Anellotech Announces Commencement of Key R&D Program at TCat-8® Pilot Plant

January 4, 2018

With successful completion of TCat-8 pilot plant commissioning, an
intensive process development & testing program has begun to confirm
process economics and collect data for commercial plant design

Program will generate bio-based benzene, toluene and xylene samples
for use in making prototype samples of PET polymer for Suntory packaging
and bio-benzene-based polymers such as ABS, polycarbonate and
polyurethane for other strategic investors

PEARL RIVER, N.Y.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Anellotech,
a sustainable technology company pioneering the production of
cost-competitive renewable aromatic chemicals and fuels from non-food
biomass, today announced the completion of the commissioning of its 25
meter tall TCat-8® pilot plant, and the commencement of the critical
development and testing program. An integrated team of Anellotech and
IFPEN research engineers and technicians will optimize process variables
and generate data for process development and scale-up. Commercial
Bio-TCat™ plant design and process licensing will be carried-out by
Axens.

Anellotech and its development partners IFPEN and Johnson Matthey will
also develop next generation catalysts, evaluate loblolly pine and other
sustainable bio-feedstocks, and confirm Bio-TCat’s process economics at
commercial scale.

The TCat-8 unit is designed to demonstrate the Bio-TCat (thermal
catalytic biomass conversion) process in a fluid bed reactor with
internal process recycle streams and continuous catalyst regeneration.
The pilot plant was jointly designed by Anellotech and IFPEN and is
located in Silsbee, Texas on the plant site of South Hampton Resources
(SHR). The process will use a novel catalyst under joint development by
Anellotech and Johnson Matthey.

“We have made significant progress achieving major milestones with the
commissioning of our TCat-8 pilot plant, including completion of
multi-day long continuous test runs, and are now beginning the
development phase for generating data necessary to advance Bio-TCat
process commercialization. We will also produce test samples of
bio-based renewable aromatic chemicals for conversion by 3rd
parties into bio-based polymer prototypes,” said Dr. Charles Sorensen,
CTO of Anellotech.

“The beginning of the TCat-8 pilot plant development and testing program
marks an important milestone in the commercialization of Anellotech’s
innovative and cost-competitive path to bio-aromatics,” said Jean-Pierre
Burzynski, Director of the Process Business Unit at IFPEN. “We are
pleased with the progress made to date and look forward to our continued
collaboration with Anellotech as we execute on our mutual goal of
bringing this ground breaking technology to market.”

As an integral component in the bio-based value chain, Anellotech’s
Bio-TCat technology cost-competitively produces “drop-in” renewable
aromatic chemicals (benzene, toluene and xylenes, “BTX”) from non-food
biomass. One such application is the use of bio-paraxylene for
conversion to PET beverage bottles thereby enabling the production of
100 percent bio-based packaging. In addition to prototype paraxylene
sample production for PET applications testing, the TCat-8 unit output
will be used to make prototype test samples of benzene and toluene for
conversion to polymer derivatives such as bio-based ABS, polycarbonate,
polyurethane, and high performance engineered polymers for use by
current and/or future strategic investor product development, corporate
marketing, and sustainability programs.

About Anellotech

Anellotech is developing the Bio-TCat™ process to produce
cost-competitive renewable aromatic chemicals (benzene, toluene and
xylenes, “BTX”) from non-food biomass for use in making plastics such as
polyester, nylon, polycarbonate, polystyrene, or for renewable
transportation fuels. Bio-TCat’s cost-competitive advantage results from
the use of non-food biomass such as wood or agricultural residues, and
an efficient and economical catalyst as the only significant inputs.

By using renewable and readily available non-food feedstock materials
the Bio-TCat process is less expensive compared to bio-based processes
relying on sugar as a feedstock, and avoids competition with the food
chain. These renewable products are expected to be produced and sold
profitably either against identical, petroleum-derived BTX counterparts,
or as renewable fuel blend stocks. Anellotech complements its
world-class R&D team with in-depth, highly-interactive, and long-term
alliances with leaders in process development, catalysis, engineering
design, and licensing to accelerate development and drive
cost-competitiveness. IFPEN is our process development and scale-up
partner, Johnson Matthey is our catalyst development partner, and Axens
is our partner for industrialization, commercialization, global
licensing and technical support. Industry-leading strategic partners in
the BTX supply chain, including Suntory and Toyota Tsusho, as well as
other confidential strategic investors, also have provided funding to
Anellotech. To learn more, please visit: www.anellotech.com