PRINCETON, New Jersey, May 13 /PRNewswire/ -- DNP Green Technology, one of the two shareholders of Bioamber, is pleased to announce a scientific agreement with the National Research Council of Canada Biotechnology Research Institute (NRC-BRI). This partnership aims to develop a second-generation technology for the production of bio-based succinic acid, which is used in various industrial applications.

Succinic acid is a building block for the production of numerous valuable chemicals. It is used in products such as deicers, food and pharmaceutical chemicals, solvents and polymers (polyesters, polyurethanes and polyamides). Bioamber's technology provides a route to bio-based succinic acid which represents a safe, economical, and environmentally friendly alternative to petrochemicals.

This research partnership with NRC-BRI will broaden our knowledge of microbial systems to manufacture bio-based succinic acid and derivatives, stated Dr. Roger Laurent Bernier, Vice- President RD of DNP Green Technology. We aim to improve even the best available technology by using new bioprocessing approaches and concepts and benefit from NRC's expertise and world class facilities.

Bioamber, a joint venture of DNP Green Technology and Agro-Industrie Recherches et Développements (ARD), had already developed a first-generation technology for producing bio-based succinic acid. Bioamber's technology also offers an important environmental advantage: it consumes CO2, as opposed to equivalent petrochemical processes that emit greenhouse gases. Bioamber expects to begin licensing the first-generation technology in the coming year.

NRC-BRI is looking forward to working with DNP Green Technology and Bioamber, said Dr. Michel Desrochers, Director General of NRC-BRI. By developing an even better technology to produce bio-based succinic acid, we will be helping to deliver an environmentally friendly alternative to petrochemicals.

This new initiative between DNP Green Technology and NRC-BRI builds on a close working relationship that includes an ongoing carbohydrate screening program. This screening program allows researchers to assess sugar streams from different potential sources, such as corn, sugarcane, wheat, ligno- cellulose and glycerol to determine their economic impact as feedstocks in Bioamber's succinic acid production process. This screening program is instrumental in assessing feedstocks from around the world.

About DNP Green Technology

DNP Green Technology acquires and develops innovative technologies for manufacturing molecules of interest to the chemical industry, using renewable biomass. Thanks to its numerous scientific and business partnerships, DNP Green Technology has built an impressive portfolio of patents and expertise in the production and purification of succinic acid and some of its derivatives, as well as their applications in various industrial sectors. DNP Green Technology has offices in Princeton, N.J., New York City, and Montreal.

For more information, please visit http://www.dnpgreen.com.

About Bioamber

Bioamber, a joint venture established between DNP Green Technology and ARD, is dedicated to the production of bio-based succinic acid and derivatives.

For more information, please visit http://www.bio-amber.com

About ARD

ARD (Agro-Industrie Recherches et Développements) is the RD centre of the Champagne-Ardenne agricultural cooperatives that grow cereals, sugar and alfalfa. Representative of the global-scale competitiveness cluster IAR (Industries and Agro-Resources), ARD adds value to and finds new outlets for agricultural crops and develops innovative and competitive products that use the renewable carbon in plants after processing in a bio-refinery. Along with its affiliate SOLIANCE, which specializes in the production and commercialization of active ingredients for the cosmetics industry, ARD has 25 years of experience in the fractionation of plants, green chemistry, and white biotechnology. ARD and its affiliates have approximately 130 employees.

For more information, please visit http://www.a-r-d.fr

For further information: Dr. Roger Laurent Bernier, Vice-President RD, DNP Green Technology, +1-514-844-1280, laurent.bernier@dnpgreen.com

For further information: Dr. Roger Laurent Bernier, Vice-President RD, DNP Green Technology, +1-514-844-1280, laurent.bernier@dnpgreen.com