TIDMGTL

RNS Number : 3401D

GTL Resources PLC

22 March 2011

For immediate release 22 March 2011

GTL Resources PLC ("GTL")

Collaboration Agreement to Extract Zein Protein

GTL Resources PLC (AIM: GTL), the US based bio-refining company, with a 110 million gallon per annum ethanol plant in Illinois, is pleased to announce that GTL and Prairie Gold, Inc. (PGI), a Bloomington, IL based technology development company, have agreed to exclusively collaborate in the further development of the PGI corn oil and protein extraction (COPE) process, with the ultimate intent to produce zein protein. Zein is a high value co-product that can be produced at a dry grind corn bio-refinery in conjunction with ethanol. PGI has been testing their proprietary COPE process at GTL's pilot facility located in Rochelle, IL and has demonstrated encouraging results extracting highly valued zein protein. GTL, in concert with their subsidiary Illinois River Energy (IRE), provides space, utilities, feedstock and ethanol process integration expertise to extract zein protein from corn.

Zein is a natural food product that can be used to make coatings for a wide range of applications including candies, gums and pill tablets. In addition, zein can be used as a key ingredient in flexible biodegradable films and fibers. Zein is edible and in its pure form is colorless and odorless. These qualities, combined with its competitive functionality, give zein a unique positioning for use in the food, pharmaceutical, plastic and specialty chemical industries. Interest in zein's use is growing as it can be used as a natural substitute for existing fossil fuel based alternatives.

In 2009, GTL and PGI constructed a 2,400 sq. ft. pilot plant at the IRE corn bio-refinery campus. The objective of the pilot plant project was to demonstrate the efficient extraction and purification of soluble zein protein from the corn kernel, prior to fermentation. During the demonstration project PGI process engineers have been able to demonstrate the initial success of the technology and provide data for ultimate scale up. The pilot trials have also provided zein samples for market development activities with customers.

Richard Ruebe, CEO of both GTL and IRE commented, "GTL is pleased to be collaborating with PGI in helping to bring this natural, highly-functional and high value product to key market segments. PGI's unique extraction technology has significant integration synergies with our standard ethanol process and is one major step in the transformation of GTL into an integrated bio-refinery with capabilities to produce a variety of food, chemical and industrial products."

For further information please contact:

GTL

Richard Ruebe

Jeffrey Lemajeur

+1 630-773-1226

enquiries@gtlresources.com

Cenkos

Stephen Keys

Elizabeth Bowman

+44 207 397 8928

Buchanan Communications

Charles Ryland

Ben Romney

+44 207 466 5000

This information is provided by RNS

The company news service from the London Stock Exchange

END

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