ChloroFill and Chromatin Partner to Harvest Sorghum Biomass for the Production of Renewable Building Materials

SAN DIEGO & CHICAGO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--ChloroFill LLC, a renewable, sorghum-based building material company, and Chromatin, Inc., an agricultural biotechnology company that is developing sorghum feedstocks for bio-industrial processes, today announced a collaboration to harvest Chromatin sorghum for the production of ChloroFill’s building products. Despite 2012’s record drought conditions, the partners successfully grew a high-yielding 2012 season crop, to be used in ChloroFill’s production process. This represents the first use of Chromatin’s proprietary sorghum for the manufacture of renewable building materials.

“We are pleased to partner with ChloroFill to exploit the natural diversity of sorghum and customize products to meet the specific needs of the building industry.”

Sorghum is a water and nutrient efficient crop that yields large quantities of environmentally friendly biomass. It can be grown on over 80% of the world’s agricultural land. ChloroFill will produce its sorghum-based building panels in northwest Missouri, where the first Chromatin Sorghum 90-acre trial crop was planted in June 2012 with the support of Northwest Missouri State University. The Midwest is rich in agricultural expertise making it an ideal region to grow sorghum. After only 5.5 inches of rainfall, the crop grew nine feet in less than four months.

“ChloroFill is very pleased with the successful first trial of Chromatin’s proprietary sorghum for the manufacturing of our U.S.-made, health-friendly building products,” said ChloroFill’s founder, CEO and President Michael Hurst. “Partnering with Chromatin, who specializes in customizing sorghum biomass, is important to advancing the quality of ChloroFill’s products and to ensuring that we have a platform for future growth. Our goal is to provide a formaldehyde-free, cost-competitive building panel that helps to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, air pollution, deforestation, and health-risks associated with traditional building materials.”

“Chromatin is impressed with ChloroFill’s rapid progress toward commercializing sustainable and environmentally friendly sorghum-based building materials,” said Daphne Preuss, CEO of Chromatin. “We are pleased to partner with ChloroFill to exploit the natural diversity of sorghum and customize products to meet the specific needs of the building industry.”

”ChloroFill’s commitment to producing renewable building materials in northwest Missouri is potentially transformational as an environmentally friendly wood alternative and to the economic sustainability of a community and region,” states Lee Langerock, Executive Director of Nodaway County Economic Development. “The manufacturing facility will bring quality jobs to Nodaway County. We are excited to be working with ChloroFill and Chromatin, two high-caliber companies in northwest Missouri who are introducing new market opportunities for area agricultural producers.”

The first year’s crop was grown in conjunction with Northwest Missouri State University. Assistant Professor of Agronomy Tom Sweifel comments, “The Chromatin sorghum produced impressive yields despite unusually low rainfall that constrained most crops in our area.”

ChloroFill’s designer-friendly, cost-competitive panels made with a formaldehyde-free binder contribute to sustainable building and to healthy indoor environments free of pollutants. ChloroFill’s fiberboard panels can be used in many of the same applications as bamboo plywood, exotic hardwoods and other engineered wood panels. Designer applications include counter tops, architectural elements, wall and ceiling coverings, furniture, cabinetry, wainscoting, doors and flooring. ChloroFill’s first commercial-scale manufacturing plant in Nodaway County is slated to produce materials in early 2013.

ABOUT CHLOROFILL

ChloroFill LLC was founded in 2007 to meet the need for sustainable, safe, attractive, durable, and cost-competitive building materials for interior design, construction and furniture applications. The Company harnesses the sorghum stalk as a building material for its high-lignocellulose content that results in stronger, more durable fiberboard panels with better insulation and with more attractive aesthetic qualities than traditional panels. ChloroFill is the one sorghum-based, U.S.-made, health-friendly fiberboard panel company. The Company’s vision is to revolutionize the building materials industry by making the reduction of deforestation, cancer-causing carcinogens, greenhouse gas emissions, and air pollution an industry standard. For more information, visit: www.chlorofill.com.

ABOUT CHROMATIN

Chromatin, Inc. is focused on developing sorghum, both for traditional agriculture and for applications in renewable energy. Chromatin provides high quality sorghum seeds to growers and producers who are attracted to the crop's rapid maturation, tolerance to heat, cold and drought, and high yields. Chromatin has optimized its product portfolio to create sorghum feedstocks that serve as ideal renewable resources for emerging bio-based industries such as liquid transportation fuels, chemicals, materials, and biopower. Today, Chromatin's products are sold in the US and in more than 20 countries, and its sorghum seeds are planted on over four million acres worldwide. For additional information, visit www.chromatininc.com.

ABOUT NODAWAY COUNTY ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT

Nodaway County Economic Development (NCED) is a public/private partnership approaching economic development as a team focused on technology development, business recruitment, project management, existing business services and activities which encourage capital investment, job creation and innovative business development. For additional information, visit www.nodaway.biz.