Founded in 2003 as Applied NanoWorks, Auterra is a Schenectady, New York, catalyst and process-technology research organization developing lower-energy ways to desulfurize and upgrade crude oil and refinery streams. Its proprietary FlexUp process targets heavy, sour crude—including oil-sands feedstocks—using oxidation-based chemistry rather than conventional hydrogen-intensive treatment, while FlexULS addresses sulfur removal in lighter streams. Auterra’s technologies are protected by a global patent portfolio.