Lignol receives approval of four new key biorefining and lignin patent applications

VANCOUVER, Jan. 24, 2012 /CNW/ - Lignol Energy Corporation (TSXV: LEC), a leading technology company in advanced biofuels and renewable chemicals, today announced that it has received confirmation  that four new patent applications have been approved, bringing the total number of approved patents to seven.

"These approvals demonstrate the strength of our patent portfolio covering not only our unique process and systems but also our unique range of high performance lignins (HP-L lignin)," said Ross MacLachlan, President and CEO. "The combination of our strong patent portfolio, trade secrets and knowhow provides significant barriers to competitors and creates long-term value for shareholders."

The patents titled "Continuous counter-current organosolv processing of lignocellulosic feedstocks", "Concurrent Saccharification and fermentation of fibrous biomass" and "Derivatives of native lignins from hardwood feedstocks", were approved in the United States, while the patent titled "Concurrent anaerobic digestion and fermentation of lignocellulosic feedstocks" was approved in China.

Lignol's rapidly growing intellectual property portfolio currently consists of eight-six patents in various stages of prosecution of which seven have been approved.  The portfolio includes twenty-four patent families relating to processes, systems, the composition of extractives (including lignin derivatives), and their applications. Lignol also owns several trademarks and a significant body of trade secrets. 

About Lignol

Lignol (TSX-V: LEC) is a Canadian company undertaking the development of biorefining technologies for the production of advanced biofuels, including fuel-grade ethanol, and renewable chemicals from non-food cellulosic biomass feedstocks. Lignol's modified solvent based pre-treatment technology facilitates the rapid, high-yield conversion of cellulose to ethanol and the production of renewable chemicals, including high purity HP-L™ lignins. HP-L^TM lignin represents a new class of high purity lignin extractives (and their subsequent derivatives) which can be engineered to meet the chemical properties and functional requirements of a range of industrial applications that until now has not been possible with traditional lignin by-products generated from other processes. Lignol is executing on its development plan through strategic partnerships to further develop and integrate its core technologies on a commercial scale. Lignol also intends to invest in, or otherwise obtain, equity interests in energy related projects which have synergies with its biorefining technology. For more information, please visit Lignol's website at www.lignol.ca.

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Caution concerning forward-looking statements:

Certain statements contained in this document may constitute forward-looking information within the meaning of applicable securities laws. Such forward-looking statements or information include, without limitation, statements or information about our ability to continue as a going concern and to raise additional financing to fund operations, our ability to work with CIBC and Capital West to consider a range of sources of investment, including industry and financial investors who have a strategic, long term interest in advanced biofuels, renewable chemicals and forest industry transformation, our ability to successfully defend our patents and patent applications and to receive approval for the claims submitted in multiple jurisdictions, the development status of our fully integrated pilot-scale biorefinery in Burnaby, British Columbia, the planning and development of our proposed commercial plant, our ability to exploit commercial opportunities and broaden our market opportunities for a range of cellulosic derivatives and environmentally sustainable biochemicals including our HP-L™ lignin and lignin derivatives, our ability to produce HP-L™ lignin that meets agreed customer specifications at commercial scale, and our ability to pursue these opportunities with strategic partners including establishing off-take agreements for our products and our ability to obtaining strategic partnership investments and government funding for initial commercial projects.  Often, but not always, forward-looking statements or information can be identified by the use of words such as "plans", "expects" or "does not expect", "is expected", "budget", "scheduled", "estimates", "forecasts", "intends", "anticipates" or "does not anticipate", or "believes" or variations of such words and phrases or words and phrases that state or indicate that certain actions, events or results "may", "could", "would", "might" or "will" be taken, occur or be achieved. Such statements or information reflect Lignol's current views with respect to future events and are subject to certain risks, uncertainties and assumptions including, without limitation, the technological challenges that remain to be surpassed in obtaining the necessary operating data from our pilot scale biorefinery that is required prior to completing the next scale-up of the technology, our ability to successfully scale our technology, our ability to successfully defend our current patent applications and to secure issued patents in respect of those claims in multiple jurisdictions, our ability to satisfy the conditions of existing government grants and to obtain new additional grants, the timely receipt of funding under various government awards and corporate contribution agreements, our ability to continue to finance our Baseline Operations and to finance and complete the development of a commercial demonstration plant, our ability to develop commercial products in collaboration with industry partners, our ability to obtain requisite regulatory approvals and our ability to enter into agreements with strategic partners on terms acceptable to us. Forward-looking statements and information are necessarily based upon a number of estimates and assumptions that, while considered reasonable by management, are inherently subject to significant business, economic and competitive uncertainties and contingencies, and changes in government regulation. Many factors could cause Lignol's actual results, performance or achievements to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements that may be expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements or information, including among other things, the technological challenges that remain to be surpassed in obtaining the necessary operating data from our fully integrated biorefinery pilot plant that is required prior to completing the next scale-up of the technology, financial market conditions which will impact our ability to finance our operations and to finance the construction and operation of a commercial plant, the price of gasoline and demand for ethanol, the market pricing and demand for renewable chemicals, risks relating to the protection of Lignol's core technology from infringement and those risk factors which are discussed elsewhere in documents that Lignol files from time to time with securities regulatory authorities. Should one or more of these risks or uncertainties materialize, or should assumptions underlying the forward-looking statements or information prove incorrect, actual results may vary materially from those described herein as intended, planned, anticipated, believed, estimated or expected. Except as required by law, the Company expressly disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward looking statements and information whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. All written and oral forward-looking statements and information attributable to us or persons acting on our behalf are expressly qualified in their entirety by the foregoing cautionary statements.

Lignol Energy Corporation
David Turner
Chief Financial Officer
Tel: [phone]
Email: [email protected]