business briefs People, Partnerships & Deals
JBI Inc., the waste-plastic-to-fuel company, announced the appointment of James Fairbairn to its board of directors. Fairbairn is a self-employed chartered accountant, consulting for public companies since 1990 and a member of the Institute of Corporate Directors. He is a current officer or director at a number of TSX Venture Exchange listed companies. His experience in public accounting and corporate governance will be a strong asset for JBI’s board of directors, the company states. Fairbairn graduated from the University of Western Ontario and received his Chartered Accountant designation in 1987. 10 | Biorefining Magazine | february 2011
SG Biofuels, a bioenergy crop company using breeding and biotechnology to develop elite seeds of jatropha, recently announced it has named Miguel Motta as vice president of marketing and strategy. Motta joins SG Biofuels following a distinguished career at Monsanto Co., most recently serving as marketing director for Europe, Middle East and Africa. At SG Biofuels, Motta will direct marketing and business strategies guiding the company’s growth in key markets including Latin America, India, China, Southeast Asia and Africa. “Motta’s vast experience driving global market expansion and revenue growth for Monsanto will be extremely beneficial as we enter new markets and expand our product and service offerings,” says Kirk Haney, president and CEO. As marketing director at Monsanto, Motta developed and implemented commercial business plans, including product portfolio strategy, pricing and volume targets, distribution and brand strategy and marketing programs covering operations in more than 30 countries. Glycotech Inc. has signed a manufacturing contract agreement with Emeryville, Calif.-based biotech firm Amyris Inc. to provide chemical processing at a plant in Leland, N.C. The Leland facility, owned by Salisbury Partners LLC, will convert Amyris’ biofarnesene—called Biofene—into finished bioproducts that can be used for a variety of applications. According to Jeryl Hilleman, Amyris’ chief financial officer, the company will ship biofarnesene produced from its two contract manufacturers—Biomin GmBH in Piracicaba, Brazil, and Tate & Lyle’s bulk ingredients operations in Decatur, Ill.—to the Glycotech facility in North Carolina where it will provide finishing services for renewable products such as industrial lubricants, polymers and renewable diesel. Farnesene is an isoprenoid molecule that serves as a platform molecule to produce a wide range of products varying from specialty chemical applications to transportation fuels such as diesel.
In January, John Atanasio was appointed president and CEO of Alfa Laval Inc., a global provider of specialized products and engineering solutions based on its key Separation Expertise technologies of heat New president and transfer, separation CEO of Alfa Laval, John Atanasio, has and fluid handling. In nearly four decades of this role, Atanasio is separation technology experience. responsible for leading Alfa Laval in the U.S. to drive profitable growth in its markets, leveraging the company’s key technologies of heat transfer, separation and fluid handling. Atanasio joined Alfa Laval in 1982 in the company’s Food and Dairy Group. He joined Alfa Laval Separation in 1990 where he held a number of positions. In 2001, Atanasio was named president of Alfa Laval USA’s Parts and Service Division, and then president of the company’s Equipment Division in 2004. Most recently, Atanasio served as president of the Hygienic and Marine group of Alfa Laval Inc. Prior to joining Alfa Laval, he held a number of positions at Westfalia Separator.
PHOTO: THE SAMUEL ROBERTS NOBLE FOUNDATION
Butamax Advanced Biofuels LLC filed a patent infringement lawsuit against Gevo Inc. in January for its use of Butamax biobutanol technology. The lawsuit was filed in U.S. Federal District Court in the District of Delaware. Butamax patent 7851188, granted in December, encompasses biocatalysts developed to produce isobutanol and provides protection for Butamax and its work in this field. Butamax has filed an extensive patent portfolio for its Protecting IP Butamax CEO Tim proprietary technoloPotter says patents gy across the biofuels must serve as protection in the best value chain including interests of advanced biocatalyst, bioprocess biofuel development. and fuels. A number of patent applications by Butamax have been successfully accepted into the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office Green Technology Pilot Program for accelerated review. “The U.S. patent system is designed to encourage research and development and to protect inventions,” says Tim Potter, Butamax CEO. “Butamax and its owners were the first to develop this technology and it is our belief that the protection of intellectual property serves the best interest of the biofuels industry, our customers and the U.S. energy policy.”
Flip the Switch Huanzhong Wang (left) and Richard Dixon led the gene work at the Samuel Roberts Noble Foundation.
A new gene discovery made by a team of plant research scientists at The Samuel Roberts Noble Foundation “clearly looks like a way of essentially producing more biomass and giving a greater source of fermentable sugar per acre,” according to lead researcher, Richard Dixon, director of the Noble Foundation’s Plant Biology Division.