Features Bioenergy Biomass
Viridis Energy acquires patents for Biomass Additives

Dec. 1, 2010 – Vancouver, BC – November 30, 2010 – Viridis Energy Inc. announces it has signed an agreement for intellectual property related to biomass fuels and associated processing technology. As part of this agreement, Viridis will obtain the rights of use for trade secrets and patented biomass additives developed by patent holder, adjunct professor Mark Drisdelle. Drisdelle will join Viridis Energy as chief of technology effective December 1, 2010.

As part of this agreement, Viridis will have the rights of license for the patented biomass additives, which are a vital component of the company’s strategy to help coal plants reduce greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) and meet new targets for renewable energy in Asia Pacific and the rest of the world through the use of readily available, lower cost agriculture based biomass residues.

“Coal plants around the world are actively moving toward a co-firing approach to GHG emission reduction or converting their plants to run entirely on biomass. Wood pellets and agricultural biomass are actively sought by the power plants outside of North America. In Europe, for instance, over 100 coal plants are co-firing today and countries such as China and South Korea are moving rapidly in this direction,” says Christopher Robertson, CEO of Viridis Energy.

“The additives are essential in combination with high alkali biomass agriculture residues during combustion, in order to reduce the slagging and fouling associated with agri-biomass. Sources of high energy fiber fuels include the hulls of grains, seeds, fruits, nuts shells, bark, bagasse from sugar cane processing and new forms of dedicated energy crops such as switch grass and miscanthus,” explains Drisdelle. “Essentially, the additives reduce unscheduled boiler shutdown, associated maintenance costs, and they maintain optimum heat transfer efficiency,” the primary objective of a power plant.

Viridis Energy is an alternative energy company specializing in the agricultural and wood waste biomass. Located in Vancouver, British Columbia, Viridis Energy operates Cypress Pacific Marketing and Okanagan Pellet Company, two acquisitions in the wood pellet sector.