Alternative Petroleum Technologies expanding Sulfex™ Desulfurization process to additional fuel types

Reno, Nevada  - Alternative Petroleum Technologies, Inc. (“APT”) announced that it has adapted its unique, patented, cost-saving Sulfex™ desulfurization process for distillate fuels to handle and process Heavy Fuel Oil.  While the initial design of the Sulfex™ process used liquids in a low pressure and low temperature environment and achieved distillate fuel sulfur levels of less than 15 ppm, new modifications resulting in marginal increases in both pressure and temperature have been applied to the process in order to reduce the viscosity of Heavy Fuel Oils to a low enough level that would support processing.  The Sulfex™ process will produce a finished fuel ready for use and meeting the IMO 2020 sulfur requirements.  Presently APT is concluding its development work and is looking for a partner to build a pilot plant for demonstration purposes.

The Sulfex™ process has also been examined for use on second hand fuels, used crankcase oil, and distressed fuels for both the normal and boutique fuel supplies. This treatment examined not only the removal of sulfur but also the reduction of odor and color. These studies have shown promise but require some further development work due to APT’s primary focus on Heavy Fuel Oil at this point.

APT’s Sulfex™ Desulfurization process has been independently validated by the U.S. Department of Energy’s Argonne National Labs (www.anl.gov) and has been optimized to produce ultra-low sulfur fuels at low cost. 

Unlike the HDS system currently used at refineries to desulfurize distillate fuels, the main cost-saving advantage of APT’s approach is that the fuel is not processed under high temperatures and pressure and thus does not need large amounts of ancillary equipment, items that are both capital and operationally expensive.  Sulfex™ is operationally much simpler and thus less expensive and much safer to use than the HDS process currently in use around the world.

Given its impact and utility in helping end users meeting sulfur content targets, APT’s Sulfex™ technology was named by S&P Global Platts as a finalist for the 2018 Emerging Technology of the Year Category.

APT is now seeking locations to deploy skid-mounted Sulfex™ desulfurization systems for Distressed, Off Specification and Heavy Fuel Oils within the United States and internationally.  Due to the above advantages, Sulfex™ plants can be sized and placed in locations such as smaller refineries and fuel distributors.

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