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SiGNa honored for its innovative design of greener chemicals New York – June 25, 2008 – In partnership with the American Chemical Society (ACS), The United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has presented SiGNa Chemistry, Inc. with the prestigious Presidential Green Chemistry Challenge Award for innovations in green chemistry materials based on the company’s proprietary technology for nano-scale encapsulation of reactive metal materials. Chosen from more than 30 nominees, SiGNa Chemistry won the 2008 Small Business Award for New Stabilized Alkali Metals for Safer, Sustainable Syntheses. Announced at the 12th Annual Green Chemistry & Engineering Conference in Washington, D.C., The Presidential Green Chemistry Challenge Awards Program promotes innovative developments in green chemistry for pollution prevention, providing national recognition of outstanding chemical technologies incorporating the principles of green chemistry into chemical design, manufacture and use.

SiGNa Chemistry, Inc. has commercialized a suite of "green" chemistry materials based on the company's core technology for transforming reactive alkali metals and their derivatives - which have historically been dangerous to use and store - into safe, free-flowing powders. The resulting materials drive improvements in safety, efficiency, and environmental sustainability across chemical processes in the pharmaceutical, petrochemical, and general synthesis industries. Additionally, the powders enable entirely new beneficial technologies and processes, including: the safe removal of pollutants from the environment and the safe, rapid production of pure hydrogen fuel for clean energy applications.

“SiGNa Chemistry was founded with the express mission of transforming reactive metals from a lab hazard into a safe part of global industry’s clean chemistry toolkit. The EPA’s recognition of that vision and value is truly an honor,” said Michael Lefenfeld, president and CEO of SiGNa Chemistry. “The needs that our materials address are global in scale: energy, the environment and human health.”

In order to qualify, Presidential Green Chemistry Challenge Award-nominated technology must have reached a significant milestone over the past five years, such as being researched, demonstrated, implemented, applied, or patented. It must also fit into one of the categories – such as small business – and into any one of the following three focus areas: the use of greener synthetic pathways, the use of greener reaction conditions, and the design of greener chemicals. Technologies that meet all requirements are then judged by an independent panel of technical experts convened by the ACS looking at the following criteria: science and innovation, human health and environmental benefit, and applicability.

Typically, five awards are given annually to industry and government sponsors, an academic investigator, and a small business. Previous winners in the small business category include NovaSterilis, Inc., NuPro Technologies, Inc., and Metabolix, Inc.

Since 1996, Presidential Green Chemistry Challenge Award-winning technologies have collectively eliminated more than 940 million pounds of hazardous chemicals and solvents, saved over 600 million gallons of water, and eliminated over 340 million pounds of carbon dioxide released into the air.

About SiGNa Chemistry 

SiGNa Chemistry, Inc., an advanced materials company, has developed a green nanotechnology- based solution that makes reactive metals far more efficient, safer, and cost effective. Reactive metals are fundamental components used for general synthesis in the pharmaceutical, petrochemical, specialty chemical and environmental remediation industries. It also has the potential to enable portable fuel cells to become practical by safely producing record levels of pure hydrogen gas from a safe, stable dry powder at room temperature. In all of these ventures, the use of reactive metals, such as alkali metals, is currently curtailed or avoided all together due to their high degree of instability, which makes them difficult and expensive to handle. SiGNa’s products have solved the problems of safety and cost efficiency, representing the most substantial scientific breakthrough in reactive metals in over 100 years. For more information, visit: http://www.signachem.com