International DME Association Launches North American Affairs Group

WWW.BLUEFUELENERGY.COM: At the 2009 World Methanol Conference, which is now taking place (Dec 8-9) in Miami, Florida, key players on the North American and world DME landscape met and successfully formed a North American Affairs Group, a subgroup of the International DME Association (IDA) .

According to the IDA press release on December 8th, the North American Affairs Group (NAAC) was created “To actively promote the awareness and use of dimethyl ether (DME) as an ultra-clean, renewable, low-carbon diesel substitute throughout North America.”

Members of the IDA’s NAAC include companies leading DME’s development worldwide: energy and fuel producers Total and Methanex; engine technology companies Caterpillar, Volvo/Mack,
and Alternative Fuel Technology; process suppliers Chemrec, Lurgi and Haldor Topsoe; and renewable and biofuel producers Genifuel, LCE BioEnergy, Blue Fuel Energy, and Range Fuels; along with policy experts, The Methanol Institute, and academics from Penn State University and the University of Utah.

Appointed as the Group’s first-ever director was Richard J. LeBlanc, CEO, Chemrec AB, developer of pulp mill-integrated biorefineries that convert mill waste into BioDME. Said LeBlanc: ““The environmental benefits of DME are recognized around the world and we are pleased to be part of a trade organization that will help to build awareness and acceptance of DME in North America.” LeBlanc added that, “Many research universities and government laboratories already have confirmed the merits of DME, and now we hope to promote increased production, distribution and use of DME in North America as is happening in Asia.”

Commenting on the formation of the NAAC, IDA Chairman Jean-Alain Taupy of Total said that, “We have seen significant growth in DME’s use as a clean fuel in Asia over the past few years, and with major changes now being proposed to legislation and regulations in North America regarding transportation fuels and environmental issues, the International DME Association has formed a committee to facilitate the inclusion of DME in relevant legislation, projects, and programs now underway or proposed.”

Chemrec appoints American CEO

BLUEFUELENERGY.COM: As reported recently on MSNBC, The Swedish BioDME project member, Chemrec AB, has shown its commitment to the American market for DME by appointing as its CEO, Richard J. LeBlanc.

Chemrec recently made the news by forming an American subsidiary and, at first glance, it seemed that Mr. LeBlanc's appointment was as head of this newly formed American branch. Instead, although Mr. LeBlanc will be based primarily in Deerfield, Illinois, north of Chicago, he will be responsible for Chemrec's worldwide operations with a focus on building the company's North American and Asia-Pacific markets.

Mr. LeBlanc is 57 and was most recently a senior executive with Siemens AG, USA. According to Marketwire and Chemrec's own press release, "Mr. LeBlanc brings to Chemrec USA extensive general management experience growing high-tech companies, commercialization of innovative technologies and building world-class management teams. During his career with Siemens, he directed product development, manufacturing and distribution for the company's broad range of building control products for the North American, Asian-Pacific and Latin American markets. He holds an MBA from Northwestern University and a bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering from the University of Toronto. He is a Professional Engineer in both Canada and the U.S. and holds LEED AP certification from the U.S. Green Building Council."

Chemrec also announced that Jonas Rudberg, long-standing leader of Chemrec, has been appointed chief operating officer. In the new organization Mr. Rudberg will focus his attention on overseeing the execution of feasibility studies, pre-project and implementation projects. He will also continue developing relations with European customers and other stakeholders.