Irvine, California-based BlueFire Renewables to form subsidiary SucreSource to create low-cost, non-food cellulosic sugars for advanced biofuels companies

Tracy McDonald

SAN FRANCISCO and IRVINE, California , November 11, 2011 (press release) – Today, at the Advanced Biofuels Markets Conference in San Francisco, Arnold Klann, Chief Executive Officer and President of BlueFire Renewables, a company focused on shifting the paradigm for energy sources by converting non-food cellulosic wastes into renewable fuels and chemicals, will announce the formation of a wholly-owned subsidiary, SucreSource. The new subsidiary will focus specifically on the production of cellulosic sugars to establish an at scale commercialization pathway for companies with back-end fermentation, bio-reactor and catalysis processes.

"SucreSource was created to meet the market's increasing demand for cellulosic sugars," said Arnold Klann, President and Chief Executive Officer of BlueFire Renewables. "Back-end biochemical and biofuel processes need low cost, non-food cellulosic sugars for widespread commercialization, whether the end product be ethanol, biobutanol, ethyl levulinate, etc. BlueFire's front-end technology that breaks down cellulosic waste into its component sugars can meet that growing need. SucreSource provides a platform for BlueFire to service the many inquiries and requests for sugars that come our way."

SucreSource will capitalize on the process design packages already completed by BlueFire, providing either a 34,000 tons per year or 163,000 tons per year source of cellulosic sugars. These designs are ready to build today and provide the scale necessary for the industry to meet the growing demand for advanced biofuels. BlueFire's process is a high yield (85% or better conversion), multiple sugar stream, optimal solution to unlocking cellulosic sugars from biomass. It can process multiple and mixed feedstocks; does not require genetically modified organisms (GMO's), and operates at low temperature and atmospheric conditions using BlueFire's patented Arkenol Acid Hydrolysis Technology. In addition, it has a low carbon footprint and production facilities can be located almost anywhere waste streams are available. Because of the core technology, xylose, glucose, and other sugars can be isolated and delivered at the customer's request.

"BlueFire's efficient conversion of low cost cellulosic wastes can produce the lowest cellulosic sugar costs for downstream processing," said BlueFire CTO John Cuzens. SucreSource intends to capitalize on market inefficiency where demand currently outweighs supply, as it is one of the first of its kind in the space. Focused solely on serving the demand for low cost cellulosic sugars for use with other technology platforms, SucreSource provides another pathway for investor and partner participation in BlueFire. The company is currently in discussions with several potential buyers for sugars and hopes to announce new partnerships soon.

About BlueFire Renewables, Inc.

BlueFire Renewables, Inc. was established to deploy a commercially ready, patented and proven Concentrated Acid Hydrolysis Technology Process for the profitable conversion of cellulosic waste materials ("Green Waste") to renewable fuel sources, including Cellulosic Ethanol, Biodiesel, BioJet Fuel, and Drop-in Directs. BlueFire is the only cellulose-to-fuel company worldwide with demonstrated production of Biofuels from urban trash (post-sorted MSW), rice and wheat straws, wood waste and other agricultural residues.

BlueFire received an increase to its Grant totaling $88 million under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act in December of 2009. BlueFire's biorefineries will be located near markets with high demand for ethanol and will use locally available biomass. This should dramatically reduce delivery costs and increase biofuel supplies, while providing a unique waste processing technology to help America's cities better manage the increasing problem of overflowing landfills. For more information, please visit www.BFREINC.com.

About SucreSource

SucreSource is a wholly owned subsidiary of BlueFire Renewables, Inc. with a specific mandate of producing low cost cellulosic sugars for sale. It will use the same patented concentrated acid hydrolysis process with over 19 years of development behind it to create clean fermentable sugars.

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