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Anellotech Fact Sheet

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Anellotech
401 N. Middletown Road
Building 170A
Pearl River, NY 10965

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Release Date: Tuesday, January 13, 2015

Media Contact: Caryl Bixon-Gordon (201) 796-7788

Company Description:

  • Anellotech is a research company creating a green technology process to produce chemicals from non-food biomass which up until now were made from petroleum.
  • Biomass consists of renewable, sustainable non-food materials such as wood, sawdust, corn stover (the corn plant minus the kernel), sugar cane byproduct, and more.
  • Using biomass as a feedstock for making chemicals can reduce the world's reliance on petroleum and help counter climate change and global warming.
  • Anellotech's process, when licensed to others for commercial scale use, will enable economical, cost-competitive production of these renewable "green" chemicals.
  • Long-term, Anellotech's business plan is to license its technology to other companies for commercial-scale manufacturing and production in the USA and internationally. Research and development will continue at the Pearl River corporate headquarters.

How the Process Works:

  • Biomass is heated and the resulting gases are converted into bio-based chemicals by a sand-like catalyst. No additional chemicals are added to the process. The objective is to capture and analyze these bio-based chemicals, benzene, toluene and xylene (BTX), as they are produced, and not release them into the environment.
  • After capturing the bio-based chemicals, gases from the process pass through a catalytic oxidizer (like the catalytic converter in a car), which converts residual hydrocarbons into harmless carbon dioxide and water vapor.
  • As a result, air emissions are negligible. The emitted gases are clear and colorless, except perhaps on cold days when the water vapor may condense into steam. There will be no black clouds of smoke.

Are Chemicals Added to the Process? 

  • No. A small amount of inert nitrogen gas (the same material used at Nyack Hospital and stored in its parking lot) is used.

The Anellotech Process is Clean, Green and Sustainable:

  • Anellotech's feedstock is composed of renewable non-food biomass, which is completely sustainable. No chemicals are used to make the bio-based chemicals. In fact, at commercial scale, the process will actually generate excess heat which can be used to produce "green" electricity.

Anellotech's Expansion Plan for New Testing Facility:

  • Anellotech will expand its current research and development headquarters to house a new testing unit (DS3).
  • The new facility will allow the company to collect data for its proprietary process to be used by future customers (licensees) to build commercial scale units at other locations in regions where large quantities of biomass are available.
  • A vent pipe will be installed at the new testing facility to take the output from the catalytic oxidizer and bring it to a maximum of 15 feet above the 84-foot high roof line.
  • The DS3 testing unit will be in operation continually for 18 to 36 months. Afterwards, the unit will be operated periodically.

Building Permit Applications:

  • Anellotech has followed every requirement of the building application process and will continue to comply with any information requests by appropriate and recognized authorities.

Emissions and Monitoring Procedures:

  • Air emissions from the new testing facility, which are predominantly carbon dioxide, water and inert nitrogen, will in no way violate any kind of federal or state regulations.
  • Emissions will be significantly below minimum guidelines of both the US EPA and the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation ("NYSDEC").
  • The emissions from this relatively small volume unit will be this low because a state-of-the-art catalytic oxidizer will be used, similar to the catalytic converter found in a family car.
  • The new facility process will not adversely affect either air quality or groundwater.
  • The NYSDEC will be able to inspect and audit Anellotech's emissions records and monitoring at the new facility at any time and without notice. Those records also will be available on-demand to the EPA.
  • An independent third-party company that is expert in air emissions monitoring will be retained by Anellotech.

Anellotech's Highly Educated Workforce:

  • Anellotech's 23-person workforce includes highly educated BS, MS, and Ph.D. chemical engineers, chemists, other scientists, safety experts, experienced R&D managers, and business executives.

Why did Anellotech Choose Pearl River for its Corporate Headquarters Site?

  • The New York State Economic Development Council suggested the Pearl River site as there was (and still is) a need to replace thousands of jobs lost over the past several years.
  • The Pfizer campus offers numerous benefits including prime facilities, an established research environment, and an appropriately zoned light industrial/R&D campus.
  • The surrounding area offers many advantages including a highly-skilled workforce in a beautiful community where the company can attract future employees.
  • Anellotech signed the Pearl River lease in December 2012, moved its headquarters and administrative staff in January 2013 and set up its R&D operations in March 2013.

What are Anellotech's Long-Term Plans for the Pearl River Site?

  • Anellotech will remain a research and development laboratory. There will never be a refinery or manufacturing facility at the Pearl River site or in Rockland County.
  • The company is making a long-term investment in the site and plans to grow there.
  • Once the current phase of research is complete, Anellotech will continue to operate research and development and administration at Pearl River for the long term. The company intends to expand its research and development, licensee support and administrative offices there.
  • Anellotech's licensees will build large, commercial units elsewhere in the USA and around the world where there are large biomass supplies.

Other than Biomass and Catalysts, What Large Quantities of Other Materials Will be Brought to the Site?

  • None.
  • The process uses biomass and a sand-like catalyst; nothing else is required to make these "green" bio-chemicals.
  • Anellotech is not using chemicals in the process to react with biomass. The input is biomass, which consists of harmless, non-toxic agricultural, and wood products.
  • Wood is the primary biomass feedstock for Anellotech's test facility. The company will also study other feedstocks such as corn stover, sugar cane bagasse (byproduct), and other agricultural waste products.

What is Done with the Bio-products Produced in Pearl River?

  • They will be safely removed regularly by licensed professional companies.
  • Nothing will be discarded on site or into the sewers.
  • The Orangetown Fire Department strictly limits the amounts of bio-based chemicals that can be stored on site.
  • Small product samples may be provided (not sold) to Anellotech's current and potential investors and partners for their own testing purposes.