Segetis today announced the successful start up of their pilot plant facility in Golden Valley, MN

GOLDEN VALLEY, Minn. - Oct. 7, 2013 - PRLog -- October 3, 2013 - Segetis today announced the successful start up of their pilot plant facility in Golden Valley, Minnesota demonstrating the viability of its proprietary process to convert biomass to Levulinic Acid.

“We continue to make great strides in developing and validating market demand for products derived from Levulinic Acid,” said Atul Thakrar, CEO of Segetis.  “The significant investment made in the Levulinic Acid process development is the final step in unlocking the full supply chain to exploit our downstream renewable chemicals business in a cost effective way.  We are now equipped to advance the dialogue in a meaningful way to building the first fully integrated Levulinic Acid and Derivatives Biorefinery using a variety of carbohydrate feedstocks to meet the global demand for high-performing, safer, non-toxic end use products.”

Andrew Skinner, Vice President of Operations for Segetis led the team in designing, constructing, and commissioning the pilot facility.  “Segetis now has a full suite of development capabilities for our technology from lab scale to pre-commercialization.  Adding this pilot capability to our existing facility accelerates our speed of innovation and execution,” said Skinner.  “We now have the ability to problem solve in the lab and rapidly implement those solutions in the pilot plant.  We are able to execute with a higher level of operational excellence having this facility in-house.”

This announcement was made during a summit hosted by Segetis at the Golden Valley operation to bring together key stakeholders committed to building a biobased economy.  Jim Greenwood, President and CEO of the Biotechnology Industry Organization (BIO) in Washington, D.C. spoke at the summit which was attended by several stakeholders and distinguished guests committed to building a sustainable biobased economy.

“America is leading the world in biotech innovation. The work Segetis is doing will help the United States build a biobased economy that not only reduces pollution, but also creates jobs,” Greenwood said. “Segetis is to be commended for their pioneering spirit and successful research and development platform.”

About Segetis

Segetis creates high performance, sustainable materials, reducing the world's dependence on fossil fuel based petrochemicals. Our Levulinic Acid based technology platform, including the JAVELIN^TM Technology Levulinic Ketals, is positioned for significant global adoption offering renewable chemical alternatives that address toxicity issues in everyday items and cut greenhouse gas emissions.

Levulinic Acid is poised to become a platform renewable chemical with wide market applications including plastics, fibers, coatings, flooring, personal care and electronics.

About BIO

BIO represents more than 1,100 biotechnology companies, academic institutions, state biotechnology centers and related organizations across the United States and in more than 30 other nations. BIO