Firm looks to China for biofuel technology agreement

By MAX SHOWALTER • mshowalter@jconline.com • May 25, 2010

startup company at the Purdue Research Park in West Lafayette has developed an innovative yeast-based cellulosic ethanol technology and will get a big boost Wednesday and Thursday in Beijing.

Representatives of Green Tech America Inc., founded by Nancy W.Y. Ho, have been invited by Cofco Corp. and Novozymes, both of which have been actively developing bio-energy products, to sign a license agreement at the China-U.S. Advanced Biofuels Forum.
"For GTA to sign a license agreement with two giant companies in the world, it means they will use (our) yeast in their production of cellulosic ethanol.
That alone is a great event by GTA by all means," said Ho. "In addition, since the signing of this agreement will be carried out in public at the Sino-U.S. Advance Biofuels Forum, it will add extra importance.
"It symbolizes that GTA played an important role internationally in the U.S. and China cooperation for cellulosic ethanol production that will increase the status of GTA in the U.S.
When these two giant companies openly acknowledge the use of our yeast -- developed at Purdue -- in their production, which is a great endorsement for GTA and it will definitely help our business to grow."
The yeast developed by Green Tech America has been shown to generate cellulosic ethanol in a more cost-effective manner than conventional yeasts.
Gerard Benner, the company's vice president of finance, who also is in China for the signing ceremony, said the agreement should boost the local economy.
"GTA is expected to bring money from China as well as other countries by marketing its technology and its yeast as well as other products needed for cellulosic ethanol production," said Benner.
Based upon this technology, Green Tech America will expand its growth into several areas, which include marketing the Ho-Purdue Yeast and its derivatives for cellulosic ethanol production, generation and marketing of co-products such as enzymes, and development of other yeast-based products and renewable fuels.
The forum Wednesday and Thursday is hosted by the National Energy Administration of the People's Republic of China and the U.S. Department of Energy and Department of Agriculture.