Widely Published Government Expert Co-Authored Key Report on Algae's Potential

MENLO PARK, Calif., Aug. 24 /PRNewswire/ -- LiveFuels Inc., a privately funded developer of algae-to-biocrude, today announced the appointment of John Sheehan as Vice President of Strategy and Sustainable Development. With more than 16 years of experience as a senior strategic analyst at the US Department of Energy's National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) in Golden, CO, Sheehan will lead the long-term planning and strategic development at LiveFuels' research and production facilities.

"John is a national treasure in terms of his knowledge of biofuels, and we're very proud he decided to join LiveFuels," said Lissa Morgenthaler-Jones, CEO of LiveFuels. "John was the ultimate program manager of NREL's Biodiesel from Algae Program -- a program that spanned 20 years -- and he's the lead author of the 300-page report that summarized the program's results. There are a handful of people who really understand the issues with algal biofuels, and John is one of them."

In addition, Sheehan managed DOE's Biodiesel Program and led the strategic planning and analysis for DOE's Bioethanol and Biomass Programs. Sheehan's extensive published works include a groundbreaking 1998 life cycle assessment of soybeans as a source of biodiesel in urban busses. Sheehan specializes in the evaluation and life-cycle assessment of bioprocess technologies.

"I have voted with my feet," Sheehan said. "While the alternative energy landscape abounds with potential, LiveFuels is clearly well-positioned to overcome the obstacles involved, and I look forward to helping them complete their move from the lab to the fuel tank."

Sheehan brings over 20 years of experience in the field of chemical and biochemical engineering to the LiveFuels team. Prior to NREL, Sheehan worked as a process engineer at Merck Pharmaceutical and a biochemical engineer at the corporate research center of W.R. Grace. Sheehan holds a master's degree in biochemical engineering from Lehigh University and a bachelor's degree in chemical engineering from the University of Pennsylvania.

About LiveFuels, Inc.

Based in Menlo Park, California, LiveFuels is a privately-backed company working towards the goal of creating commercially competitive biocrude oil from algae by 2010. LiveFuels is partnering with top scientists, national laboratories and commercial institutions in order to speed the research and development process of creating algal biocrude. The company addresses the challenge of economically-competitive energy from algae by reducing cost at every step of the process. For more information, please visit http://www.livefuels.com.

Web site: http://www.livefuels.com/