BioPetroClean Announces Series a Funding from 21Ventures;

First Commercial Installation for Israeli Pipeline Company

NEW YORK & TEL AVIV, Israel--(BUSINESS WIRE)--BioPetroClean^™ (BPC), a global provider of commercial grade bioremediation systems for oil contaminants, today announced that the company had closed on $3 million in Series A funding led by its sole institutional investor New York-based 21Ventures LLC. BPC closed the round late last week and will tap this financing to support operations, specifically sales and marketing, and to augment next generation bioremediation research and development activities.

“Our company was extremely careful in evaluating all possible solutions for separating oil from water, including mechanical (separators) and other biological solutions”

The company also announced the successful installation of its bioremediation technology for Eilat Ashkelon Pipeline Co. Ltd. (EAPC), Israel’s land bridge for transporting crude oil from the Red Sea to the Mediterranean. EAPC is the first commercial company to adopt BioPetroClean’s Bioremediation technology developed by Professor Eugene Rosenberg, Ph.D., a world-renowned authority in the biological treatment of oil pollution, Professor of Microbiology at Tel Aviv University and Co-Founder and Chief Scientist at BPC. Rosenberg, together with Professor Eliora Ron, pioneered the use of naturally occurring bacteria to clean up oil pollution in oil tankers, pipelines and on beaches in the 1970s, including the infamous Exxon Valdez oil spill off the Alaskan coast. For more information on Rosenberg, visit: www.tau.ac.il/lifesci/departments/biotech/members/rosenberg/rosenberg. html. (Due to its length, this URL may need to be copied/pasted into your Internet browser's address field. Remove the extra space if one exists.)

“Our company was extremely careful in evaluating all possible solutions for separating oil from water, including mechanical (separators) and other biological solutions,” said Izik Levi, Port Manager & Head of Operation for Eilat Ashkelon Pipeline Co. “EAPC selected BPC after several months of successfully testing their bioremediation solution to clean oil contaminations from drainage water at one of our oil storage farms and receiving EPA approval to discharge the water back to nature. We were relieved to find a company (BPC) that provides a bio-digestable, environmentally friendly treatment for oil contamination that both meets EPA requirements and is cost- and time- effective.”

An industry first, BPC specializes in the cost and time effective, biological treatment of oil contamination, developing custom solutions for the effective purification of water, soil, and oil storage and transportation tanks. The company’s proprietary bioremediation technology removes both un-dissolved oil and the dissolved toxic hydrocarbons from water, soil and container surfaces – not currently possible with existing physical separation systems. Specific features include:

• biological solution that uses different types of “friendly” bacteria and bioemulsifiers to remove various types of oil contaminants
• unique “Bacteria Cocktail” removes all toxic hydrocarbons
• customized solutions for each client based on oil type (contamination type and level), geographic location and weather conditions
• versatile process easily adapted to various needs and applications (on-site/off-site, on land/sea, salt/fresh water, and small/medium/large applications)
• environmentally friendly solution that returns nature to optimal state without any known side-effects
• solution that ensures optimal bio-degradation (a unique mixture of naturally occurring bacteria that feed only on petroleum hydrocarbons, plus a proprietary supplemental nutrient-mix and controlled aeration)

“It is an honor to be supporting the pioneering work of Dr. Rosenberg and his talented team of dedicated microbiologists at BioPetroClean,” stated David Anthony, Managing Partner of 21Ventures. “Given both the individual and collective genius that resides at BPC together with the world’s continuing demand for petroleum-related products and increasing concern over environmental issues, including water, soil and container purification, BioPetroClean is well-positioned for tremendous market growth and continued leadership in the bioremediation industry.”

About Eilat Ashkelon Pipeline

Please visit: www.eapc.co.il.

About BioPetroClean

Please visit: www.biopetroclean.com.

About 21Ventures

Please visit: www.21Ventures.net.