Mitsui and Inbicon sign first licensing agreement to refine biomass into ethanol

Mitsui - leading industry corporations in Japan, and the Danish bioethanol technology company Inbicon has signed a license agreement for the Inbicon Biomass Refinery technology.

Mitsui Engineering & Shipbuilding (Mitsui), one of the largest and leading heavy industry corporations in Japan, and the Danish bioethanol technology company Inbicon has signed a license agreement for the Inbicon Biomass Refinery technology, a technology capable of converting second generation biomass into fuel ethanol. The agreement marks the first sale of licensing for Inbicon. The agreement grants Mitsui the right to build a number of biomass refineries in Southeast Asia using Inbicon’s technology. Mitsui intends to apply the technology in the palm oil industry, where waste products from the palm oil production can be utilized to produce ethanol, solid biofuel for energy production, and animal feed. Shunichi Yamashita, Director of Mitsui said: "With the License Agreement, we have taken an important step towards the establishing of plant engineering business for the production of 2nd generation ethanol in Southeast Asia, and we have already committed considerable resources to the development of this new business. Furthermore、we are expecting to expand the cooperation with Inbicon into other markets". Niels Henriksen, CEO of Inbicon, said: “The agreement is a mile stone in Inbicon’s history. It is the culmination of our year-long cooperation with Mitsui, which started with our testing of palm waste as a feedstock, and we are very proud to have Mitsui as our first licensee. With the license agreement Mitsui has positioned themselves as a frontrunner within the field of biofuel.” “We hope we can expand the cooperation into other markets. With the latest developments within enzyme technology from leading enzyme suppliers such as Danisco Genencor and Novozymes, whom we also have partnered with the past years, we are now looking at commercial plants for second generation bioethanol." Niels Henriksen, CEO of Inbicon, stated. Facts about Mitsui Engineering & Shipbuilding Mitsui Engineering & Shipbuilding Co., Ltd. is one of the biggest and leading heavy industries in Japan, headquartered in Tokyo. Its activities are not limited to shipbuilding, but also include the environment, energy, production, mechatronics, information, logistics, industrial plants, medical science, and leisure sectors. Established in 1917. Capital: 44,385 million yen; sales total (consolidated in FY 2007): 659,215 million yen; employees (consolidated): 9,910 (as of March 31, 2008). For further information, see ww.mes.co.jp/English. Facts about Inbicon Inbicon A/S develops technology for conversion and refining of soft ligno-cellulosic biomass into fuel, feed, and green chemistry products. The company has operated a pilot plant since 2003, and in December 2009 the first Inbicon Biomass Refinery was put into operation in Kalundborg, Denmark, to demonstrate the technology. The plant converts wheat straw into fuel ethanol, animal feed, and lignin pellets for energy production. Inbicon is a subsidiary of DONG Energy A/S. For further information, see www.inbicon.com For further information, contact: DONG Energy Media Relations Ulrik Frøhlke Media Advisor +45 9955 9560