VLS.L Regulatory News (VLS)

2 Jul 2007 07:01

Oxford Catalysts Group PLC02 July 2007 2 July 2007 OXFORD CATALYSTS GROUP PLC ("Oxford Catalysts" or "the Company") Appointment of Business Development Director Oxford Catalysts Group PLC ("Oxford Catalysts" or "the Company"), the leadingcatalyst innovator for clean fuels, is pleased to announce that it has appointedDerek Atkinson as Business Development Director, with immediate effect. Derek will head business development for Oxford Catalysts' superior catalysttechnologies for the production of clean fuels, such as zero / ultra-low sulphurdiesel via Fischer-Tropsch or hydro-processing. He will be responsible foridentifying, establishing and maintaining development partnerships with leadingcatalyst manufacturers, technology providers and operators in the gas-to-liquidsand other clean fuel markets. During his 17 years working for Grace Davison, a leading supplier of catalysts,Derek enjoyed global roles in both sales and marketing. He was responsible forstrategy for the product development, market introduction and subsequent salesof adsorbents, catalysts and catalyst carriers used in a variety ofpetrochemical applications. Derek was also the key driver within Grace Davisonfor the initiation and early development work on silica and alumina basedsupports for Fischer-Tropsch. Latterly he was responsible for sales and marketing for the chemical catalystsgroup in Europe and Asia Pacific where he was successful in co-developing withcustomers new catalysts for, amongst others, the production of industrialethanol. Most recently, Derek was Sales Manager EMEA for the chemical catalystsand automotive emission groups. Commenting on his appointment, Derek Atkinson said: "I am delighted to be joining such an entrepreneurial company with theflexibility, drive and commitment that will enable it to make a significantcontribution to the development and commercialisation of processes to producecleaner fuels." Commenting on the appointment, Roy Lipski, Chief Executive Officer of OxfordCatalysts said: "Derek has vast worldwide experience of business development in many of themarkets in which we operate. We are looking forward to using his invaluableskills and global contacts to help us commercialise our technologies. It is agreat pleasure to welcome Derek to the team." - Ends - For further information, please contact: Roy Lipski, CEO, Oxford Catalysts 01235 841 700Derek Atkinson, Business Development Director, Oxford Catalysts 01235 841 700Jonathon Brill / Billy Clegg, Financial Dynamics 020 7831 3113 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 fromboth conventional fossil fuels and certain renewable sources such as biomass.Its patent-pending technology is the result of almost 20 years of research atthe University of Oxford's prestigious Wolfson Catalysis Centre, headed byProfessor Malcolm Green, one of the world's most respected inorganic chemists.Oxford Catalysts was founded by Professor Green and Dr Xiao in October 2004 andwas admitted to trading on the AIM market of the London Stock Exchange on 26thApril 2006, having raised £15m before expenses from a solid base ofinstitutional investors. Oxford Catalysts' strategy is to license its catalysts for commercialapplication by entering into co-development partnerships with leadingmanufacturers, producers and suppliers in the petroleum, petrochemicals, fuelcells, biogas, steam applications and catalysis markets. Oxford Catalysts has two key platform technologies. The first is for a novelclass of catalysts made from metal carbides which, for certain reactions, canmatch or exceed the benefits of traditional precious metal catalysts at a lowercost. Applications of these metal-carbide catalysts include the removal ofsulphur from crude oil fractions (known as hydro-desulphurisation or HDS), theconversion of natural gas or coal into virtually sulphur-free liquid fuels viathe Fischer-Tropsch reaction (known as the GTL and CTL processes respectively),and the transformation of biogas (waste methane) into syngas - the buildingblock of liquid fuels. The second platform relates to chemical reactions involving a liquid fuelcontaining an alcohol (such as methanol), hydrogen peroxide and water. Thecompany's novel catalyst can be used to release hydrogen gas from this liquidfuel, instantaneously starting from room temperature. This groundbreakinghydrogen-on-demand technology has the potential to significantly accelerate thecommercial adoption of fuel cells in the portable and other mobile markets, byproviding 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 abroad range of markets, from cleaning and disinfecting, to motive power andelectricity generation. www.oxfordcatalysts.com This information is provided by RNS The company news service from the London Stock Exchange