ExxonMobil and University of Wisconsin-Madison to Advance Research into Conversion of Biomass into Transportation Fuel

IRVING, Texas & MADISON, Wis.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–The University of Wisconsin-Madison and ExxonMobil
have announced a two-year renewal of an agreement to research the
fundamental chemistry of converting biomass into transportation fuels.
The research is part of a broad effort to identify scalable and
commercially viable solutions to help meet increasing global energy
demand with a renewable resource.

UW-Madison has long been known for its expertise in biomass conversion.
The project leverages the university’s expertise with ExxonMobil’s
resources and strong technological capabilities. George Huber, the
Harvey D. Spangler professor of chemical and biological engineering at
UW-Madison, is working closely with ExxonMobil’s scientists to build a
stronger understanding of the basic chemical transformations that occur
during biomass conversion into diesel and jet fuels.

“The renewal of our agreement with the University of Wisconsin-Madison
will continue ExxonMobil’s work with top universities and scientists to
discover and advance next-generation energy solutions,” said Vijay
Swarup, vice president of research and development for ExxonMobil
Research & Engineering Company. “We look forward to continuing our
collaboration with the university as we enhance our scientific
understanding of advanced biofuels and explore potential new
technologies.”

Over the past two years, research has focused on a multistep approach
for converting cellulosic biomass to transportation fuels. A new
approach with the potential to reduce the number of processing steps
will be explored in this collaboration. This approach using solvents
could potentially dissolve the entire biomass, which might make it
possible to convert the whole biomass into fuel-sized molecules in a
single reactor.

Another potential process that will be studied in this collaboration
involves the catalytic transformation of bio-derived ethanol into
bio-derived diesel and jet fuel. Ethanol is currently produced from a
range of sources and is widely used as an additive to gasoline. This
technology could potentially allow larger diesel and jet fuel molecules
to be produced from renewable sources. Our research continues to focus
on non-food sources like corn stover and other cellulosic feedstocks.

“Biofuels have the potential to become a significant option for meeting
growing global demand for diesel and jet fuel if low cost and scalable
technologies can be developed,” says Professor Huber. “The focus of this
fundamental research is to demonstrate technologies that could make such
a scenario possible. We expect to use the same type of catalytic
technologies that are already used in the petrochemical industry to
convert oil into fuels and chemicals.”

ExxonMobil’s work with UW-Madison is a recent addition in a series
of partnerships the company has established with leading
universities around the world as part of its ongoing research into
early-stage innovative projects. This area of biofuels research adds to
ExxonMobil’s broader advanced
biofuels research portfolio, which includes joint research
collaborations focused on algae-based
biofuels with Synthetic Genomics, Inc., Colorado School of Mines and
Michigan State. ExxonMobil is also exploring a variety of
biomass-to-fuels conversion processes, which could be used with non-food
based feedstocks such as cellulose-derived sugars, in collaboration with
REG Life Sciences, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Renewable Energy Group
(REG).

ExxonMobil also partners with MIT, Princeton, Michigan State, Stanford,
University of Texas and Georgia Institute of Technology in a range of
areas from the development of lower-carbon energy sources to
energy-efficient plastics manufacturing.

About University of Wisconsin

The UW-Madison College of Engineering is among the most innovative and
consistently highly ranked U.S. colleges of engineering. Home to more
than 40 research centers and more than 15 research consortia, the
College is internationally renowned for leading-edge research and widely
recognized for its ability to transfer technological advances into
real-world applications through patents, licenses, spin-off and start-up
companies, and industry partnerships. Through world-class undergraduate,
graduate- and professional-level educational programs, the College
enables students to develop as thoughtful, ethical leaders and to
acquire the technical expertise they need to tackle complex global
engineering challenges.

About ExxonMobil

ExxonMobil, the largest publicly traded international energy company,
uses technology and innovation to help meet the world’s growing energy
needs. ExxonMobil holds an industry-leading inventory of resources, is
one of the largest refiners and marketers of petroleum products and its
chemical company is one of the largest in the world. For more
information, visit www.exxonmobil.com
or follow us on Twitter www.twitter.com/exxonmobil.

Cautionary Statement: Statements of
future events or conditions in this release are forward-looking
statements. Actual future results, including project plans and timing
and the impact of new technologies, could vary depending on the outcome
of further research and testing; the development and competitiveness of
alternative technologies; the ability to scale pilot projects on a
cost-effective basis; political and regulatory developments; and other
factors discussed in this release and under the heading “Factors
Affecting Future Results” on the Investors page of ExxonMobil’s website
at exxonmobil.com.

Contacts

ExxonMobil
Media Relations, 972-444-1107
or
University of
Wisconsin-Madison
608-262-3571