Tilman brings expertise in biodiversity as a tool for biofuel production
Palo Alto, CA and Broomfield, CO – Aug. 7, 2007 – Range Fuels, Inc., a cellulosic ethanol company, announced today that David Tilman has joined the company’s scientific advisory board, complementing the esteemed academic and industry expertise provided by current board members.
Regent Professor David Tilman is the McKnight Presidential Chair in Ecology at the University of Minnesota. He has over three decades of experience researching and teaching ecology, specializing in biodiversity and ecosystem management. Tilman’s ecological emphasis is centered on exploring how managed and natural ecosystems can sustainably meet human needs for food, energy, and ecosystem services. A focus of his research is on the cause, consequence, and conservation of biological diversity, including using biodiversity as a tool for biofuel production and climate stabilization through carbon sequestration.
“As we get ready to break ground on the United States’ first commercial scale cellulosic ethanol plant, it is more important than ever to bring in experts like David Tilman who can provide valuable knowledge on how to use our resources in a sustainable way for our ecosystem,” said Range Fuels’ CEO, Mitch Mandich. “We look forward to integrating David Tilman into our scientific advisory board as we lead in the production of sustainable and eco-friendly fuel.”
Tilman joins a distinguished board of engineers and academics who will contribute to Range Fuels’ pursuits to develop renewable energy in the form of cellulosic ethanol. Existing board members include Bryan Jenkins, a Distinguished Professor of biological and agricultural engineering at University of California, Davis; David Bransby, a professor in the College of Agriculture in Auburn University; Douglas H. Cortez, formerly an executive of Flour with international experience in major energy project development; Enrique Iglesia, Chancellor’s Professor of chemical engineering at the University of California, Berkeley and a renowned leader in catalysis; and Leo E. Manzer, formerly of DuPont where he directed the company’s catalysis center and now a DuPont fellow.
About Range Fuels, Inc.
Range Fuels, Inc., is focused on green energy and the production of cellulosic ethanol. The company does not use food products like corn, but rather uses waste materials and turns them into valuable products. The company's innovative technology uses wood chips, municipal waste, paper pulp, olive pits, and more and converts those materials to ethanol. The company's system, named K2, uses a two step thermo-chemical conversion process. The first step converts the biomass to synthesis gas and the second step converts the gas to ethanol. The company's business model is to design, build, own and operate its plants. The company is privately held and funded by Khosla Ventures, LLC, arguably the top venture firm in the U.S. focusing on alternative, green energy systems. The leadership team melds experience from Silicon Valley's fast-paced, high-tech world, and the technologically intense coal, coal gasification, and gas-to-liquids industries. Range Fuels' vision is to introduce the world to a fuel that's renewable, sustainable, and eco-friendly in its production.
Media contact:
Kim Milosevich
OutCast Communications
(415) 392-8282