ENGLEWOOD, Colo., Oct. 9, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Gevo, Inc. (NASDAQ:
GEVO), announced today that the United States Patent and Trademark
Office (USPTO) has awarded the company U.S. Patent No. 8,283,505,
which protects Gevo's Integrated Fermentation
Technology® (GIFT®).
"This patented technology includes a proprietary separation unit
that is designed to elegantly enable cost-efficient separation of
isobutanol from other components of the fermentation broth," said
Brett Lund, Executive Vice President
and General Counsel of Gevo.
The technology covered by the '505 Patent "provides Gevo and its
partners with a significant competitive advantage, as it protects
the most cost-efficient separation technology available. The
GIFT® system permits the continuous removal of
isobutanol as it is formed in the fermentation broth. This
increases productivity of the genetically modified yeast cells
because yeast does not thrive in high concentrations of
isobutanol," said Lund. The technology also increases final
isobutanol concentrations extracted from the fermentation broth, he
added.
The USPTO granted the '505 Patent in view of art cited against
Gevo's earlier-issued U.S. Patent No. 8,101,808 in a reexamination
request filed by Butamax Advanced Biofuels, LLC. "This means
that the USPTO has determined that the '505 Patent is novel and
inventive over the publications referenced in reexamination of the
'808 Patent," Lund said.
"Given the thorough examination conducted by the USPTO, we
believe the patent is quite strong and capable of withstanding
challenges by competitors who are attempting to produce isobutanol
with inferior technologies," said Lund. "We believe these
competitors will have great difficulty in producing isobutanol at
competitive costs without licensing this technology from Gevo."
About Gevo
Gevo is a leading renewable chemicals and next-generation
biofuels company. Gevo's patent-protected, capital-light business
model converts existing ethanol plants into biorefineries to make
isobutanol. This versatile chemical can be directly integrated into
existing chemical and fuel products to deliver environmental and
economic benefits. Gevo is now producing isobutanol at its first
commercial facility in Luverne,
Minn., and has a marquee list of partners including
Coca-Cola, Sasol, and LANXESS, among others. Gevo is committed to a
sustainable biobased economy that meets society's needs for
plentiful food and clean air and water. For more information, visit
www.gevo.com.
Forward-Looking Statements
Certain statements in this press release may constitute
"forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the Private
Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These forward-looking
statements include statements that are not purely statements of
historical fact, and can sometimes be identified by our use of
terms such as "intend," "expect," "plan," "estimate," "future,"
"strive" and similar words. These forward-looking statements are
made on the basis of the current beliefs, expectations and
assumptions of the management of Gevo and are subject to
significant risks and uncertainty. Investors are cautioned not to
place undue reliance on any such forward-looking statements. All
such forward-looking statements speak only as of the date they are
made, and the company undertakes no obligation to update or revise
these statements, whether as a result of new information, future
events or otherwise. Although the company believes that the
expectations reflected in these forward-looking statements are
reasonable, these statements involve many risks and uncertainties
that may cause actual results to differ materially from what may be
expressed or implied in these forward-looking statements. For a
further discussion of risks and uncertainties that could cause
actual results to differ from those expressed in these
forward-looking statements, as well as risks relating to the
business of Gevo in general, see the risk disclosures in the Annual
Report on Form 10-K of Gevo for the year ended December 31, 2011, as amended, and in subsequent
reports on Forms 10-Q and 8-K and other filings made with the SEC
by Gevo.
SOURCE Gevo, Inc.