Cargill Veteran Ian Purtle Joins Renmatix Scientific Advisory Board

KENNESAW, Ga., Aug. 31, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Renmatix, the leading producer of cellulosic sugars, is pleased to announce Ian Purtle's addition to the company's Scientific Advisory Board (SAB). Mr. Purtle, who was recently named by Biofuels Digest in the publication's "Top 100 People in Bioenergy," retired from his post as Cargill's Chief Scientist and Director of Sustainable Energy this past June after 39 years with the company.

"Ian brings to the board rare experience with substantial technical and commercial insight in the biorenewable space," said Renmatix's Chief Technology Officer, Dr. Manuk Colakyan. "He is a respected bioindustry leader who knows exactly what Renmatix customers need on a deep technical level, and I'm grateful he's lending his guidance."

In 2009, Purtle was president of the American Oil Chemists' Society (AOCS) Governing Board. Beginning in 1972, his bioindustrial career has focused on oilseeds, energy conservation, biofuels, and bioindustrial substitutes for petroleum-derived products.

The SAB, led by Dr. Colakyan, is comprised of leading figures from across the bioindustrial space who guide the company's groundbreaking technical approach to convert cellulose containing biomass to sugar. The board includes:

• Dr. Jeff Tester, Cornell University. Before joining Cornell faculty, Dr. Tester was director of MIT's Energy Laboratory for 12 years. He is considered one of the world's leading technical experts in Renmatix's technology pathways. He serves on advisory boards for the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, Idaho National Laboratory, Los Alamos National Laboratory, and the American Council on Renewable Energy.

• Dr. Doug Cameron, Alberti Advisors. Dr. Cameron has held technical leadership positions at Piper Jaffray, Khosla Ventures and Cargill and is a consulting professor at Stanford University. Previously, he was a professor of biochemical engineering at the University of Wisconsin, Madison.

• Dr. Robert C. Brown, Iowa State University. Along with holding several professorships, Dr. Brown is director of ISU's Center for Sustainable Environmental Technologies (CSET) and Bioeconomy Institute.

• Dr. Mani V. Subramanian, University of Iowa. Dr. Subramanian directs the University of Iowa's Center for Biotechnology & Bioprocessing (CBB) and is a professor in the university's Chemical and Biochemical Engineering department.

• Edward Arnold, Jacobs Consultancy. After a 25-year career with leading refinery process developer UOP, Mr. Arnold currently leads Jacobs' Quantitative Risk Analysis and Investment Decision Analysis in the Petroleum, Chemicals and Energy Group.  

• Dr. Manuk Colakyan, Renmatix. Dr. Colakyan has more than 25 years of industrial experience at Union Carbide and Dow Chemical, where he was a Fellow, and held senior positions in the R&D and Engineering Departments and led the Solids Processing and Reaction Engineering Groups.

"Clearly, Renmatix's technical process is compelling to those who best know biofuels and biochemicals, in part because the company has assembled an incredible group of technical advisors," said Purtle. "It's an honor to join such accomplished bioindustry technical leaders, and I am excited to be a part of Renmatix."

About Renmatix

Renmatix is the leading producer of cellulosic sugars for the global renewable chemical and fuels markets. The company's proprietary Plantrose™ process challenges conventional sugar economics by cheaply converting biomass – from woody biomass to agricultural residue – into useful, cost-effective sugars. Renmatix technology deconstructs non-food biomass an order of magnitude faster than other processes and enhances its cost advantage by using no significant consumables. Backed by Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers, Renmatix is privately held, with operations in Georgia currently capable of converting three dry tons of cellulosic biomass to sugar per day. For more information, please visit www.renmatix.com.

Media contact:
Katie Struble
Antenna Group for Renmatix
[email protected]
415-977-1928

SOURCE Renmatix