Enerkem's Co-Founder and Chief Technology Officer receives Synergy Award from
Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC)

MONTREAL , Oct. 20 /CNW Telbec/ - Enerkem, a leading waste-to-biofuels and green chemicals technology company, today announced that its Chief Technology Officer and Co-Founder, Dr. Esteban Chornet , received a Synergy Award for Innovation, during the 2009 NSERC Synergy and Innovation Challenge Awards Presentation, held in Ottawa , Ontario, on October 19th .

The Synergy Awards for Innovation are granted by the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC) to honour outstanding university-industry Research and Development (R&D) partnerships in natural sciences and engineering that stand as a model of effective partnerships. Dr. Chornet received the award, and a $200,000 research grant on behalf of the University of Sherbrooke, Enerkem, Fractal Systems and CRB Innovations.

Enerkem is part of this winning partnership through the R&D efforts led by Dr. Chornet , during his tenure as professor at the University of Sherbrooke, and is now the leading company. The scientific basis of Enerkem's technology platform was enriched by the research efforts carried out at the University's laboratory. Enerkem has since continued to develop its technology at the pilot and industrial-demonstration levels, through to the current commercial stage. The Company continues to proudly contribute to the University's mission, by participating in the training of highly qualified personnel. It also continues to contribute to advanced fundamental research, through its financial participation on the Industrial Chair in Cellulosic Ethanol and Second Generation Biofuels. Dr. Chornet 's ability to integrate science, engineering and a business focus, as well as his understanding of the energy and environment relationship, have been essential in making this partnership a success.

"I am extremely honoured to receive this partnership award for innovation," said Dr. Esteban Chornet , Chief Technology Officer at Enerkem. "It is extremely rewarding to witness our team's R&D efforts being brought to fruition, from lab to commercial-scale. By working in synergy, companies and universities can develop efficient partnerships, which become the foundation of achievement and success."

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, located in Westbury, Quebec , is currently operating. In addition to its waste-to-biofuels plant in Edmonton , Alberta, the Company is also developing another facility 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.

For further information: Marie-Hélène LabrieVice-President, Government Affairs and Communications, Enerkem Inc.,[phone] x 231, [email protected]; For more information on the award: http://www.nserc-crsng.gc.ca/Prizes-Prix/Synergy-Synergie/Index-Index_eng.asp; For more information on Dr. Esteban Chornet: http://www.enerkem.com/index.php?module=CMS&id=3&newlang=eng