Novozymes joins Lignol Energy's consortium for its Sustainable Development Technology Canada-funded project, will provide technical, development support for advanced hydrolysis, fermentation of woody biomass into cellulosic ethanol

Rachel Carter

VANCOUVER, British Columbia , June 20, 2011 (press release) – Advancing the goal of producing cost competitive cellulosic ethanol

Lignol Energy Corporation (TSXV: LEC), a leading technology company in the advanced biofuels and renewable chemicals sectors, today announced that Novozymes, Inc. has joined Lignol's consortium for its Sustainable Development Technology Canada (SDTC) funded project.

Novozymes' contribution to the consortium consists of technical and development support related to advanced hydrolysis and fermention of woody biomass into cellulosic ethanol. This announcement builds on the successful work completed to date between the two companies in their joint research and development program which was previously announced in 2010.

"In the last two years we have made significant progress with Novozymes towards our shared goal of producing cellulosic ethanol that is cost competitive with gasoline," said Ross MacLachlan, President and CEO of Lignol. "We are very pleased that the world's leading enzyme company is committed to the success of our consortium as we embark on the final stages of commercializing our technology," he added.

"The combination of Novozymes' latest enzymes with Lignol's extremely clean and highly reactive substrates is anticipated to provide a compelling cost structure for cellulose-to-ethanol conversion at commercial scale," said Claus Fuglsang, Novozymes' Managing Director for Bioenergy R&D.

About Novozymes

Novozymes is the world leader in bioinnovation. Together with customers across a broad array of industries Novozymes creates tomorrow's industrial biosolutions, improving its customers' business and the use of our planet's resources.

With over 700 products used in 130 countries, Novozymes' bioinnovations increase industrial performance and safeguard the world's resources by offering superior and sustainable solutions for tomorrow's ever-changing marketplace. Read more at www.novozymes.com.

About the SDTC project

SDTC is an arm's length foundation created by the Government of Canada which operates two funds aimed at the development and demonstration of innovative clean technology solutions. In addition to funding from SDTC's SD Tech Fund, Lignol has received financial and in-kind support from its consortium partners to pilot and commercialize its biorefining technology.

The current project focuses on implementing three major innovations:

Greater use of the hemicellulose-derived sugars to increase yields of ethanol and other sugar platform chemicals such as glycols;
Demonstrating higher value applications for Lignol's High Performance Lignin; and
Enhancing Lignol's biorefinery to generate multiple co-products and handle diverse feedstocks, including beetle-killed Lodgepole pine.

About Lignol

Lignol (TSXV: LEC) is a Canadian company undertaking the development of biorefining technologies for the production of advanced biofuels, including fuel-grade ethanol, and renewable chemicals from non-food cellulosic biomass feedstocks. Lignol's modified solvent based pre-treatment technology facilitates the rapid, high-yield conversion of cellulose to ethanol and the production of renewable chemicals, including High Performance Lignin (HP-L™). HP-LTM lignin represents a new class of high purity lignin extractives (and their subsequent derivatives) which can be engineered to meet the chemical properties and functional requirements of a range of industrial applications that until now has not been possible with traditional lignin by-products generated from other processes. Lignol is executing on its development plan through strategic partnerships to further develop and integrate its core technologies on a commercial scale. Lignol also intends to invest in, or otherwise obtain, equity interests in energy related projects which have synergies with its biorefining technology. For more information please visit Lignol's website at www.lignol.ca.

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