GSA Daily Staff Report

Published June 29, 2009

San Diego-based Kent BioEnergy Corp., a producer of renewable energy and other industrial solutions based on microalgae, announced the formation of its South Carolina division.

Clemson University’s David Edward Brune, the Newman Endowed Chair of Natural Resources Engineering, was instrumental in bringing an office to South Carolina.

"I am very enthusiastic about bringing Kent BioEnergy's focus to South Carolina," said Knox Grant, managing director of the division in Charleston. “South Carolina has a development strategy to build several new power plants and is heavily dependent on coal. Our approach offers solutions to the anticipated air quality permitting opposition and carbon emissions. Also, the company’s long-time relationship with professor Brune will create a unique home team appeal."

Grant’s focus is on the application of Kent BioEnergy's microalgae based technologies to capture and use CO2 from the flue gas generated by power plants. CO2 is a source of carbon – an essential requirement for the growth of microalgae along with nitrogen, phosphorus, sunlight and water.

In the future, Kent BioEnergy's carbon capture approaches could benefit all businesses with carbon emissions.

"Knox Grant brings a wealth of experience to this expansion of operations – another step toward the conduct of a global business," said Jim Carlberg, vice president of operations. "Mr. Grant has been in commercial aquaculture for 20 years in which he applied algae technologies, and he is familiar with Brune and his work. He's also an accomplished entrepreneur who has been involved in all aspects of financing and operating such businesses in Europe, Latin America and the U.S."

Kent BioEnergy has advanced, proprietary, and industrially relevant solutions for each of the critical technical and economic obstacles known to remain in the development of commercial-scale production of liquid fuels from algae. This includes worldwide exclusive rights to Clemson University's patented technologies for harvesting and converting microalgae biomass to biolipids.

The company operates a 160-acre process development/production facility in Palm Springs, Calif., a research laboratory in San Diego, and now an office in South Carolina.