Builds upon existing board with decades of experience in energy crops, bioenergy, biomass and renewable resources
Palo Alto, CA and Broomfield, CO – May 8, 2007 – Range Fuels, Inc., a cellulosic ethanol company, announced today that David Bransby and Bryan Jenkins have joined the company’s scientific advisory board, joining the existing team which includes Douglas H. Cortez, Enrique Iglesia and Leo E. Manzer.
David Bransby is a professor in the College of Agriculture at Auburn University. He has over 30 years of experience in agricultural research, specializing in grassland (rangeland and improved pasture) management, and 20 years of experience in research and development of energy crops and bioenergy. An author of over 300 professional publications, he is also on the editorial board of the international journal, Biomass and Bioenergy. Dr. Bransby earned his bachelor’s and doctoral degrees in agriculture from the University of Natal in South Africa. He earned his master’s degree in agronomy from the University of Missouri while on a Rotary International Graduate Fellowship, and his master’s degree in market research and advertising from the University of South Africa.
Bryan Jenkins is a Distinguished Professor of biological and agricultural engineering at the University of California, Davis. He teaches and conducts research in the areas of energy and power, with an emphasis on biomass and other renewable resources. Dr. Jenkins has more than 30 years of experience working in the area of biomass thermo-chemical conversion, including combustion, gasification, and pyrolysis. Dr. Jenkins is a recipient of an Outstanding Achievement Award from the U.S. Department of Energy for exceptional contributions to the development of bioenergy. Currently, he serves as a co-chair of the UC Davis Bioenergy Research Group, and as an executive director of the California Biomass Collaborative, a joint industry, government, environmental, and academic coordinating organization for biomass technology and policy.
“As we continue on our mission to create a future that breaks our nation’s dependence on fossil fuels, we realize we can’t do it in a vacuum. Therefore, we aim to tap some of the industry’s brightest minds,” said Range Fuels’ CEO, Mitch Mandich. “We’re thrilled to add David and Bryan to our scientific advisory board and look forward to the deep breadth of knowledge they will bring to the team.”
Bransby and Jenkins join 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:
Tim Turpin
OutCast Communications
(415) 392-8282