Company Name Primafuel	Company Web Site http://www.primafuel.com/	Headquarters Signal Hill, CA
Latest News January 6, 2009 California-based Primafuel announces its international Algae Biorefinery Program. By combining upstream algae production and downstream biorefinery systems, Primafuel offers an innovative approach to commercializing algae technologies. Primafuel's proprietary process reduces costs and maximizes the economic potential of algae by producing a range of high-value products and renewable fuels. Primafuel's algae technology team has been at the forefront of algae research for more than three decades and has a successful track record of commercializing algae production systems. Primafuel holds an exclusive licensing agreement with the Ben-Gurion University Microalgae Biotechnology Lab, a team recognized internationally as experts in strain selection, genetic engineering, and aquaculture. Led by Dr. Sammy Boussiba, the Israel-based team is comprised of more than two-dozen PhD scientists, researchers, and engineers. Primafuel's biorefinery technology team, with labs in California and Europe, has been recognized as a Technology Pioneer by the World Economic Forum for transformational biomass processing technologies. "Our unique solutions are tailored to maximize algae's tremendous potential," said Primafuel CEO, Richard Woods. "Our biorefinery platforms extract and purify nutritional products, while producing both chemicals and renewable fuels." In the last several years, Primafuel's US and European laboratories have developed multiple technology platforms focused on the separation, purification, and conversion of products from biomass. The first of these technology platforms, SMAART(tm) Oil, has been commercialized through a subsidiary, Primafuel Solutions. -------------------------- July 27, 2007 Primafuel Inc. has been awarded the state's largest-ever grant for biodiesel production, the startup's latest as it plans a massive biodiesel plant at the Port of Sacramento. The Long Beach company received the $640,000 grant from the California Air Resources Board, a relatively small amount compared to the $90 million projected cost, said Rahul Iyer, executive vice president of Primafuel. The grant is "proof positive" that the California regulatory environment supports biodiesel, an alternative fuel produced from animal fats or vegetable oils, he said. "This award indicates CARB's support for biodiesel being an important part of California's energy mix," Iyer said. In May, the Port of Sacramento's governing board approved the 60 million-gallon plant, which could produce three times more than the biggest-capacity biodiesel plant operating in the state today. Funding commitments for the high-profile project have been made, but "details of the financing of this project are not yet public," Iyer said. The company raised about $6 million in an initial round of funding last year, according to documents filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. Iyer would not disclose the company's revenue or whether it's profitable. Primafuel plans to begin operations at the port in 2008. The grant will help pay for the first phase of construction, which involves building a plant with the capacity to produce 20 million gallons per year, Iyer said. The local plant would have the ability to "scale up as quickly as the market demands," Iyer said. Primafuel would be the port's first new business since it changed its business model last year and created an alliance with the Port of Oakland. "It's going to be a great addition to our customer mix and provide a green technology, which is one of the target industries to not only the port, but to the city of West Sacramento," port manager Mike Luken said. Primafuel, which is working with the University of California Cooperative Extension and U.S. Department of Agriculture to evaluate crops for biodiesel fuel, hopes to acquire some feedstock from local crops, Iyer said. Primafuel's arrival marks the beginning of a "business renaissance" with an environmentally sound business that will increase shipping operations at the port, Mike McGowan, chairman of the Sacramento-Yolo Port District Commission, said in a prepared statement. The plant would likely increase cargo at the port by about 15 percent to 20 percent, Luken said. The port's cargo -- mostly cement, bulk fertilizer, rice and steel -- is projected to hit 1.1 million tons in fiscal year 2008-09. The company plans to lease about 10 to 14 acres for a research and production facility from the port along Industrial Boulevard. The project still requires a conditional-use permit from the city of West Sacramento, and it also must pass state and local environmental reviews.
Funding Raised $6 million in its initial round of funding in 2006 and a $640,000 grant from the California Air Resources Board in 2007.
Technology No additional technology information.
Other Info Primafuel is a privately-held California corporation with technology development facilities in California and Europe, financial headquarters in New York, and business development offices in Asia. Primafuel's team includes leading technologists and infrastructure experts from UC Berkeley, Harvard, Stanford, MIT, and CalTech. Our employees bring with them experience from Cargill, GE, and other global corporations. Primafuel's senior management team has commercialized energy technology and infrastructure projects on five continents with organizations like the World Bank and the US Department of Energy. Primafuel actively deploys energy solutions based on a continually advancing portfolio of infrastructure projects and technology platforms. Primafuel solutions are focused on improving the economic, environmental, and social sustainability of low-carbon fuels. With offices and laboratories in the US, Europe and Asia, Primafuel is well-positioned to globally deploy its technology and infrastructure solutions.