Metalysis named as Global Cleantech 100 innovator

Metalysis is a young, dynamic IPR company that is exploiting the FFC (Fray-Farthing-Chen) Process to produce high-value, specialist metals and alloys, such as titanium. FFC is a new process for the extraction of metals and alloys from their solid oxides by molten salt electrolysis. Metalysis is initially focusing its resources on entering niche markets, but is scaling-up the technology up to ultimately compete with, and gain market share from, established production processes. The company's new pilot production cell is due for commissioning in early 2010 and forms the first step in scaling up this technology to compete with incumbent technologies. Once early markets have been accessed the company plans to expand the product pipeline to include other metals such as hafnium, zirconium, niobium, molybdenum and scandium as well as titanium based alloys. Some 3,500 companies were considered before the world's top 100 were selected as having the potential and likelihood to achieve high growth and high market impact. Metalysis is one of only 13 firms in the Global Cleantech 100 that is based in the UK, and one of very few in the list that is operating in the materials sector. The Global Cleantech 100 represents the collective opinion of hundreds of leading experts drawn from venture capital companies and cleantech innovations in Europe, North America, Asia, the Middle East and Africa, together with expert panel input from 35 of the world's most well-respected consulting and high-growth companies. Among these were Deloitte, Google, Kleiner Perkins Caulfield & Partners, New York Stock Exchange and Tsing Capital. All companies in the Global Cleantech 100 were identified for being at the forefront of clean technology innovation and offering solutions to some of the world's most pressing environmental problems. Metalysis was selected for its innovative FFC Process for producing metals such as titanium, one of the world's most vital metals used in a wide range of high-end technologies. "Titanium has been refined in the same, highly inefficient, slow and chemically hazardous way for more than 70 years," states the Global Cleantech report. "It's against this background that Metalysis has been formed to exploit a new electrochemical reduction technique invented at the University of Cambridge. At commercial production levels, this presents the realistic prospect of dramatically reduced costs and improved environmental impacts through the use of sustainable and recyclable materials, such as road salt, and less power and waste." Mark Bertolini, chief executive of Metalysis said: "With thousands of companies considered for the Global Cleantech list, it is a tremendous achievement for Metalysis to be recognised by leaders from the VC and clean technology community as one of the world's top 100." The list of 100 firms is available at www.cleantech.com/news/awards/globalcleantech100. Some of the companies will be featured at Cleantech Forum XXIII in Boston, 8-10 September 2009, Cleantech Forum XXIV in Delhi, 15-16 October 2009 and at The Guardian and Cleantech Summit in London on 23 November 2009 www.guardian.co.uk/cleantechsummit.