ExxonMobil and Merichem Chemicals & Refinery Services LLC Introduce New Sulfur Removal Technology.

Business Editors

FAIRFAX, Va.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Aug. 7, 2001

ExxonMobil Research & Engineering Company (EMRE) of Fairfax, Va. and Houston-based Merichem Chemicals & Refinery Services LLC (MCRS) announced today the joint development of a new technology to reduce sulfur content in hydrotreated FCC gasoline. This technology and the associated technical services will be available for license under the service mark EXOMER(SM). This improved recombinant mercaptan extraction process provides an economical and efficient solution to refiners looking to meet future low sulfur motor gasoline requirements at very favorable capital and operating costs.

Based on an enhanced version of Merichem's regenerative caustic mercaptan extraction process which utilizes Merichem's FIBER-FILM(TM) Contactor technology, EMRE and MCRS combined their technology and engineering expertise to provide an innovative system that minimizes octane loss and reduces consumption of costly hydrogen and catalyst. EXOMER(SM) Technology also lowers refiners' capital investment by retrofitting existing caustic treating equipment, if available, and eliminates the need for additional hydrotreating equipment to remove recombinant mercaptans.

Dr. Andrew Kaldor, Lab Director for EMRE's Corporate Strategic Research organization commented, "Collaboration between EMRE and Merichem, using fundamental scientific understanding of recombinant mercaptan chemistry and advanced extraction technologies, was a key element in the creation of the EXOMER(SM) Technology. EXOMER(SM) is also an excellent compliment to ExxonMobil's SCANfining(TM) process for sulfur removal."

"We identified an opportunity to provide refiners with the technology needed to meet the increasingly stringent low sulfur requirements in the U.S. and abroad while minimizing capital and operating costs," said Felipe Suarez, vice president of MCRS. "The alliance between MCRS and EMRE was a natural fit because we were independently developing processes to achieve the same goals recognizing the benefit of recombinant mercaptan removal that would allow reduced hydrotreater severity and thus minimal octane loss."

ExxonMobil is a leading global petroleum and petrochemicals company whose subsidiaries have operations in about 200 countries and territories. Additional information regarding Exxon Mobil Corporation, EMRE and the technologies it licenses can be found at http://www.exxonmobil.com/refiningtechnologies.