|
Imagine a world in which our energy, chemicals, and industrial raw materials come from green plants. At NewAgriculture™ we are helping to build such a world.
New Agriculture is a biobased products company. We plan to establish a series of “biorefineries,” which can produce renewable energy, chemicals and high-value food products from plant biomass (plant matter). We are developing new technologies which can efficiently produce energy, proteins, and other high-value materials from plant materials.
Agriculture can be a source of industrial products and energy, including many products currently produced using petroleum. The next quarter-century will see an economic transformation away from a petroleum-based economy toward one based on renewable biobased products. The federal government has set a target of producing one-quarter of all industrial raw materials from biobased sources within 25 years.
A biorefinery can recover a combination of high-value proteins and specialty chemicals from plant biomass, and then convert the remaining biomass into energy. By obtaining multiple products from a single raw material, we maximize profit and efficiency. This “multiple product” approach is analogous to petroleum refineries, in which different portions of the crude petroleum material are used to make a range of products.
Our business focuses on developing proprietary techniques for recovering these high-value materials from biomass. As such, we are carving out a niche which complements the efforts of many companies who are focusing on the conversion of biomass to energy. We plan to establish biorefineries which utilize our new processes to make high-value products, and then partner with energy companies to convert residual biomass into energy.
We are using tobacco as our feedstock for the initial biorefinery. Tobacco is an ideal feedstock, despite its association with smoking. Tobacco can produce useful and healthy products, including non-allergenic proteins with a nutritional profile comparable to milk proteins. Tobacco is also one of the largest biomass producers of any agricultural crop.
NewAgriculture is based in Port Tobacco, in Southern Maryland, in the heart of Maryland’s historical tobacco growing region. It presently has three employees. Our research involving tobacco began in 2002, and followed the establishment of a voluntary buy-out of tobacco farmers in Maryland. The company incorporated in 1993. Prior to 2002, the company focused on the development of industrial and medicinal compounds from plants. The company was originally named "Pharmacognetics," and changed its name to "NewAgriculture" in 2007.
|
|
|
President
Neil A. Belson, is President and Founder of NewAgriculture, Inc. He directs the company's research involving biobased products. Mr. Belson set up the company's key collaborations and played a leading role in securing seed financing. He has negotiated numerous agreements involving the bioscience and agribusiness industries. A graduate of Harvard Law School, he has worked in several well-known Washington, D.C. law firms. He also has two degrees in agricultural science from the University of Maryland. Mr. Belson served as a Peace Corps Volunteer in the Dominican Republic, where he created and managed a rural energy farm project. He speaks fluent Spanish.
|
|
|
Science Advisory Board
We are in the process of establishing a science advisory board, consisting of individuals with extensive experience in the production and marketing of biobased products. We will look to these individuals to assist us in developing new products, locating customers and business partners, and finding prospective investors.
|
|
|
© NewAgriculture, Inc. All rights reserved. |
|
