Enerkem Announces World-Class Advanced Energy Research Center in Edmonton, Alberta,...

Enerkem Announces World-Class Advanced Energy Research Center in Edmonton,
Alberta, Canada

Positioning Enerkem at the forefront of advanced energy research

MONTREAL, July 7 /PRNewswire/ - Enerkem, a leading waste-to-biofuels and green
chemicals technology company, today announced that it will jointly form an
advanced energy research center with the City of Edmonton and the Alberta
Energy Research Institute (AERI).
The research center will focus on the development and demonstration of novel
catalytic conversion processes to produce advanced biofuels and green
chemicals from non-hazardous industrial waste (generated by the oil and gas,
agricultural, forestry and other industrial sectors), as well as from
municipal waste. It will be adjacent to the planned commercial
waste-to-biofuels production facility, which is ready for construction and has
already been announced by Enerkem.
"Enerkem is a proud partner in this novel project, which focuses on innovative
technologies and research for tomorrow's carbon constrained reality," said
Vincent Chornet, President and Chief Executive Officer of Enerkem. "This
research center will become an important component in furthering our company's
dedication to innovation, allowing us to attract some of the country's
brightest minds."
The research center will include laboratory equipment and a well-instrumented
pilot plant. It will welcome top researchers from Alberta and throughout
Canada, particularly those specialized in thermo-catalysis, to take part in
developing a new line of alcohol and hydrocarbon fuels suitable for tomorrow's
reality. Construction of the research center is scheduled to be completed in
the first quarter of 2010. Enerkem will develop the center in collaboration
with the City of Edmonton. AERI is contributing $9 million to the project.
The research center is part of a comprehensive waste-to-biofuels initiative
between the City of Edmonton, Enerkem, and the government of Alberta, through
AERI. In addition to the research center, this initiative includes the
36-million liters per year commercial waste-to-biofuels production facility
and a municipal waste processing facility being built by the City of Edmonton.
Enerkem announced in May 2009 that the commercial waste-to-biofuels production
facility has successfully completed the necessary environmental regulatory
process and had been granted a permit to commence construction.

About Enerkem

Enerkem (www.enerkem.com) is a leading waste-to-biofuels and green chemicals
technology company. It has developed a unique gasification, sequential gas
conditioning and catalysis technology platform, capable of using a mix of
feedstock, such as sorted municipal solid waste, forest biomass and
agricultural residues. The company is headquartered in Montreal, Quebec, and
has engineering offices in Sherbrooke, Quebec. It has a pilot plant, in
operation since 2003, in Sherbrooke, Quebec. Enerkem's first commercial-scale
plant is based in Westbury, Quebec. The company is also involved in the
development of a municipal waste-to-biofuels plant in Edmonton, Alberta, and
recently announced the development of a second-generation biofuels production
facility to be located in Pontotoc, Mississippi. Enerkem is a private company,
financed by leading US venture capital firms Rho Ventures and Braemar Energy
Ventures, the Canadian investment fund BDR Capital and the Company's
management.

About the City of Edmonton

The City of Edmonton (www.edmonton.ca) is at the forefront of waste management
practices having established the leading Edmonton Waste Management Centre
(EWMC) and associated Centre of Excellence. The EWMC is North America's
largest collection of modern, sustainable waste processing and research
facilities. Facilities at the 233-hectare site include a Materials Recovery
Facility, the Edmonton Composting Facility, the GEEP Electric and Electronic
Waste Recycling Facility, the Clover Bar Landfill, a leachate treatment plant,
a landfill gas to electricity system, a construction and demolition waste
recycling operation, and a research facility. At the development stage is the
waste-to-biofuels project.

About Alberta Energy Research Institute (AERI)

The mission of the Alberta Energy Research Institute (www.aeri.ab.ca) is to
increase the energy industry's capacity to develop and adapt innovative
technologies that maximize the value of Alberta's natural and renewable
resources. AERI develops and implements the energy innovation strategy for
Alberta and, in partnership with industry and other government agencies,
invests in collaborative applied research, technology development and pilot
demonstrations along the entire innovation chain. AERI's six strategic
programs areas are: Bitumen Upgrading, Clean Carbon/Coal, Improved Recovery,
Renewables, CO2 & Emissions and Water Use.
SOURCE Enerkem Inc.

Marie-Helene Labrie, Vice-President, Government Affairs and Communications,
Enerkem Inc., (514) 875-0284 x 231, mlabrie@enerkem.com