FRANKLINTON, N.C., Feb. 1 /PRNewswire/ -- Novozymes, the leader in industrial biotechnology, applauds President Bush's Advanced Energy Initiative and his vision and efforts to promote energy independence and move this nation beyond the petroleum dependency and towards the bio-based society. Novozymes has been instrumental in revolutionizing the production of transportation fuel in this country through application of its enzyme technology for ethanol, both based on corn starch, and, in collaboration with the Department of Energy and the National Renewable Energy Laboratories, on agricultural residues such as corn stover. In 2005, Novozymes researchers announced that they had successfully reduced the enzyme cost of converting biomass (in this case corn stover) into fermentable sugars for fuel ethanol production 30-fold, which equates to a reduction in the cost of enzymes from over $5 to between $0.10 and $0.18 per gallon of cellulosic ethanol. This application of Novozymes enzyme technology is also capable of converting other biomass, such as wood chips and switch grass, into sugars for fuel ethanol production. With the President's ambition of making cellulosic ethanol a practical and competitive alternative within 6 years, federal research support is clearly needed to further advance the process of converting biomass to ethanol making it competitive with current cornstarch processes. And, this increase in federal funding will also significantly aid bringing the U.S. closer to reaching the President's grand vision of replacing more than 75% of oil imports from the Middle East by 2025. Since our inception nearly 60 years ago as the enzyme division of Novo Nordisk, Novozymes has been committed to supporting the world with sustainable, biological solutions that create the necessary balance between better business, a cleaner environment and better lives. Transforming the nation's energy infrastructure into a sustainable enterprise while helping to ensure national security and economic growth is indeed a worthy aspiration, and Novozymes applauds government and all legislators making this a priority for the American people. Novozymes is the biotech-based world leader in enzymes and microorganisms. Using nature's own technologies, we continuously expand the frontiers of biological solutions to improve industrial performance everywhere. Headquartered in Denmark, Novozymes employs more than 4,000 people in more than 30 countries. Novozymes produces and sells more than 600 products in 130 countries. Novozymes A/S' B shares are listed on the Copenhagen Stock Exchange. For further company information, visit Novozymes on the Internet at http://www.novozymes.com/. First Call Analyst: FCMN Contact: DATASOURCE: Novozymes CONTACT: Yokima Cureton of Novozymes, +1-919-494-3209, or mobile, +1-919-218-4501, or Web site: http://www.novozymes.com/

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