starts by oxidizing the organic sulfide in the fossil fuel with the addition of an alkali borate and a solvent. This allows the alkali borate and the organic sulfide to react to produce an oxidized organic sulfide (e.g. organic sulfone). The mixture is then easily separated into the oxidized organic sulfide and the hydrocarbon substance. By removing the (oxidized) organic sulfide from the hydrocarbon substance a purified, low sulfur fossil fuel can be obtained.
Advantages: This chemical process uses less hazardous reagents and milder conditions than competitive processes. In addition this process and method provides for more efficient removal of sulfur from diesel fuel.
Intellectual Property Status: International Patent Application No. WO2007050107 entitled, "FOSSIL FUEL DESULFURIZATION," was published on May 3, 2007.
Inventors/Management: Tong Ren and Julia Barker
source: http://www.florida-institute.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=startup.potentialStartupView&startupID=43
Research tip: Google® “center of excellence” to find other academic technology transfer organizations.
View my LinkedIn profile at: http://www.linkedin.com/in/jeansteinhardtresearch
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