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Blue Marble Biomaterials Launches First Zero-Waste Chemical Biorefinery in Missoula, Montana

The first zero-waste chemical biorefinery in the U.S. is now operational. The biorefinery
was launched by Blue Marble Biomaterials http://www.bluemarblebio.com , a wholly owned subsidiary of Blue Marble Energy
Corp. and is located in Missoula, Montana.

The company uses a mix of proprietary clean
technologies to produce natural, bio-based specialty chemicals used primarily in the food,
cosmetics and personal care markets. The facility will produce 72 tons of fine chemicals a year
and only purified water and pellet fuel for wood-boilers as its "waste".

This announcement comes on the coattails of President Obama’s announcement on
June 24th to invest $500 million in U.S.-based Advanced Manufacturing through the Advanced
Manufacturing Program. Blue Marble founders, Kelly Ogilvie and James Stephens, were
members of the council that informed the decision to proceed with the President’s Advanced
Manufacturing Program. CEO Kelly Ogilvie says, "This biorefinery is an excellent example of
how the US can ensure global leadership in advanced manufacturing: we have developed
cutting edge technology which combine the fields of biology, chemistry, and industrial
manufacturing to produce petroleum replacing chemicals. These products will reinvigorate
the meaning of Made in America: more lean, more clean and sourced from our abundant
renewable natural resources."

An emphasis on sustainability in the design of the Blue Marble biorefinery has given the
company a competitive edge. By using a wide range of plant feedstocks to produce specialty
chemicals, Blue Marble products are neither dependent on the volatile price of petroleum nor
on the price of any single feedstock. The company is implementing novel recycling systems to
eliminate waste and reduce cost; a photo-bioreactor containing algae purifies wastewater
and waste gas from the fermentation system and their solid waste is dried and pelletized for
use in wood-burning furnaces and stoves. These processes make the biorefinery a zero-waste
facility. The company has future plans to power its facilities using its own waste gas and
pelletized solid waste in already on-site gasifiers.

According to James Stephens, Chief Science
Officer, "Natural systems are the inspiration for our processes. Just as in nature, we see waste
as nutritional; in this case, wastewater, waste gas and waste solids are industrial nutrients for
both our system and the surrounding economy. We believe this principal is key to reducing
not only environmental impact but also operational cost."
Blue Marble is in several Memoranda of Understanding with clients, including global
chemical distributor Sigma-Aldrich, to bring bio-based chemicals to the global market.

Contact for Blue Marble Energy / Blue Marble Biomaterials:
Julia Ruedig, 603-568-0435, [email protected]
For more information on Blue Marble go to: http://www.bluemarblebio.com

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