Altela acquires global license to newly patented water desalination technology

TEMPE, AZ, April 27, 2006 -- Arizona Technology Enterprises LLC (AzTE) announced today that Altela Inc., a desalination product and service company, has acquired the worldwide exclusive rights to unique low-cost water purification technology developed at Arizona State University (ASU). Under the terms of the transaction, Altela acquired the exclusive worldwide license for the core intellectual property relating to the "dewvaporation" water desalination technology through AzTE, ASU's technology commercialization company. Altela will continue to develop and commercialize this newly patented desalination technology and incorporate it into its AltelaRain™ water desalination systems. The exclusive license is based on technology initially developed by ASU professor, Dr. James Beckman.

This unique water purification technology removes 100 percent of the dissolved salts and other contaminants from industrial waste waters and undrinkable brackish waters found throughout the world - representing the first new low-cost water desalination technology in the last 50 years. "We are delighted to continue and expand upon our already-existing good relationship with ASU, AzTE, and Prof. Beckman," said Altela's CEO Ned Godshall, "and this exclusive license will now accelerate our plans to commercialize this exciting and elegant technology for all water desal applications." According to Peter Slate, CEO of AzTE, "This important technology has far-reaching applications in both developed and developing markets throughout the world. We feel that the Altela team has the breadth of knowledge and creativity to take advantage of all of these opportunities." Michael Crow, President of Arizona State University, added that "this ASU dewvaporation platform is one that we view as disruptive to current water purification processes. It will also provide a low-cost option to purify water in regions where identifying sources of fresh water is challenging."

Arizona Technology Enterprises (www.azte.com), ASU's venture development company, works with university inventors and industry to transform scientific progress into products, services and new companies. Arizona Technology Enterprises transfers technologies invented at ASU, Northern Arizona University, and their affiliated research institutes, to the private sector by mining university research, prosecuting patents, negotiating licenses, and forming spinout companies.

With offices in Albuquerque and Englewood, CO, Altela (www.altelainc.com) has licensed and developed a fundamentally new water desalination product, the AltelaRain system. The company has assembled a strong intellectual property position, an experienced management team and Board of Directors, and has initially targeted the multi-billion-dollar market for disposal of salt water co-produced with oil and natural gas production. By removing all contaminants from this dirty oilfield produced water, Altela converts these contaminated water liabilities into clean water assets, thereby removing its customer's high disposal costs and environmental liability by the present oilfield methods of reinjecting the water back into the ground or storage in large "pits." The AltelaRain system has successfully completed real-world oilfield beta testing.

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