Mantra Accelerates Development With New Internal Lab and Research Team
April 23 2013 - 4:00PM
Marketwired
Mantra Energy Alternatives Ltd., a wholly owned subsidiary of
Mantra Venture Group Ltd. (OTCBB:MVTG)(FRANKFURT:5MV) , is pleased
to announce the development of its own internal research lab and
team. Mantra's new lab is located on the premises of BC Research
Inc. (BCRI), a widely respected technology incubation centre.
Mantra also welcomes Jianlu Zhang (Ph.D.), Mantra's new COO, and
Patrick Dodd (M.Eng.), the new CTO, who will spearhead the
effort.
Research at Mantra's new facility will support the ongoing
engineering of Mantra's ERC (electro-reduction of carbon dioxide)
pilot plant, which will be operating at the Lafarge cement plant in
Richmond. Coordination of these two parallel activities will
greatly accelerate the development of the technology. Further
research efforts at BCRI will seek to identify processes for new
ERC products. Support for these projects will come from the
multitude of talented engineers and chemists who call BCRI
home.
Leading this R&D will be Jianlu Zhang. Jianlu obtained his
Masters degree in Applied Chemistry and a Ph.D. in Physical
Chemistry, with a focus on electro-catalysis, in Dalian, China.
From 2005 to 2010 he worked as a Research Associate, first with the
Institute for Fuel Cell Innovation (National Research Council of
Canada) leading the study of the performance and contamination of
high-temperature PEM fuel cells, and then with the US DOE
characterizing and diagnosing vanadium redox flow batteries. Jianlu
also worked as an Associate Professor and as the head of R&D at
Palcan Energy Corp. before joining Mantra. With his eleven years of
experience with electrochemistry and expertise with
electro-catalysis, he is an invaluable addition to the team.
Partnered with Jianlu at BCRI is Patrick Dodd, a recent graduate
from the University of British Columbia's Masters of Engineering in
Clean Energy program. Having previously worked at Iceland's Carbon
Recycling International and done the baseline design work for the
ERC pilot plant, Patrick will bring an intimate knowledge of carbon
utilization to BCRI.
About ERC
ERC, or the "electro-reduction of carbon dioxide", is a form of
"carbon capture and utilization" (CCU) that converts the pollutant
carbon dioxide into useful, valuable products including formic acid
and formate salts. By utilizing clean electricity, the process
offers the potential for an industrial plant to reduce emissions
while generating a salable product and a profit.
About Mantra Energy Alternatives
Mantra Energy Alternatives Ltd., a wholly owned subsidiary of
Mantra Venture Group Ltd., aims to become a world leader in the
production of high-value, carbon-negative chemicals and fuels.
Mantra is currently developing the ERC process, which will
initially produce formic acid and formate salts from carbon
dioxide, and will eventually be capable of generating a wide
variety of products. The company seeks to simultaneously reduce
anthropogenic carbon emissions, which total over 30 billion tonnes
each year from fuel combustion alone, and generate value.
Mantra Venture Group is a public company quoted on the OTC QB
under the symbol MVTG and on the Berlin Stock Exchange under the
symbol 5MV.
Follow Mantra on Twitter:
http://www.twitter.com/mantraenergy
For more information go to:
http://www.mantraventuregroup.com
About BC Research Inc.
BC Research is a "Technology Commercialization and Innovation
Centre" located in Vancouver, B.C., close to the Simon Fraser
University Campus. Their facility houses a wet chemical laboratory,
over 10,000 square feet of pilot plant space, and office space. The
employees of BC Research have a proven record of innovating
chemical process solutions and implementing them on a commercial
scale to the international community. A few areas of technology
specialization include, but are not limited to: fluidized beds,
storage of energy in batteries, fuel cells, and electrochemical
cells; corrosion testing and analysis; hydrogen, sulfur, chlorine,
nitration, water treatment, and pulp and paper chemistry.
Forward-looking statements: Except for the historical
information contained herein, the matters discussed in this press
release are forward-looking statements. Actual results may differ
materially from those described in forward-looking statements and
are subject to risks and uncertainties. See Mantra Venture Group's
filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, which identify
specific factors that may cause actual results or events to differ
materially from those described in forward-looking statements.
Contacts: Mantra Venture Group Ltd. John Williams Investor
Relations (604) 495-1766 (Canada) or (502) 214-5932
(USA)mantraenergy@aberdeencap.com Mantra Venture Group Ltd. Company
Contact (604) 560-1503info@mantraenergy.com
www.mantraenergy.com