Enerkem awarded $1.8 million funding by Alberta's Climate Change and
Emissions Management Corporation for demonstration project

MONTREAL, June 16 /CNW Telbec/ - Enerkem Inc., a leading waste-to-biofuels and advanced chemicals company, today announced that it has been chosen by the Climate Change and Emissions Management Corporation (CCEMC) to receive $1.8 million in funding for a market demonstration project aimed at further reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions through greening biofuel production.

Through this project Enerkem will demonstrate the market potential of optimized innovative technologies that further reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emitted by biorefineries. Targeted biomass-rich feedstocks will be converted into biofuels to compare the GHG reduction benefits of the Enerkem technology. The project will also focus on the direct use of CO2 in dry reforming - in the company's synthetic gas conditioning process - and its incorporation in advanced chemicals.

These tests will be conducted at the Advanced Energy Research Facility (AERF) in Edmonton, Alberta. The AERF pilot plant is a joint effort between the Edmonton Waste Management Centre, Alberta Innovates - Energy and Environment Solutions and Enerkem. The technologies and products, once demonstrated, will be implemented in Enerkem's commercial biofuels facility in Edmonton, Alberta. Dr. Esteban Chornet, Enerkem's co-founder and Chief Technology Officer, will lead the tests, joined by a team of experts.

"Enerkem's technology was progressively developed- from R&D to pilot to demonstration- from innovative concepts such as the ones now funded by the Climate Change and Emissions Management Corporation" said Dr. Esteban Chornet, co-founder and Chief Technology Officer of Enerkem. "We are grateful to CCEMC for enabling Enerkem to pursue such concepts and bring them to demonstration. This will allow us to enhance our efforts in providing cost-effective sustainable solutions for GHG reductions."

Enerkem's project is one of five renewable energy projects chosen by the CCEMC, from 223 submissions.

About Enerkem

Enerkem is a leading waste-to-biofuels company. Its proprietary thermo-chemical technology converts residual materials, such as non-recyclable municipal solid waste, into clean transportation fuels, advanced chemicals and electricity. The company was founded in 2000 and currently operates two plants in Canada: a pilot facility in Sherbrooke, QC and a commercial-scale plant in Westbury, QC. It will soon start the construction of its waste-to-biofuels plant in Edmonton, AB, Canada, which has received $23 million from the government of Alberta and the City of Edmonton. It is also currently developing a similar project in Mississippi, U.S.A., for which it was awarded US$50 million in funding by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE). www.enerkem.com

About CCEMC

The CCEMC is a not-for-profit organization whose mandate is to establish or participate in funding for initiatives that reduce greenhouse gas emissions and support adaptation. The CCEMC invests in discovery, development, and operational deployment of clean technologies. www.ccemc.ca

For further information: Marie-Hélène Labrie, Vice-President, Government Affairs and Communications, Enerkem Inc., 514.875.0284 x 231, [email protected]