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RENO,
NV -- (MARKET WIRE) -- 01/25/2005 -- Altair Nanotechnologies,
Inc. (NASDAQ: ALTI) announced today that it was awarded
a new Australian patent covering "Processing
Aqueous Titanium Solutions to Titanium Dioxide Pigment"
by the Australian Patent Office.
The new patent describes
the fundamental technology for a hydrometallurgical
process for producing pigment-grade titanium dioxide
("Ti02") containing solutions. The process
includes hydrolyzing the solution via complete evaporation
in controlled conditions of temperature to form titania
oxide of defined characteristics. After hydrolyzing,
the titanium oxide is calcined to form either anatase
or rutile pigment of the desired particle size. It
is then milled for final processing.
"Our patented
process provides significant economies of scale and
considerable environmental advantages over the existing
chloride and sulfate processes," commented Altair
Nanotechnologies CEO Dr. Alan J. Gotcher. "Further,
our manufacturing process provides for an environmentally
friendly method for pigment companies to streamline
operations and reduce costs."
The new patent follows
the award of two other patents covering the environmentally
friendly process for TiO2 pigment production, an $8
billion industry. Altair's patent portfolio includes:
1) Processing Titaniferous Ore to Titanium Dioxide
Pigment; 2) Processing Aqueous Titanium Chloride Solutions
to Ultrafine Titanium Dioxide, and 3) Processing Aqueous
Titanium Solutions to Titanium Dioxide Pigment.
Over the past five
years, Altair has expended significant resources to
pioneer and develop advanced ceramic nanotechnology
and currently owns six U.S. Patents and 12 foreign
patents with 46 additional pending U.S. and foreign
patent applications. Altair is aggressively pursuing
licensing and business development programs utilizing
its technology, nanomaterials and nano-based products
worldwide.
ALTAIR NANOTECHNOLOGIES
INC.
Altair Nanotechnologies,
through product innovation, is a leading supplier
of advanced ceramic nanomaterial technology worldwide.
Altair Nanotechnologies has assembled a unique team
of material scientists who, coupled with collaborative
ventures with industry partners and leading academic
centers, has pioneered an impressive array of intellectual
property and product achievements.
Altair Nanotechnologies
has developed robust proprietary technology platforms
for manufacturing a variety of crystalline and non-crystalline
nanomaterials of unique structure, performance, quality
and cost. The company has a scalable manufacturing
capability to meet emerging nanomaterials demands,
with capacity today to produce hundreds of tons of
nanomaterials.
The company is organized
into two divisions: Life Sciences and Performance
Materials. The Life Sciences Division is pursuing
market applications in pharmaceuticals, drug delivery,
dental materials, cosmetics and other medical markets.
The Performance Materials Division is pursuing market
applications in Advanced Materials for paints and
coatings; titanium metal manufacturing, catalysts
and water treatment; and alternative energy. For additional
information on Altair and its nano-materials, visit
www.altairnano.com.
Altairnano™, Altair
Nanotechnologies, Inc.®, Altair Nanomaterials™,
TiNano®, RenaZorb™, NanoCheck™, TiNano Spheres™
and the Hydrochloride Pigment Process™ are trademarks
or registered trademarks of Altair Nanotechnologies,
Inc.
For Additional Information:
Marty Tullio or Mark Tullio
McCloud Communications, LLC
949.553.9748
marty@mccloudcommunications.com
mark@mccloudcommunications.com
SOURCE: Altair Nanotechnologies, Inc.
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