Big Three Automaker Testing New Technology from Platinum Research Organization For Reducing Phosphorous in Motor Oils

    DALLAS--April 9, 2003--A Big Three automaker has begun testing a catalyzed motor oil formulation developed by The Platinum Research Organization LLC (PRO), to confirm that the formulation can be used to reduce the amount of a phosphorous-based additive called ZDDP (zinc dialkyl dithiophosphate), which has been shown to "poison" catalytic converters and reduce their efficiency.
    PRO president and chief executive officer John T. "Cork" Jaeger said that the automaker's decision to perform the tests follows similar decisions by an oil company and an oil additive company earlier this month to begin their own testing as well.
    In tests conducted at the University of Texas at Arlington (UTA) PRO's catalyzed formulation added to motor oil allowed a reduction of the phosphorous levels from ZDDP while enhancing ZDDP's wear protection ability.
    "The catalyzed material delivered with the compelling test data generated by UTA will enable the companies to conduct their own tests -- including extensive engine tests -- to validate ours," he said.
    Jaeger explained that the industry is looking for ways to reduce -- and ultimately eliminate ZDDP in motor oil to help meet U.S. Environmental Protection Agency requirements for the 2004 automobile model year.
    According to Dr. Harold Shaub, a former senior researcher for Exxon and a PRO consultant, automakers have been pushing oil companies to reduce the level of phosphorous from ZDDP to about .05 percent, or about half the current level of one-tenth of one percent.
    However, as Shaub points out, "the oil industry is uncomfortable with reducing the level below .08 percent due to concerns about 'backward compatibility' -- the ability of motor oils with a reduced phosphorous level to provide anti-wear protection to older models of automobiles."
    Dr. Shaub called the results at UTA "a substantial anti-wear advance."
    At the Second Annual Base Oils and Petroleum Additives Conference organized by the Independent Lubricant Manufacturers Association (ILMA) last December in New York, automakers and the additive industry discussed the .08 percent phosphorous compromise. One presenter -- John Shipinski, head of the Toyota Technical Center-USA -- called on the additive industry to continue to work to develop a "very good, low-cost replacement for ZDDP."
    According to Jaeger, PRO's new technology achieves a reduction of phosphorous from ZDDP to .05 percent, and paves the way for the future elimination of ZDDP entirely.
    The PRO formulation stems from extensive research that the company has conducted on a patented technology that uses a catalytic reaction to alter surfaces and bind low-wear compounds to them at ambient temperatures.
    The original tests focused on the catalyst's action when mixed with modified PTFE (or polytetrafluoroethylene) and dispersed throughout commercially available motor oil.
    According to Jaeger, "The shipment of catalyzed materials to an automaker is extremely important and has been well thought through from a marketing and commercial perspective. PRO has met enormous resistance from oil and additive firms. If the target automaker's test results correlate with our data, the PRO scientific team has delivered a formulation that no additive or oil company can produce without access to the PRO technology. Furthermore, we know how to eliminate ZDDP entirely but we are still working to get the support of certain chemical companies to produce key components to PRO specifications. With the support of a BIG 3 automaker, we will have vendors standing in line."
    Results from the automaker are expected within 60 days, Jaeger said.