Jan 14, 2010
Catilin Contributes Key Extraction, Sequestration and Conversion Technologies to NAABB Consortium Developing Algal Biofuels

Catilin is the largest private sector participant in the winning consortium

January 14, 2010 -- Ames, IA - Catilin, Inc., a leading biofuels catalyst technology company, announced that it will embark a $5.3 million project over the next three years as part of the $44 million DOE Investment for Advanced Biofuels Research and Fueling Infrastructure award made to the Catilin's consortium, National Alliance for Advanced Biofuels and Bioproducts (NAABB). Catilin and its partner, Iowa State University - Center for Catalysis (ISU-CCAT), will provide key extraction, sequestration and conversion technologies. The NAABB consortium is made up of 26 groups from both the private and public sector and is led by the Donald Danforth Plant Science Center.

Catilin and ISU-CCAT, members of the NAABB, will build on their pioneering algal oil extraction technology using mesoporous nanoparticles to selectively extract and sequester targeted fuel-relevant and high value compounds within the algal lipid mixture. The balance of the algal oil, which contains free fatty acids (FFA) and triglycerides, will be converted to biodiesel using Catilin's commercially available T300 catalyst. The pilot scale work will be completed at Catilin's currently operating 300,000 gallon per year pilot plant.

"This award solidifies Catilin's position as a leading provider of extraction and catalyst technology for biomass conversion." said Larry Lenhart, Catilin's CEO. "We are enthusiastic participants in the NAABB consortium and believe that this unique consortium will bring cross discipline knowledge working together to advance the reality of biofuel from algae. As the largest private sector participant we will make a direct impact on the ability to demonstrate the scalable and economic conversion of algal oil to biofuels while capturing and monetizing valuable co-products".

Catilin has been closely aligned with ISU-CCAT since 2007 when Professor Victor Lin of Iowa State University founded Catilin with financial support from Mohr Davidow Ventures of Menlo Park, CA. "Our technology is instrumental in several key steps of the algae to biofuels supply chain as the efficient oil-extraction and solid catalyst provides a cost effective conversion route", said Prof. Lin who is also the Director of ISU-CCAT and the Director of the Chemical and Biological Sciences Program at DOE Ames Laboratory.

About Catilin

Catilin, Inc. is a catalyst technology company that is revolutionizing biofuels production. Catilin has a unique, new technology for biodiesel production that greatly reduces the cost of producing a gallon of biodiesel while creating a superior quality biodiesel and glycerin co-product. The pioneering research of Catilin, in conjunction with Ames Laboratory and Iowa State University, continues to focus on the future of biofuels including award-winning research on algal oil extraction and sequestration.

About ISU - Center for Catalysis
The Center for Catalysis, or CCAT, at Iowa State University is dedicated to the development of useful, practical catalysts and sustainable green chemistry methods for agricultural, industrial and environmental applications. CCAT is a member of the Institute for Physical Research and Technology of Iowa State University. It draws on researchers and staff of the U.S. Department of Energy's Ames Laboratory and faculty and scientists at Iowa State University. ( http://www.iprt.iastate.edu/ccat/ )

Source: Catilin, Inc.

Media contact: Dave Sams dsams@catilin.com
(415) 389-0296

November 2009 Presentation to AOCS - Munich

Dave Sams, PhD, VP Business Development

Download a pdf file of the presentation.

November 2009 in BIODEISEL MAGAZINE

SRI Consulting reviews Catilin technology

by Susanne Retka Schill

Posted November 2, 2009

Catilin Inc. announced results from an analysis of its new T300 catalyst completed by SRI Consulting of Menlo Park, Calif. "SRI came to us and said they'd like to do an in-depth study and publish it for their subscribers," said David Sams, vice president for business development. The independent study supported results from Catilin's internal work as well as outside engineering analysis commissioned by Catilin. SRI Consulting concluded that Catilin's solid catalyst process has a value advantage over the traditional catalytic process of 13 cents per gallon of biodiesel. When the capital expense savings are included, the advantage increases to 19 cents per gallon of biodiesel.

"We are pleased that SRI Consulting has completed this review and will include th e information as a supplement to their Biodiesel Production Report. This thorough analysis validated our T300 catalyst as a real breakthrough in current and future biodiesel production for use with first-, second- and third-generation feedstocks," said Larry Lenhart, president and CEO.

Catilin is commercializing the research done in developing the new catalyst at Iowa State University in Ames and the U.S. DOE's Ames Laboratory. The T300 heterogeneous catalyst is nontoxic and can be a direct replacement for conventional catalysts used in biodiesel production. The drop-in solid catalyst operates at industry standard pressures and temperatures and is removed with filtration. As a result, current producers can retrofit their plants in a matter of days at very low cost. Another key advantage is that the glycerin coproduct has purity greater than 98 percent and qualifies as technical grade, which significantly enhances its overall value.

Sams reported engineering and equipment ordering is underway for the first deployment of the T300 catalyst in a sizeable plant, which he expects to be operational by early February. "We've asked other companies that have approached us and wanted the catalyst to wait," he added. "We intentionally are doing the first project individually, so we can work out any issues. The next step will be to install it in multiple plants in parallel." His goal is to begin working on the second wave of installations in January.

"The potential benefits of a solid catalyst for the biodiesel industry are significant and we are glad to see Catilin pursue this work," said Glen Meier, director of technology and feedstock development for Renewable Energy Group Inc. REG has followed the development of the catalyst since work began by a team led by Victor Lin at ISU and the Ames Laboratory. "We also appreciate the efforts of Catilin to operate at typical temperatures and pressures to conserve energy, and believe this will widen the market acceptance of the catalyst," Meier said.

The abstract of the SRI Consulting report is here:
http://www.sriconsulting.com/PEP/Public/Reports/Phase_2009/RW2009-5/ .

For an earlier article in Biodiesel Magazine about Catilin's work, "A Solid Catalyst Unlike the Rest," visit http://biodieselmagazine.com/article.jsp?article_id=3536

© 2009 BBI International
Link to this article in Biodiesel Magazine

November 2009 — SRI Consulting reviews Catilin technology

Contact: Dave Sams, Catilin, +1 415-389-0295

Catilin's Process Delivers Biodiesel Savings of 19 Cents per Gallon

11/03/09

Ames, IA - Catilin, Inc., a leading catalyst technology company for biofuels, announced today that SRI Consulting of Menlo Park, CA, has completed a technical and economic analysis of the Catilin process for producing biodiesel. SRIC concluded that Catilin's solid catalyst process has a value advantage over the traditional catalytic process of 13 cents per gallon of biodiesel. When the capital expense savings are included, the advantage increases to 19 cents per gallon of biodiesel.

"We are pleased that SRI Consulting has co mpleted this review and will include the information as a supplement to their Biodies el Production Report. This thorough analysis validated our T300 catalyst as a real break through in current and future biodiesel production for use with first, second and third generation feedstocks," said Larry Lenhart, President and CEO.

The heart of the Catilin process is the T300 heterogeneous catalyst which is a non-toxic direct replacement for the commonly used toxic sodium methylate. Unlike other solid catalysts trying to enter the market, Catilin's T300 catalyst is able to operate at industry standard pressures and temperatures. As a result, current producers can retrofit their plants in a matter of days at very low cost. Another key advantage is that the glycerin co- product has purity greater than 98% and qualifies as technical grade which significantly enhances its overall value.

"The potential benefits of a solid catalyst for the biodiesel industry are significant and we are glad to see Catilin pursue this work" said Glen Meier, Director of Technology and Feedstock Development for Renewable Ener gy Group, Inc. He continued, "We also appreciate the efforts of Catilin to operate at typical temperatures and pressures to conserve energy and believe this will widen the market acceptance of the catalyst."

The abstract of the SRI Consulting report is publicly available here: www.sriconsulting.com/PEP/Public/Reports/Phase_2009/RW2009-5/.

About Catilin

Catilin, Inc. is a catalyst technology company that is revol utionizing biofuels production. Catilin has a unique, new technology for biodi esel production that greatly reduces the cost of producing a gallon of biodiesel wh ile creating a superior quality biodiesel and glycerin co-product. The pioneering resear ch of Catilin, in conjunction with Ames Laboratory and Iowa State Univ ersity, continues to focus on the future of biofuels including award-winning research on algal oil extraction and sequestration. For more information, please visit our website www.catilin.com .

July 2009 in BIODEISEL MAGAZINE

A Solid Catalyst Unlike the Rest

Catilin Inc. is rolling out T300, a solid catalyst that sidesteps the need for a fixed bed. The company is also making progress in nanocatalyst and nanofarming technologies.

by Susanne Retka Schill

The team at Catilin Inc. anticipates that the promise of lower operating costs, ease of use and safety will overcome the challenges of introducing its T300 solid catalyst to the biodiesel industry in these difficult financial times. Catilin's pilot plant where the T300 catalyst validation work is being conducted currently utilizes soy oil as feedstock. The company has manufactured enough of this catalyst, which is based on a nontoxic, common mineral, to supply several large biodiesel plants for one year.

T300 differs from most solid catalysts that require a fixed bed and high temperature or pressure to operate, according to Dave Sams, Catilin's vice president of business development. Describing a fixed bed system, Sams says, "Inside a reactive vessel they put a plate with a mesh. The catalyst is stacked on top of that mesh and the oil flows through." In the petroleum industry, where Sams worked before joining Catilin, fixed bed systems are common but require highly paid engineers to monitor the process. The systems also require reactors designed for the higher temperatures and pressures necessary for the fixed bed catalysts to work efficiently-a costly retrofit that has largely discouraged the biodiesel industry from adopting solid catalysts.

"Our solid catalyst makes it so much easier," says Larry Lenhart, Catilin CEO. "It's safe and nontoxic, and it requires less expense to run. You don't need to do the mixtures with acids and pH balance, and you can eliminate water washing." With fewer steps, potentially 30 percent of the equipment in a standard biodiesel plant can be eliminated, he adds.

Sams describes the T300 as a "drop-in catalyst" that can be used as a direct replacement for the commonly used sodium methoxide catalysts. "We don't need a fixed bed because we mix in the granular powder directly with the oil," he says. The heterogeneous catalyst remains solid, and performs much the same way as the familiar homogeneous catalysts that are liquids in solution. The catalytic activity is similar to sodium methoxide, with a residence time of 40 to 60 minutes.

The biggest difference is in catalyst removal once reaction is complete. "Typically in a plant, they splash water on the biodiesel to wash out the sodium catalyst so the biodiesel is clean," Sams explains. "Because we have a solid catalyst, we don't need to do that. We use a sophisticated filter to keep the catalyst in the reactor and let the products leave the reactor without any of the catalyst in it. That means people can use a dry wash, which is more economical."

The retrofit to use the T300 solid catalyst involves the addition of a hopper and injection system to introduce the catalyst, and a filter to separate the catalyst from the biodiesel and glycerin products. Both components already exist and are off-the-shelf technologies. "The big designers have historically recommended water wash systems," Sams tells Biodiesel Magazine. "They've had to use water wash because the sodium methoxide they've used as the catalyst has to be removed down to 5 parts per million or less in the biodiesel and the water wash does a very good job of that. Those systems are typically expensive to operate because they require a big distillation column. There's a lot of energy required and if you get in places where water is in tight supply, it becomes a real problem," he says.

The T300 catalyst is nontoxic, has a long life and can be easily disposed when it is spent, Sams adds. He estimates the cost of retrofitting a 30 MMgy plant to switch to the Catilin catalyst would range between $300,000 and $600,000, depending on plant configuration. Initial discussions with potential customers are showing a payback period for the capital investment of about 12 months. The T300 catalyst itself is priced competitively with sodium methoxide.

Catilin received a $150,000 grant earlier this year to upgrade its pilot plant located at the Biomass Energy Conversion Center near Ames, Iowa. The funds from the Iowa Department of Economic Development were used to convert the pilot plant from batch to continuous flow as the final step in commercializing the technology. A series of runs at the pilot scale has shown consistent results with the soy-based biodiesel, passing both ASTM and European specifications, according to Sams, including the new and somewhat problematic Cold Soak Filtration Test. Catilin is now testing T300 with a number of alternative feedstocks.

Nano-Style Biodiesel

Catilin gets its name from combining the first syllables of catalyst with its founder's last name, Victor Lin, who serves as chief technologist at Catilin. Lin also continues in his joint appointments as an Iowa State University professor of chemistry, and as program director of chemicals and biological sciences at the U.S. DOE Ames Laboratory. His work is being commercialized through Catilin, which is partly owned by ISU with the backing of two California-based venture capitalist firms, Mohr Davidow Ventures and Leader Ventures. Lenhart and Sams, both of whom come to Catilin with experience in venture-backed development, are based in San Francisco. The rest of the Catilin team is in Ames, Iowa.

SOURCE: CATILIN

The T300 is a bit of detour for Lin. Biodiesel Magazine wrote about his work on developing a nano-style catalyst in October 2007, shortly after Catilin was formed. Lin's research team had completed the first generation development of a new class of biodiesel catalyst. Using nanotechnology principles, they developed synthetic nano particles that vastly increase catalytic surface area while combining acid and basic functionalities in the same catalyst. The goal is a catalyst that converts high free fatty acid (FFA) feedstocks to biodiesel in a single step, eliminating pretreatment.

Two years ago, Lin was facing two challenges in the catalyst development-increasing the reaction time for the process and reducing cost. The initial estimates for the cost of a synthetic nanocatalyst at 30 cents to 40 cents per gallon were too high, Lin recalls. "Biodiesel producers told us to squeeze the cost down to five cents to 10 cents per gallon," he says. "That becomes a challenge for any sort of synthetic." The T300, which is not a nanocatalyst, was developed in the search for economic starting materials from natural minerals and oxides that could be used in place of synthetics. Work on the nanocatalyst parallels T300 development, and pilot-scale tests are ready to go once the final T300 test runs are completed.

The nanocatalyst is being tailored to work in the same process design as the T300, Lin says. The researchers have also developed nanocatalyst manufacturing systems that do not require the pristine environments needed for nanotechnolgies used in optical or semiconductor applications. One of Lin's goals has been to find a catalyst that would work not only with higher grades of animal fats with their high FFA content, but with lower grades of poultry fats, recycled waste oil and even algae oil. "In chicken fat, they press the meat and skin, and whatever floats on top is chicken fat," Lin explains. "It can include feathers, blood, proteins and collagens." Cleaning up the lower grade, high FFA feedstocks adds layers of processes and costs. A similar hurdle faces the embryonic algae industry as well.

Nanofarming Algae

Lin likes to describe algae oil as an alphabet soup containing multiple compounds from A to Z. "We only want the ones with the letter B, for biodiesel," he says. Other compounds in the soup have been used in the pharmaceutical or food supplement industries, where much of the work on algae production originated.

Existing systems generally concentrate the algae, grind them and use solvents to extract the oil, which kills the algae in the process and produces oil that contains multiple compounds, including some that can interfere with the biodiesel process.

Lin is turning to nanotechnology in the latest series of experiments he and his colleague Marek Pruski are conducting with algae at the DOE Ames Laboratory. "By combining nanotechnology, chemistry and catalysis, we have been able to find solutions that have not been considered to date," Lin says. Nanoparticles, with their high surface area and porous honeycomb shape, can target pore size to a desired molecule. "We're using this as a tiny sponge to soak up the molecules we want, and filter off what we don't want," Lin says. The most promising aspect of the nanofarming technology is that it doesn't kill the single-celled algae in the process of harvesting the oil. The goal is a system that reduces algae production costs by cutting algae culturing costs, and speeding up the production cycle plus reducing the cost of refining the algae oil before transesterification.

The initial laboratory work has been promising enough that Lin and his team landed DOE support for a $1.1 million three-year project, funded with $885,000 from the DOE's Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, $216,000 from Catilin, and $16,000 from Iowa State University in matching funds. Catilin has signed a Cooperative Research and Development Agreement with the Ames Laboratory, with the goal of bringing the project to commercialization. Phases one and two of the project will cover the culturing and selection of microalgae and the development of the nano-based extraction and catalyst technologies. Phase three will focus on scale-up of the catalyst and pilot scale testing.

Lenhart says, "When we ultimately put this exceptional extraction technology with Catilin's existing solid biodiesel catalyst, we will dramatically increase the reality of renewable energy."

Susanne Retka Schill is assistant editor of Biodiesel Magazine. Reach her at sretkaschill@bbiinternational.com or (701) 738-4922.
© 2009 BBI International

April 14, 2009 —NANOFARMING TECHNOLOGY EXTRACTS BIOFUEL OIL WITHOUT HARMING ALGAE

Ames Laboratory and Catilin seek to commercialize new algal oil extraction process

AMES, Iowa - Algae is widely touted as the next best source for fueling the world's energy needs. But one of the greatest challenges in creating biofuels from algae is that when you extract the oil from the algae, it kills the organisms, dramatically raising production costs. Now researchers at the U.S. Department of Energy's Ames Laboratory and Iowa State University have developed groundbreaking "nanofarming" technology that safely harvests oil from the algae so the pond-based "crop" can keep on producing.

Commercialization of this new technology is at the center of a Cooperative Research and Development Agreement between the Ames Laboratory and Catilin, a nano-technology-based company that specializes in biofuel production. The agreement targets development of this novel approach to reduce the cost and energy consumption of the industrial processing of non-food source biofuel feedstock. The three-year project is being funded with $885,000 from DOE Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy's Industrial Technology Program as part of the 2008 Nanomanufacturing for Energy Efficiency program, and $216,000 from Catilin and $16,000 from Iowa State University in matching funds.

The so-called "nanofarming" technology uses sponge-like nanoparticles to extract oil from the algae. The process doesn't harm the algae like other methods being developed, which helps reduce both production costs and the production cycle. Once the algal oil is extracted, a separate and proven solid catalyst from Catilin will be used to produce ASTM (American Society for Testing and Materials) and EN certified biodiesel.

The potential of algae for fuel is tremendous as up to 10,000 gallons of oil may be produced on a single acre of land⁽¹⁾. According to other estimates, if fuel from algae production replaced all the petroleum fuel used annually for ground transportation in the United States, it would require only 15,000 square miles - or half the size of South Carolina - to produce that quantity of algal-based fuel,⁽²⁾ or just less than 70 percent of the total corn acreage in Iowa for 2007.⁽³⁾

The driving force behind this combination of nanotechnology and biofuels is Ames Laboratory chemical and biological sciences program director Victor Lin. Since 2000, Lin, who is also a chemistry professor at Iowa State University, has been leading research on using nanotechnology to dramatically change the production process of biodiesel. This successful technology led Lin to found Catilin one and a half years ago.

"By combining nanotechnology, chemistry and catalysis, we have been able to find solutions that have not been considered to date," Lin said. "Ames Laboratory and Iowa State University offer valuable research capabilities and resources that will play a key role in this exciting collaboration with Catilin."

According to Marek Pruski, Ames Laboratory senior physicist and co-investigator on the project, phase one and two of the project will cover the culturing and selection of microalgae as well as the development of the specific nanoparticle-based extraction and catalyst technologies for the removal of algal oil and the production of biodiesel, respectively. Phase three will focus on scale-up of the catalyst and pilot plant testing on conversion to biodiesel.

"When we ultimately put together this exceptional extraction technology with Catilin's existing solid biodiesel catalyst, we will dramatically increase the reality of renewable energy," said Catilin's CEO, Larry Lenhart. "Given the Obama Administration's objectives, the timing is perfect."

Ames Laboratory is a U.S. Department of Energy Office of Science research facility operated by Iowa State University. Ames Laboratory creates innovative materials, technologies and energy solutions. We use our expertise, unique capabilities and interdisciplinary collaborations to solve global challenges.

About Catilin

Catilin, Inc. is a nanotechnology-based company that is revolutionizing biofuel production. Catilin has developed a unique, new technology for biodiesel production that greatly reduces the cost of producing a gallon of biodiesel while creating a superior quality biodiesel and glycerin byproduct. Catilin's patent-pending non-toxic technology is centered on a family of solid heterogeneous catalysts that can be easily used within existing production facilities, can be reused multiple times and works with virtually every biodiesel feedstock source.

In addition, several production steps in the traditional biodiesel production process can be eliminated with Catilin's revolutionary technology, making the process both economically and environmentally more desirable, while producing purer biodiesel and a purer glycerol side-product.

The pioneering research of Catilin, in conjunction with Ames Laboratory and Iowa State University, continues to focus on the future of biodiesel including the award-winning research on algae to biodiesel.

(1) "Potential for Biofuels from Algae", Philip T. Pienkos, National Renewable Energy Laboratory, presented at the Algae Biomass Summit, Nov. 15, 2007, San Francisco, CA.

(2) "Widescale Biodiesel Production from Algae", Michael Briggs, University of New Hampshire, Physics Department, 2004.

(3) USDA & Iowa State University Extension Service.

March 11, 2009 —Catilin Receives Renewable Energy Award for Pilot Plant

Iowa Department of Economic Development Awards Funds to Catilin, Inc

Ames, IA - Catilin, Inc., a leading catalyst technology company for biofuels, announced today a Demonstration Fund award of $150,000 by the Iowa Department of Economic Development. The award is targeted for the upgrade of Catilin's biodiesel pilot plant, from batch to continuous operation mode. Operation of the pilot plant in the continuous mode is the final step in the rigorous commercialization process of the world's first heterogeneous (solid) biodiesel catalyst: Catilin's T300 Biodiesel Catalyst.

Biodiesel is commonly produced using a homogeneous (liquid) catalyst, such as sodium hydroxide or sodium methylate. These catalysts require excessive amounts of water, energy, toxic chemicals, and equipment to produce the biodiesel and glycerin coproducts. Catilin's heterogeneous catalyst, on the other hand, does not suffer these traits and is also non-toxic, a critical issue throughout the U.S. and around the globe. Additionally, the T300 Catalyst can be used in existing plants with minimal modification as it reacts at common operational temperatures and pressure.

"We are pleased to receive the Iowa Demonstration Fund award which validates our extensive and successful testing in our lab and now in our continuous process flow pilot plant. Our pilot plant produces 300,000 gallons of high-quality biodiesel per year utilizing Catilin's ground-breaking T300 Catalyst," said Larry Lenhart, President and CEO.

Catilin's pilot plant is located within the BECON (Biomass Energy Conversion) facility outside of Ames, IA. The pilot plant is open to visitors, prospective partners and customers.

About Catilin

Catilin, Inc. is a catalyst technology company that is revolutionizing biofuels production. Catilin has a unique, new technology for biodiesel production that greatly reduces the cost of producing a gallon of biodiesel while creating a superior quality biodiesel and glycerin by-product. Catilin's patent-pending, non-toxic technology is centered on a family of solid heterogeneous catalysts that can be easily utilized within existing production facilities, can be reused multiple times and works with virtually every biodiesel feedstock source.

The pioneering research of Catilin, in conjunction with Ames Laboratory and Iowa State University, continues to focus on the future of biodiesel, including the award-winning research on algae to biodiesel.

January 19, 2009 — Catilin Appoints Petrochemical Industry Veteran David Sams as Vice President of Business Development

Former WR Grace Refining Technologies leader to drive business relationships and sales for biodiesel company

Ames, IA - January 19, 2009 - Catilin, Inc., a biodiesel technology company, today announced that David Sams has joined the company as Vice President of Business Development. Sams brings more than 20 years experience in the petrochemical manufacturing industry to Catilin and will be responsible for developing and maintaining Catilin's partnerships on a world-wide basis.

This nano-technology catalyst is one of a family of patent pending catalysts that convert multiple feedstocks to biodiesel, including soy, canola, beef tallow, chicken fat, jathropha, and algae, among others. This initial certification production utilized soy RBD as a feedstock and is a precursor to expanding to a much broader utilization of feedstocks at the Catilin testing facilities in Ames, IA.

"Dave Sams brings Catilin not only significant business development leadership from W.R. Grace and ORYXE Energy, but he also has deep technical and petrochemical market production insights as an engineer with Shell Oil." said Larry Lenhart, President and CEO of Catilin. "With the Obama Administration's commitment to biofuels, the timing could not be better to welcome Dave to our leadership team."

Sams has held executive positions at WR Grace and ORYXE Energy leading sales and business development activities across the globe. Most recently he was Senior Vice President of Supply and Marketing at ORYXE Energy, a clean-tech venture-backed company. He has also held engineering leadership positions for Shell Oil.

On Catilin, Sams said: "I look forward to working with the Catilin team,, its customers and partners. It is a dynamic time in the marketplace driven by rapid adoption of renewable energy, promising and abundant feedstocks, and important technological advancements."

About Catilin

Catilin, Inc. is a nano-technology based company that is revolutionizing biofuel production. Catilin has developed a unique, new technology for biodiesel production that greatly reduces the cost of producing a gallon of biodiesel while creating a superior quality biodiesel and glycerin by-product. Catilin's patent-pending non-toxic technology is centered around a family of solid heterogeneous catalysts that can be easily utilized within existing production facilities, can be reused multiple times and works with virtually every biodiesel feedstock source. In addition, several production steps in the traditional biodiesel production process can be eliminated with Catilin's revolutionary technology, making the process both economically and environmentally more desirable, while producing a more pure biodiesel and a more pure glycerol side-product.

The pioneering research of Catilin continues to focus on the future of biodiesel including our DOE-award wining research on algae to biodiesel.

Contact Information: Pamela Mahoney
Mohr Davidow Ventures

April 17, 2008 — Catilin Proves Next Generation Biodiesel Production - Exceeding Industry Quality Standards

Ames, Iowa - April 17, 2008 - Catilin, a leading nano-technology catalyst company in the biofuels market, announced today that they have produced biodiesel using Catilin's catalyst at industry standard operating conditions. The Catilin biodiesel exceeds both ASTM and EN standards as certified by an independent testing lab.

This nano-technology catalyst is one of a family of patent pending catalysts that convert multiple feedstocks to biodiesel, including soy, canola, beef tallow, chicken fat, jathropha, and algae, among others. This initial certification production utilized soy RBD as a feedstock and is a precursor to expanding to a much broader utilization of feedstocks at the Catilin testing facilities in Ames, IA.

This is the first time that a solid catalyst has produced such high quality biodiesel and glycerin using industry standard operating conditions, including temperature and pressure. This next generation production process allows producers to reduce operating and capital expense, while producing exceptional quality biodiesel and glycerin. Since the catalyst is re-used multiple times, with no loss in reactivity, and since no toxic materials or water is introduced in the process, no toxic waste is generated.

For additional information regarding Catilin and its biodiesel innovations, please email info@catilin.com or call (866) 531-6015.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

October 1, 2007 — Catilin Appoints Petrochemical Industry Veteran Wayne Turner Vice President of Operations and Engineering

Catilin Appoints Petrochemical Industry Veteran Wayne Turner Vice President of Operations and Engineering Former Dow Chemical leader to drive expanding operations and commercialization of biodiesel company

Ames, IA. - October 1, 2007 - Catilin, Inc., a biodiesel technology company, today announced that Wayne Turner has joined the company as Vice President of Operations and Engineering. Turner brings more than 30 years experience in the chemical manufacturing industry to Catilin and will be responsible for the daily operations of the testing and production of biodiesel on a world-wide basis. "Wayne Turner brings Catilin not only significant manufacturing leadership from Dow Chemical, he also brings unsurpassed experience in plant scale up, commercialization and catalyst usage," said Larry Lenhart, President and CEO of Catilin. "We welcome an executive of Wayne's caliber to our leadership team."

Turner has held senior management positions in multiple facilities and numerous businesses across Dow Chemical. Most recently, he was site manager of the Dow Chemical Houston Operations, a $700 million chemical facility. He has also held plant leadership positions for the production of methyl cellulosics and ethylene oxide. "Catilin's technology is truly unique and makes a huge difference to biodiesel production, the fastest growing renewable energy," said Turner. "I look forward to working with the Catilin team,, its customers and partners. It is a dynamic time in the marketplace driven by rapid adoption of renewable energy, record oil prices and important technological advancements."

Catilin CEO Larry Lenhart will make a company presentation at the Dow Jones Alternative Energy Innovations Conference on October 23-24 in Redwood City, CA.

About Catilin

Catilin, Inc. is a nanotechnology-based company revolutionizing how biodiesel gets produced. Catilin has developed a unique, new technology for biofuels production that greatly reduces the cost, and environmental impact, of producing a gallon of biodiesel. Catilin's patent pending catalysts can be reused several times, work with virtually every biodiesel feedstock source, work faster than traditional catalysts and produce a higher quality biodiesel and a more pure glycerol side-product. Catilin is backed by the leading venture capital firm of MDV-Mohr Davidow Ventures.

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Media Contact: Pamela Mahoney (650) 854-7236 pmahoney@mdv.com Source: MDV-Mohr Davidow Ventures

August 8, 2007 — Cooking Up More Uses for the Leftovers of Biofuel Production

By HILLARY ROSNER Published: August 8, 2007

The baking tins and muffin cups lining the countertops in a corner of Ronald Holser's cluttered laboratory were filled with curious substances resembling angel food cakes and loaves of bread. But Mr. Holser did not advise eating them. The concoctions were prototypes for biodegradable weed barriers and sticky films intended to hold grass seeds on the ground long enough to germinate.

If Mr. Holser, a research chemist, and his colleague Steven F. Vaughn, a plant physiologist, are successful, they will have found more than ecologically friendly ways to fight weeds and grow grass.

They will have found innovative uses for a byproduct of the production of biodiesel fuel, glycerol. This, in turn, could help transform the biodiesel industry into something that more closely resembles the petroleum industry, where fuel is just one of many profitable products.

"Just like petroleum refineries make more than one product that are the feedstock for other industries, the same will have to be true for biofuels," said Kenneth F. Reardon, a professor of chemical and biological engineering at Colorado State University in Fort Collins. "Biorefining is what the vision has to look like in the end."

"For every gallon of biodiesel you make, you make a pound of glycerol," said George Kraus, a professor of chemistry at Iowa State, where he is director of the Center for Catalysis and a collaborator of Mr. Lin. "A lot of people have been contacting us about burning it, and we say there have to be better uses." The price of glycerol, now 20 to 50 cents a pound, could drop as low as 5 cents a pound as biodiesel production increases.

Mr. Kraus said the higher quality glycerol made with the new process could command a much higher price. "What we see," he said, "is an opportunity to make something that might cost 80 cents a pound."

In another lab at Iowa State, Robert C. Brown is using distillers' dry grain - a main byproduct of corn ethanol that is largely sold as animal feed - to produce hydrogen and a compound called PHA. Mr. Brown hopes his version of PHA, which is biodegradable, could be used for surgical gowns and gloves that must now be disposed of as medical waste.

"Critics of corn ethanol like to say the process isn't very efficient," Mr. Brown said. "Part of that is because your products aren't just fuel." Finding other high-value applications, he added, lets producers "justly say, this is not a waste stream; it adds to the profitability of the plant." Back in Peoria, Mr. Vaughn is also looking at making products from distillers' dry grain, including another biofuel. The grain is more than 10 percent oil, and one ton of it can yield 30 gallons of biodiesel.

Interest in the biorefinery model is not limited to research scientists and start-up companies. Archer Daniels Midland is expanding some of its wet mill plants, which already churn out ethanol and a variety of other corn-based materials like high-fructose corn syrup, amino acids and sorbitol, to make industrial products. It has begun making propylene glycol, a widely used compound, from glycerol.

"As petroleum prices increase and we try to become more independent with regard to energy and petroleum in general," said Mark Matlock, senior vice president for research at the company, which is based in Decatur, Ill., "there are other opportunities that come up for industrial chemicals as well as fuels."

But despite the many uses for byproducts, the biorefinery model is more difficult than it may seem. "The dream is the multiproduct biorefinery," said Jim McMillan, manager of biorefining process research and development at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory in Golden, Colo. "The challenge is that the market for the fuels is like two orders of magnitude bigger than for even a fairly big chemical" that could be produced alongside the fuel.

July 14, 2007 — Improving biodiesel

By: William Dillon/The Tribune

Iowa State University professor Victor Lin is taking his research to market in the hope of reinventing the way biodiesel is produced. Lin and his researchers have created a new type of biodiesel catalyst, the ingredient that creates the reaction between methanol and oils to create the renewable fuel biodiesel. It's a catalyst that makes the overall production of biodiesel cheaper, faster and less toxic, Lin said. One of the most prominent feature of Lin's catalyst is that it replaces the need for the toxic and corrosive chemical sodium methoxide. This cuts down on both time and money, he said, as it eliminates the need for several steps in the production process, including acid neutralization and water washes.

"Overall, that makes our catalyst more attractive and more environmentally friendly," he said.

Lin has joined forces with Mohr Davidow Ventures, an early stage venture capital firm located in California's Silicon Valley, to build a business around the catalyst. The business, Catilin, officially opened for business earlier this month. The initial goal in the first 18 months of the company is to take the technology out of the lab to see how it will react in the real world, Lin said.

"Victor's team has proved it works already in the lab multiple, multiple times, but the big question is whether we can produce a good portion of biodiesel using this technology," said Larry Lenhart, Catilin's president and chief executive officer. Lin and his Catilin team have high hopes for the future of Catilin as the market for biodiesel - according to recent trends - is not going away anytime soon. The United States has gone from producing 75 million gallons of the alternate diesel in 2005 to producing an estimated 250 million gallons in 2006, according to the National Biodiesel Board. Still, the cost of producing biodiesel is generally more than the cost of producing diesel from fossil fuels, but the Catilin team hopes to help level the playing field with its catalyst.

Lenhart said Catilin already has received calls from several companies interested in trying the new catalyst, but his answer thus far has been that they will need to wait.

"We want to make sure we have a good sense of how our technology operates," he said. "Then, they can have it."

William Dillon can be reached at 232-2161, Ext. 361, or William.Dillon@amestrib.com.

July 11, 2007 — New Catalyst May Revolutionize Biodiesel Production

by Staff Writers

Ames IA (SPX) Jul 11, 2007

Line up 250 billion of Victor Lin's nanospheres and you've traveled a meter. But those particles - and just the right chemistry filling the channels that run through them - could make a big difference in biodiesel production. They could make production cheaper, faster and less toxic. They could produce a cleaner fuel and a cleaner glycerol co-product. And they could be used in existing biodiesel plants.

"This technology could change how biodiesel is produced," said Victor Lin, an Iowa State University professor of chemistry, a program director for the U.S. Department of Energy's Ames Laboratory and the inventor of a nanosphere-based catalyst that reacts vegetable oils and animal fats with methanol to produce biodiesel. "This could make production more economical and more environmentally friendly."

Lin is working with Mohr Davidow Ventures, an early stage venture capital firm based in Menlo Park, Calif., the Iowa State University Research Foundation and three members of his research team to establish a startup company to produce, develop and market the biodiesel technology he invented at Iowa State.

The company, Catilin Inc., is just getting started in Ames. Catilin employees are now working out of two labs and a small office in the Roy J. Carver Co- Laboratory on the Iowa State campus. The company will also build a biodiesel pilot plant at the Iowa Energy Center's Biomass Energy Conversion Facility in Nevada.

Lin said the company's goal over the next 18 months is to produce enough of the nanosphere catalysts to increase biodiesel production from a lab scale to a pilot-plant scale of 300 gallons per day.

Lin will work with three company researchers and co-founders to develop and demonstrate the biodiesel technology and production process. They are Project Manager Jennifer Nieweg, who will earn a doctorate in chemistry from Iowa

July 2, 2007 — Finding A Better Way To Make Biodiesel

They're only 250 billionths of a meter in diameter. But fill them with the right chemistry and Iowa State scientists say the tiny nanospheres they've developed could revolutionize how biodiesel is produced.

The researchers are after a new, high-tech catalyst that takes some of the energy, labor and toxic chemicals out of biodiesel production. They've come up with a technology that works in the laboratory. And now they're working with the West Central Cooperative in Ralston to test their discoveries on a larger scale. They're also working to establish a company that would move the new technology into biorefineries. The Iowa State research team is led by Victor Lin, an associate professor of chemistry. The team also includes George Kraus and John Verkade, both University Professors of chemistry at Iowa State. The researchers are part of Iowa State's Center for Catalysis.

Their project is being supported by a $1.8 million, three-year grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, a $120,000, two-year grant from the U.S. Department of Energy and a $140,000 grant from the Grow Iowa Values Fund.

"This is a project that's definitely relevant to the state's economy," Lin said. "I thought as a scientist I could contribute something to the state."

Current biodiesel production technology reacts soy oil with methanol using toxic, corrosive and flammable sodium methoxide as a catalyst. Getting biodiesel out of the chemical mixture requires acid neutralization, water washes and separation steps. It's a tedious process that dissolves the catalysts so they can't be used again, Lin said.

So Lin and his research team started looking for technologies that would create an easier, more efficient and more economical process. They were also hoping to find technologies that would effectively make biodiesel out of raw materials such as used restaurant oils and animal fats - materials that are much cheaper than soy oil, but also contain free fatty acids that can't be converted to biodiesel by current production methods.

Lin has developed a nanotechnology that accurately controls the production of tiny, uniformly shaped silica particles. Running all the way through the particles are honeycombs of relatively large channels that can be filled with a catalyst that reacts with soybean oil to create biodiesel. The particles can also be loaded with chemical gatekeepers that encourage the soybean oil to enter the channels where chemical reactions take place. The results include faster conversion to biodiesel, a catalyst that can be recycled and elimination of the wash step in the production process.

Lin's particles can also be used as a catalyst to efficiently convert animal fats into biodiesel by creating a mixed oxide catalyst that has both acidic and basic catalytic sites. Acidic catalysts on the particle can convert the free fatty acids to biodiesel while basic catalysts can convert the oils into fuel.

And the particles themselves are environmentally safe because they are made of calcium and sand.

"We're excited about this and so is West Central," Lin said. "This serves as an example of how nanotechnology can be useful for advancing an industry that's not that high-tech. And this allows our students from the Midwest - some of them from farms - to learn a new kind of technology that doesn't take them away from home."

Larry Breeding, the general manager of biodiesel operations for the West Central Cooperative, said the technology shows promise for improving the efficiency of biodiesel production. But he said it still needs to be tested at larger and larger scales to see if the economic benefits are there. Tests also need to prove if the technology works in continuous-flow production rather than batch-by-batch production.

"This research is a real boon to us," Breeding said. "We don't have a research campus. So we have to rely on academia and we've leaned on the people at Iowa State very heavily for a lot of this work." Source: Iowa State University

July 1, 2007 — Biofuels pursuit: Cheaper, faster, better

ISU professor endeavors to make plants more efficient and profitable to attract investors.

By PAULA LAVIGNE REGISTER STAFF WRITER July 1, 2007

Using what they call a "giant tea bag," inventors say they have devised a way to make biodiesel cheaper, faster and better without the support of government subsidies.

The method is the brainchild of an Iowa State University professor who developed his idea with backing from a California venture capital firm. The biodiesel invention is just one example of new technology designed to make ethanol and biodiesel plants more efficient, flexible and environmentally friendly. Renewable energy analysts say technology is now vital in biofuels as profit margins narrow and investors and lenders get more selective about the companies they decide to finance.

Plants will be more attractive if they can use "first-generation technology" that boosts output - more fuel or new byproduct - and cuts operating costs, said Paul McGarvey, a founding member of Cybus Capital Markets in Des Moines. Proposals for building plants with existing technology "are finding it much more difficult to get an audience at the table" when seeking investments or favorable financing, he said. "The market today is much more disciplined with the allocation of capital than it was 12 or 18 months ago."

But some analysts are skeptical of so-called breakthroughs. Improvements that boost production or otherwise add a few cents per gallon to profit margins are incremental benefits and don't address the fundamental challenges in the industry, said Daniel Welt, associate with Standard & Poor's rating service. Corn prices and federal legislation are more important factors, he said.

"If (technology) benefits everybody, it kind of benefits nobody. You're still subjected to the same commodity risks. I expect commodity volatility could be so extreme that improvements in yield could not offset the magnitude of huge increases in corn prices."

New ideas have found support through venture capital firms such as Mohr Davidow Ventures in Menlo Park, Calif. MDV licensed the biodiesel technology of ISU professor Victor Lin and created Catalin, a company that will build its pilot plant at the university's Biomass Energy Conversion Facility in Nevada.

Erik Straser of MDV said Catalin's new method can use cheap waste grease from restaurants and animal-processing plants as well as, or instead of, more expensive virgin plant oils. And it reduces the amount of water each plant has to use, he said.

The secret is in the "giant tea bag," which is a solid reusable catalyst - something that triggers a chemical reaction.

The catalyst replaces two traditional steps in biodiesel manufacturing.

The first is mixing sodium and methanol into sodium methoxide, a corrosive and toxic substance, to break down the oil or grease, and the second is using water to wash the sodium methoxide out of the biodiesel.

"If you want to wash one gallon of biodiesel, you would need about four gallons of water. That's a lot," Lin said. He said adapting the catalyst to existing biodiesel plants should be a reasonably affordable option.

"Not only can they save money and cost in water washing, but the catalyst itself is cheaper than sodium methoxide," he said. Allowing a variety of feedstocks also gives plants more opportunity to price shop for oils.

Larry Lenhart, chief executive officer of Catalin, said the new process can knock "10 to 20 cents off" the per-gallon cost of making biodiesel and make the fuel profitable without the government subsidy, which is 50 cents to $1 per gallon depending on the feedstock used.

MDV plans to announce today the creation of ZeaChem, a company that will make ethanol out of cellulose, which includes plant fibers such as cornstalks and grasses.

No plant is making cellulosic ethanol on a commercial scale, but competition has begun. CEO Dan Verser said ZeaChem's technology can yield 50 percent more ethanol than other developing cellulose methods. Basically, it separates the biomass into two parts. A fermentation process converts the sugars into acetic acid, and in the second part a thermochemical process turns the rest of the biomass into hydrogen. The two parts are rejoined to create ethanol.

The system also uses less water and releases fewer greenhouse gases, the company said. Many new technologies include some environmental component, which, while good for the industry's image, also helps the bottom line. On June 28, E3 Biofuels in Mead, Neb., about 35 miles west of Omaha, debuted a plant that makes ethanol without relying on fossil fuels. The 25 million-gallon plant began production about a month ago.

Its "closed-loop" system is this: Corn is turned into ethanol and the soggy leftover kernels are fed to 28,000 cattle at a nearby feedlot. Manure from those cattle falls through slats in the floor, where it is collected and pumped directly to a processing station at the plant. The waste is mixed with thin stillage, another ethanol byproduct, and turned into a methane biogas that powers the plant's boilers. Any leftover waste material is sold as fertilizer to local farms. Burning manure for energy eliminates the need for natural gas or coal - commonly used to power ethanol plants. That reduces both air pollution from the plant and water runoff from the adjacent feedlot, said David Tuft, campaign director of the climate center at the Natural Resources Defense Council, an environmental

advocacy organization in New York. CEO Dennis Langley said a traditional ethanol plant might use one unit of energy to make 2.5 units of energy; his plant uses one unit of energy to make 46 units of energy. He said the company, based in Shawnee, Kan., near Kansas City, plans to build 15 plants in the next five years in "several states," though he would name only Nebraska.

He also wouldn't say how much money the plant saved in operating costs, but he said that the closed-loop ethanol plants would deliver higher profit margins than today's plants. "We are the example of the second generation of ethanol," he said.

Matt Hartwig, spokesman for the Renewable Fuels Association, named several biofuel plants nationwide turning to technology to increase profits and reduce its economic impact. "People who enjoy criticizing the industry are really missing the big picture. The amount of time it takes them to look for fault in the industry, by the time they look up again, the industry has passed them by," he said. "The industry that you see today in 2007 will be unrecognizable from the industry we see in 2012."

Reporter Paula Lavigne can be reached at (515) 745-3428 or plavigne@dmreg.com