SPARKS, Nev., Dec. 8, 2004 -- SulphCo, Inc. (OTC Bulletin Board: SLPH), a leader in developing and marketing high-powered ultrasound technology and equipment for the petroleum industry, announced that the company has received the fourth U.S. patent for its proprietary ultrasound process to remove sulfur from crude oil. Patent no. 6,827,844 was issued on Dec. 7, 2004. Dr. Rudolf W. Gunnerman, listed as the inventor, assigned the patent to SulphCo.

SulphCo’s high-powered ultrasound process to remove sulfur from crude produces more usable gallons of oil per barrel. It upgrades sour heavy into sweeter lighter crude by altering the molecular structure of oil, breaking the molecular bonds in oil and water to free impurities. The new patent, “Ultrasound-Assisted Desulfurization of Fossil Fuels in the Presence of Dialkyl Ethers,” covers the desulfurized fossil fuel produced by the chemical reaction when the water and hydrocarbon mixture is exposed to intense ultrasonic waves.

SulphCo currently has three other U.S. patents issued to cover the development and manufacture of its high-powered ultrasound technology and equipment. The first patent, no. 6,402,939, was issued on June 11, 2002 and assigned to SulphCo by Dr. Teh Fu Yen of the University of Southern California. The second and third patents, no. 6,500,219 and no. 6,652,992, were issued to Dr. Gunnerman on December 31, 2002 and November 25, 2003, respectively, and assigned to SulphCo. SulphCo also has one additional patent allowed and has three other patents pending.