[November 11, 2008]

Province of British Columbia: B.C. Technology Scores Market Success

(M2 PressWIRE Via Acquire Media NewsEdge)
RDATE:10112008

VICTORIA - Using technology developed at the University of British
Columbia, Vancouver-based Ostara Nutrient Recovery Technologies Inc.
has achieved the first commercialization in the United States of a
process using municipal wastewater to make environmentally safe
fertilizer, Technology, Trade and Economic Development Minister Ida
Chong said today.

"B.C. is emerging as a force in clean technology," said Chong. "British
Columbia science, technology, and entrepreneurial enterprise, backed by
global investment and the provincial government, have combined to score
a significant success in the international clean tech marketplace."

A municipal wastewater treatment plant in Portland, Oregon, will become
the first facility in the U.S. to use the new technology to recover
nutrients from wastewater and recycle them into a commercial grade
fertilizer product called Crystal Green.

Ostara's process, based on technology licensed from UBC, will be used
at the Durham Advanced Wastewater Treatment Facility in Tigard, Oregon,
already recognized by the United States Environmental Protection Agency
as one of the top wastewater treatment facilities in the United States.
The Durham facility serves more than 500,000 customers in urban
Washington County, west of Portland.

"The Clean Water Services facility in Durham is the first in the U.S.
to incorporate the Ostara technology," said Philip Abrary, president
and CEO of Ostara. "Several other commercial facilities are in planning
and design stages after successful field trials by municipalities,
ethanol bio-fuels plants and food processing plants in the U.S. and
Canada. As many as 400 municipalities and industrial plants in North
America and 500 in Europe are potential customers for the Ostara
process."

Part of the project financing came from VantagePoint Venture Partners,
a fund manager for the $90-million BC Renaissance Capital Fund,
launched by the provincial government in 2008 to attract venture
capital. With US $4.5 billion in committed capital, including US $1
billion dedicated to clean tech, VantagePoint Venture Partners is one
of the largest investors in the industry. The company led a US
$10.5-million equity financing to enable Ostara to increase the pace of
deployment at additional wastewater treatment plants.

"Ostara's unique technology takes waste from one industry and

transforms it into a high-value product for another industry.

These are the innovations that will define successful enterprises of
the 21^st century," said Stephan Dolezalek, managing director and clean
tech practice head, VantagePoint Venture Partners.

VantagePoint Venture Partners is a leader in investing in game-change
technologies and in building partnerships with entrepreneurs in the
clean tech, health-care and information technology sectors. Located in
San Bruno, California, the firm has a large, expert investment team, a
broad network of strategic partners and advisors, and investments in
more than 70 companies.

Venture capital investments, such as the financing for Ostara, can help
B.C. companies create jobs in the province and market innovative
technologies worldwide. Between 2006 and 2008, Ostara raised $3 million
from investors through the Venture Capital Programs established by the
Province of British Columbia.

More information on BCRCF and venture capital programs is available on
the Ministry of Technology, Trade and Economic Development's website at
www.gov.bc.ca/ecdev.

CONTACT: Gordon Williams, Communications Director, Ministry of
Technology, Trade and Economic Development
Tel: +1 250 952 0152
WWW: http://www.gov.bc.ca

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