[b]$MVTG[/b]] .20 Mantra Boosts Management Team with Addition of Mantra Energy COO
SEATTLE, WASHINGTON, [b][color=blue]Sep 13, 2012[/color][/b] (MARKETWIRE via COMTEX) -- Mantra Venture Group Ltd. (OTCBB: MVTG)(FRANKFURT: 5MV) - Mantra is pleased to announce the appointment of Neil Huff as COO of its Mantra Energy subsidiary. Mr. Huff was previously CEO of Ballard Power's lithium battery division and is currently President and CEO of Tekion, Inc. Tekion is a leading developer of formic acid and electrochemical fuel cell and battery technologies that is working with Mantra to broaden Mantra's IP base and accelerate progress toward the commercialization of its ERC technology. Mr. Huff brings extensive skills in both technology and business development, having 17 years experience in the automotive industry with companies such as Rockwell International and General Electric, and 20 years experience in the advanced energy/cleantech field with companies such as Ballard Power and Tekion. Mr. Huff holds a BSc. in Chemical Engineering from the Queens University in Kingston and an MBA from the University of Toronto, Ontario.
"I am pleased to be part of the Mantra organization as we continue to build the team and prepare for commercialization," stated Mr. Huff. "We have begun the planning and design of a 100 kg/day demo (ERC) unit for launch in 2013 and have two parallel and intensive development programs ongoing. The first month of the Tekion program has shown considerable promise for expanding the breadth of our IP and allowing for a more diversified set of carbon streams. We will be continuing along this path as we ramp up for our first pilot program."
In addition to Neil Huff, Mantra has also added significant talent to its Scientific Advisory Board with the appointment of Sean Huff and Dr. Shizhong Duan.
An expert in formic acid and PEM fuel cells, Sean Huff received his Bachelors of Science in Chemical Engineering from the University of British Columbia (UBC) in 2006 and was subsequently awarded a fellowship to pursue post-graduate work in chemical engineering in France and England. In 2009 he earned a Masters in Chemical Engineering at Imperial College London with a thesis focused on material for energy storage and conversion. Sean has spent the past 3 years as System Design Engineer at Tekion where he has lead the development of a formic acid reforming system for use with PEM fuel cells. Sean also led Tekion's in-house development of catalytic structures/reactors for both hydrocarbon combustion and selective CO oxidation resulting in a high performance formic acid reforming system. Sean's work at Tekion has resulted in 3 patent applications in the field of formic acid reforming.
Sean Huff is joined on the advisory board by Dr. Shizhong Duan, who has spent the past 3 years as a Senior Mechanical Designer at Tekion (Canada) Inc. where he was instrumental in the successful design and development of Tekion's formic acid reformer system for PEM fuel cells. Prior to joining Tekion, Shizhong spent 12 years as a Senior Research Engineer developing products at ABB, and a year at Ballard Power Systems working on water management issues for PEM fuel cells. Shizhong is named in 8 patents and has co-authored 9 publications. He holds has a PhD in Mechanical Engineering from UBC (1995), a Master of Science from the Dept. of Jet Propulsion, BUAA, China (1987) and a Bachelor of Science from the Dept. of Thermal Engineering, Tsinghua University, China (1984).
"Neil, Shizhong and Shawn's appointment to Mantra's management and advisory is a critical next step to the company's growth and advancement of the technology towards its commercialization," said Larry Kristof, Mantra's President and CEO.
About Mantra Energy Alternatives:
Mantra Energy Alternatives Ltd. is a wholly owned subsidiary of Mantra Venture Group Ltd. Its mission is to become the world leader in production of high value, carbon negative chemicals and fuels. Mantra's ERC system will reduce the problem greenhouse gas CO2 and convert it into a series of valuable chemicals, a form of carbon capture and recycling (CCR). There are currently 27 billion metric tons of CO2 emitted annually from fossil fuel combustion, providing an inexhaustible supply of feedstock. The first product is formic acid (HCOOH), which commands a market of approximately USD $1 billion.
Mantra is a public company quoted on the OTC BB under the symbol MVTG and on the Frankfurt Stock Exchange under the symbol 5MV.
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For more information go to: http://www.mantraenergy.com
