DURHAM, N.C. – HCL CleanTech, a US-Israeli biofuels technology development company, has selected Southern Research Institute in North Carolina as the hosting site and operator of its first pilot plant to produce low cost fermentable sugars, high-quality lignin and tall oils from North Carolina pine trees. The pilot plant is now under construction at Southern Research and will begin operations this summer.

“HCL CleanTech will invest millions of dollars to move the company to North Carolina and build the pilot plant,” said Eran Baniel, president and CEO. “We evaluated other sites across the U.S., but chose Durham because of the facilities and expertise here at Southern Research, and the warm welcome we encounter from everyone here. Looking forward to commercialization of our process, we hope that with state and county assistance, and a successful pilot, we might provide the pulp and paper industry with a new opportunity.”

Southern Research’s advanced energy research facility, located in Durham, helps develop and prepare new clean energy technologies for commercialization. Researchers there are currently developing four different technologies that convert America’s diverse carbon resources into high-value products such as clean diesel fuel, jet fuel, ethanol, fermentable sugars, electric power, and bioproducts. Southern Research works with commercial, government, and research institutions that seek to develop and commercialize advanced energy technologies by designing, building, and testing pilot-scale prototypes of these technologies.

“We are honored that HCL CleanTech chose to come all the way from Israel to North Carolina because of our unique energy lab and the other resources North Carolina offers developing biofuels companies,” said Stephen Piccot, director of Southern Research’s operations in North Carolina. “Like our other bioenergy technology clients here in Durham, we are here to help HCL CleanTech realize their dream of developing affordable bioenergy and bioproducts. Finding alternatives to foreign oil are necessary for our nation, our state, and our children’s future. That’s why Southern Research built this energy development lab.”

Once HCL CleanTech’s pilot-scale facility is built and commissioned, Southern Research engineers, scientists, and technicians will begin operating the unit this summer. Some goals of that effort are to determine optimal operating conditions, define operating characteristics, and seek technology optimization paths HCL CleanTech can integrate into its first generation commercial plants. Sugars, lignins and tall oils produced at the facility will be distributed for testing of integration to more than 40 companies across the U.S. and internationally who have the technologies to convert the sugars to biofuels and bioproducts and have requested to try the sugars, the lignin and the tall oils from the pilot plant.

HCL CleanTech has developed a proprietary technology to make an old, industrially proven German process converting lignocellulosic biomass to fermentable sugars for fuel production economically attractive. These fermentable sugars are considered a gateway to advanced biofuels (biobutanols, biodiesel, jet fuel, etc.) and biochemicals (bioplastics, etc.) Modern chemical technology makes the implementation straightforward and immediate. HCL CleanTech’s use of concentrated hydrochloric acid (HCl) efficiently hydrolyzes cellulosic materials and allows a large variety of feedstocks to be used with minimal configuration. HCL CleanTech has developed other proprietary technologies to de-acidify lignin and separate tall oils – both high quality byproducts to the sugars.

“We’d like to thank Southern Research’s efforts to facilitate HCL CleanTech’s move to North Carolina,” CEO Eran Baniel continued. “They were joined by the warm welcome extended to us by the Biofuels Center of North Carolina, and many of the players active in the North Carolina Cleantech world—the Department of Commerce of North Carolina and the director of the Government of Israel Trade and Investment Office.”

HCL CleanTech received Series A financing by Burrill & Company and Khosla Ventures, as well as Zohar Gilon, the lead seed investor, and the founders. Southern Research and the Biofuels Center of North Carolina are collaborating to ensure HCL CleanTech’s experience in North Carolina is a positive one.

“It is great to see the material support the Biofuels Center is providing to HCL as it builds its first generation commercial biofuels plant here in North Carolina, based on the technology being piloted for them at Southern Research,” said Mr. Piccot. “Together, Southern Research’s laboratories in Durham and the Biofuels Center are a potent force for attracting and nurturing green technology industries here in North Carolina.”

About HCL CleanTech

Incorporated in December 2007, HCL CleanTech Ltd is a technology development company co-founded by two of Israel’s most prominent Industrial Chemical Research scientists—Prof. Avraham Baniel (over 35 years Applied R&D and Management of IMI – Israel Mining Institute – and teaching at the Casali Institute of the Hebrew University) and Prof. Ari Eyal (Prof. of applied Chemistry, senior advisor to many firms worldwide) Since May 2009, HCL CleanTech Ltd is fully owned by HCL CleanTech Inc whose offices are at the Biofuels Center of North Carolina, Oxford NC. www.hclcleantech.com.

About Southern Research

Southern Research Institute is a not-for-profit 501(c) 3 scientific research organization that conducts advanced engineering research in materials, systems development, environment and energy, and preclinical drug discovery and development. Our more than 550 scientific and engineering team members support clients and partners in the pharmaceutical, biotechnology, defense, aerospace, environmental and energy industries. Southern Research is headquartered in Birmingham, Ala., with facilities in Wilsonville, Ala., Anniston, Ala., Frederick, Md., and Durham, NC and offices in New Orleans, La., Washington, DC and Kiev, Ukraine. Southern Research has considerable experience in developing and evaluating technologies for the power industry. southernresearch.org

About The Biofuels Center of North Carolina

The Biofuels Center is a private non-profit corporation funded by the North Carolina General Assembly to develop large capacity for biofuels statewide in coming years. The Center implements sustained state policy, assists companies and all parties within the biofuels community, and works to meet North Carolina’s goal: by 2017, 10% of the state’s liquid transportation fuels will come from biofuels grown and produced within the state. www.biofuelscenter.org

Wilmington, N.C. and Birmingham, Ala. – PPD and Southern Research Institute today announced they have formed a collaborative agreement in pandemic and seasonal influenza vaccine research and development to provide clients a full spectrum of influenza vaccine development services by collaborating on client bids and projects.

As part of the agreement, Southern Research will transfer its seasonal assays and reagents to PPD, strengthening PPD’s influenza vaccine testing services. In return, PPD will help build Southern Research’s preclinical influenza and clinical pandemic/highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) testing business through client referrals.

PPD is a leader in development and testing services for vaccines and biologics and offers a large collection of commercial vaccine assays. It provides submission support services for new and modified vaccines as well as a wide range of other products, including blood components and recombinant therapeutic proteins.

Southern Research is a preclinical developer and service provider of assays for influenza vaccine sample testing and has played a key role in the analysis and development of new and existing vaccines and antivirals for both seasonal and highly pathogenic influenza. It is often among the first research organizations to respond to emerging disease threats, including highly pathogenic Avian and pandemic influenzas. Southern Research also provides serology support for clinical trials of influenza vaccines, including vaccines for the latest pandemic flu.

“This key collaboration enhances PPD’s position as the first CRO to offer a comprehensive menu of vaccine assay development and testing services to support vaccine clinical trials with faster, more cost-efficient laboratory solutions,” said Christine Dingivan, M.D., chief medical officer of PPD. “Our agreement with Southern Research further expands our large collection of commercial vaccine assays with very important capabilities in the influenza vaccine field and enables us to expand our partnerships with influenza vaccine developers in the commercial, government and nonprofit sectors.”

Nancy M. Gray, Ph. D., vice president of corporate development, Southern Research Institute, added, “By partnering with PPD, Southern Research has the opportunity to expand its client base for the well-recognized work our scientists perform in the influenza research field. By working closely with one of the world’s top clinical CROs and leaders in the fields of vaccine clinical trials conduct and laboratory testing, we can provide an unmatched breadth of influenza services to our clients. Together, we will offer a full spectrum of influenza research capabilities with highly respected bench to market support.”

About PPD

PPD is a leading global contract research organization, celebrating 25 years of providing discovery and development services. Our clients and partners include pharmaceutical, biotechnology, medical device, academic and government organizations. With offices in 40 countries and more than 10,500 professionals worldwide, PPD applies innovative technologies, therapeutic expertise and commitment to quality to help clients and partners maximize returns on R&D investments that accelerate the delivery of safe, effective therapeutics. For more information, visit www.ppdi.com.

About Southern Research

Southern Research Institute is a nonprofit 501(c) 3 scientific research organization that conducts preclinical drug discovery and development, and advanced engineering research in materials, systems development, environment and energy. Our more than 550 scientific and engineering team members support clients and partners in the pharmaceutical, biotechnology, defense, aerospace, environmental and energy industries. Southern Research is headquartered in Birmingham, Ala., with facilities in Wilsonville, Ala., Anniston, Ala., Frederick, Md., and Durham, N.C. and offices in New Orleans, La., Washington, D.C. and Kiev, Ukraine. For more information about Southern Research and its capabilities and accomplishments, visit southernresearch.org.

Except for historical information, all of the statements, expectations and assumptions contained in this news release, including expectations and assumptions about the collaborative agreement between PPD and Southern Research Institute, are forward-looking statements that involve a number of risks and uncertainties. Although PPD attempts to be accurate in making these forward-looking statements, it is possible that future circumstances might differ from the assumptions on which such statements are based. In addition, other important factors which could cause results to differ materially include the following: risks associated with and dependence on collaborative relationships; rapid technological advances that make our products and services less competitive; the ability to attract and retain key personnel; competition within the outsourcing industry; success in sales growth; loss of large contracts; increased cancellation rates; economic conditions and outsourcing trends in the pharmaceutical, biotechnology, medical device, academic and government industry segments; risks associated with acquisitions and investments, such as impairments; and the other risk factors set forth from time to time in the SEC filings for PPD, copies of which are available free of charge upon request from the PPD investor relations department.

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – Southern Research Institute scientists have developed an on-site bromine-gas production and injection system that will allow coal-fired utilities to inject bromine gas into their ducts at any location, without the need to transport toxic or hazardous liquids or gases onto or off of the plant site, as a way to mitigate mercury emissions in energy production. Scientists there have also developed a technology that obtains data on droplet size and concentration distributions in wet scrubber mist eliminator performance testing programs, addressing a key concern for industrial plants in determining the collection efficiency of wet scrubbers.

These technical presentations will be made at the 13th Annual Energy & Environment Conference (EUEC) in Phoenix, February 1-3.

Thomas Gale, Ph.D., manager of Power Systems Research at Southern Research Institute, will discuss “Bromine Production and Injection System for Hg Mitigation at Coal-Fired Power Plants” on Monday, Feb. 1 from 7:30 – 9:30 as part of the Mercury Control and Sorbents track (Track C, Session C1).

Kenneth Cushing, manager of Environmental Field Services, will discuss “Wet Scrubber Mist Eliminator Performance Testing with a Video Droplet Analyzer” on Wednesday, Feb. 3 from 7:30-9:30AM in the Clean Air & Electric Utilities track (Track B, Session B7).

Bromine gas been shown to effectively oxidize the elemental mercury found in coal-fired flue gas to form mercuric bromide, which is more effectively captured by wet scrubbers and retained in scrubbers than mercuric chloride. However, bromine gas and liquid bromine create potential safety hazards.

Southern Research’s new technology injects calcium bromide through a reactor and a catalytic chamber, converting it to bromine gas and creating non-toxic by-products of quicklime and calcium hydroxide which can be used at the plant or safely disposed.

“Southern Research has demonstrated this new technology in a continuous operation, showing a greater than 85 percent conversion of calcium bromide to bromine gas in laboratory tests,” said Gale. “We expect the conversion rate in commercial systems to be greater than 90 percent, thus helping to resolve a very challenging problem for industry.”

Cushing will present new data about Southern Research’s Video Droplet Analyzer, how it functions and share real-world examples of its application in various scrubber mist eliminator test programs.

Methods previously available to measure droplet size distribution of liquid sprays and liquid carryover rates from wet scrubber mist eliminators, says Cushing, have generally been less than satisfactory. The Video Droplet Analyzer-a proprietary video-based, in-situ system which has been used extensively by Southern Research-provides practical solutions.

“Problems can occur when reducing wet scrubber operating costs associated with flue gas reheat, because ‘rain-out’ from the stack can occur,” said Cushing. “Tests may be required to ensure that mist eliminator performance specifications are being met. Our method has proven that it can quantify wet scrubber droplet concentrations, carryover, and emission rates, and provide a means of accurately quantifying mist eliminator carryover and droplet concentrations in stacks.”

Southern Research engineers and technicians will be available to discuss this work at Booth #716 in the conference exhibit hall. Southern Research has provided environmental research and services to government, industry, and private institutions around the world for more than 35 years. This work, much of it groundbreaking in nature, has led to the development of new test methods and instruments, the improvement of process and emission control technologies, solutions to daunting new environmental challenges, and other important contributions to environmental science.

About EUEC

EUEC has grown since its inception in 1995 and is now one of the largest and most prestigious “must attend” annual energy and environmental conferences. EUEC is organized jointly by US EPA, USDOE, EPRI, and EEI and has gained recognition and credibility for its networking and educational quality. Over 3000 delegates, including environmental business leaders, energy executives, NGOs and government policymakers, attend a technical program with 650+ speakers, and a networking exhibition with 200 companies. www.euec.com

About Southern Research

Southern Research Institute is a not-for-profit 501(c)3 scientific research organization that conducts preclinical drug discovery and development, and advanced engineering research in materials, systems development, environment and energy. Our more than 550 scientific and engineering team members support clients and partners in the pharmaceutical, biotechnology, defense, aerospace, environmental and energy industries. Southern Research is headquartered in Birmingham, Ala., with facilities in Wilsonville, Ala., Anniston, Ala., Frederick, Md., and Durham, NC and offices in New Orleans, La., Washington, DC and Kiev, Ukraine. Southern Research has considerable experience in developing and evaluating technologies for the power industry. southernresearch.org

Southern Research and Georgia Power are proud to announce that they have signed a contract that will address the need for affordability and power demand to charge electric vehicles.  The Pilot Energy Storage System” (ESS)with Second Use Electric Vehicle Batteries “utilizing used lithium-ion batteries for a (power) grid-connected charging system for electric vehicles”.  By doing so, it fulfills a long time desire of Commissioner Tim Echols to develop this pilot project and move toward a more energy-efficient future “and insulating the grid from spikes in electricity demand”.  The project will be run by the Energy Storage Research Center (ESRC) of Southern Research and the R&D group of Southern Company, holding of Georgia Power Company.

Paul Leufkens, SR’s head of behind-the-meter testing, commented that “this is a next step in new technology qualification after testing a system consisting of second use EV batteries”.

Southern Research has prior experience with repurposing retired vehicle batteries for energy storage systems.  This project has been testing stationary power systems using low cost, retired electric vehicle battery packs for the U.S. market.  Low-cost stationary storage is a key enabling technology towards sustainable clean energy.  The innovative approach allows for each battery pack to be individually optimized for performance and cycle life.

Southern Research will support Georgia Power Company,  adding the ESS to the Cox Pivet Mobility Center in Atlanta, Georgia.  The actual charging station actually contains sixteen level two chargers and ten DC fast chargers.  The project will have a 50kW/50kWh battery system that will be procured and installed here as well.   Advanced remote equipment will do site acceptance testing but also provide monitoring during half a year and allow for simulation of extreme grid situations to learn best use and practices of the charger battery combination.   One gain of the project is that the ESS contains  battery cells  from Nissan Leaf electrical vehicles that were degraded by automotive use in their first life, but still have substantial capacity left for electrical grid services. Mark Berry believes this project is unique in that it tries and tests energy storage on system level, monitoring both technical but especially economic performance.  Southern Research believes that this installation will support electrification developments in the Southeast United States.