Terrabon has announced that its MixAlco biofuel technology has been voted the most transformative technology of 2011 by the readers of Biofuels Digest, a well-respected industry publication. MixAlco is a technology solution that addresses challenges in both the biofuel production and water treatment industries.

For biofuel, the technology converts low-cost, readily available, non-food, non-sterile biomass into valuable chemicals such as acetic acid, ketones and alcohols. Terrabon works closely with investment partner Waste Management to obtain feedstock from their waste streams and process it into renewable drop-in transportation fuels such as gasoline and jet fuel.

Imbedded in MixAlco is also a water treatment technology based on high-efficiency thermal distillation that works to de-water fermentation broth and isolate valuable organic salts for further processing into fuels. Importantly, because of the water that accompanies the feedstock to be processed, the MixAlco biofuel platform is water neutral to positive. The process actually produces rather than consumes water.

MixAlco is a transformative technology due to its ability to allow environmental services companies to fundamentally rethink the supply chain for their services. Its process capabilities allow these companies to provide more flexibility and service options for customers while meeting national policy requirements associated with the EPA's Renewable Fuel Standard mandate. Therefore, the United States' dependency on foreign oil is reduced by producing drop-in biofuels such as gasoline and JP-8 from wet garbage.

The technology also minimizes the need to use other natural resources. Most plants require precious water to operate, but since the feedstock used in the MixAlco process is already wet, Terrabon leverages this characteristic in the fermentation process.

Further, because MixAlco operations occur in a non-sterile environment, the nutrients for fermentation are not from traditional sources that would compete with the food chain, but from streams such as primary sewage sludge from waste treatment facilities or waste manure from cows, chickens or hogs.

"Terrabon is honored to have MixAlco recognized as Biofuels Digest's most Transformative Technology of 2011 and we would like to thank all of our supporters who helped the company achieve this result," said Gary Luce, CEO, Terrabon.

"This recognition from the bioenergy industry reflects Terrabon's success in commercializing a technology that we believe will become a nexus point where local community waste and waste water can come together to make fuel and clean water in the United States and abroad."

Biofuels Digest's annual Transformative Technologies tournament is a subscriber-voted, elimination contest which measures the impact of a competitor's technologies across the bioenergy landscape. Terrabon received the most votes from readers over a six-week voting period that started with 64 total technologies, a notable achievement for its first year participating in this contest.

Terrabon and its leadership team were also honored by the readers of Biofuels Digest in 2010 by garnering the #19 position on the Top 50 Hottest Companies ranking and through the listing of Mr. Luce among the Top 100 People in Bioenergy.