PEARL RIVER, N.Y. and SUGAR LAND, Texas, Jan. 20, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Anellotech, a sustainable technology company focused on producing cost-competitive renewable chemicals from non-food biomass, today announced that the Company has selected South Hampton Resources (SHR), a wholly owned subsidiary of Trecora Resources (NYSE: TREC), as the operating partner and site host for its fully-integrated development and testing facility (TCat-8™). Construction of a building and related facilities to house the pre-built unit is scheduled to begin after receipt of permits in late January with completion and operation scheduled during 2016. TCat-8 will be located on SHR's site in Silsbee, Hardin County, Texas.

This 25 meter-tall unit will confirm the viability and suitability of the Bio-TCat process for scale-up, and generate the data needed to design commercial plants using Bio-TCat technology. The TCat-8 unit was jointly designed by Anellotech and its R&D partner IFPEN, and will use a novel catalyst under joint development by Anellotech and Johnson Matthey. 

"SHR brings a proven track record of efficiently and safely constructing, hosting and operating chemical projects, and has a superb staff of chemical plant operators, maintenance craftsmen, plant supervisors, ESH and analytical personnel," said David Sudolsky, President and CEO of Anellotech. "By partnering with SHR, Anellotech can leverage their operational expertise and experience. They have a reputation for excellent service as evidenced by their extensive, long-term relationships with domestic and international customers. Anellotech is teaming up with partners that have deep experience and expertise across the chemical supply chain. SHR is an ideal fit as our partner for the TCat-8 development and testing facility. This is an important step as we continue our program to commercialize the Bio-TCat process to cost-competitively produce renewable chemicals from non-food biomass."

Trecora Resources CEO, Simon Upfill-Brown, commented, "We are pleased that Anellotech selected South Hampton Resources as the partner and site for this innovative development project. We look forward to working with Anellotech on the construction and operation of the TCat-8 unit, and helping to ensure that the Bio-TCat process meets the industry leading quality standards for which SHR is known."

About Anellotech
Anellotech is developing the Bio-TCat process to produce cost-competitive renewable aromatic chemicals (benzene, toluene and xylenes, "BTX") from non-food biomass, in collaboration with IFPEN, Axens, Johnson Matthey, Suntory and other major multinational companies. This proprietary process will provide "drop in" bio-derived BTX as an alternative to their identical petroleum-derived counterparts. By using biomass as a source feedstock for aromatic chemicals, Anellotech is lowering these chemicals' lifecycle carbon footprint. Anellotech complements its world-class R&D team with in-depth, highly-interactive, and long-term partnerships with leaders in process development, catalysis, engineering design, and licensing to accelerate development and drive cost-competitiveness. IFPEN is our process development and scale-up partner, Johnson Matthey is our catalyst development partner, and Axens is our partner for industrialization, commercialization, global licensing and technical support. Industry-leading strategic partners in the BTX supply chain, including Suntory and another multinational corporate investor that invested $7 million in November 2015, have provided capital to Anellotech. For additional information, please visit: http://anellotech.com/.

About Trecora Resources (TREC) and South Hampton Resources
TREC owns and operates South Hampton Resources, located in southeast Texas, just north of Beaumont, which specializes in high purity hydrocarbons and other petrochemical manufacturing. TREC also owns and operates Trecora Chemical, a leading manufacturer of specialty polyethylene waxes and provider of custom processing services located in the heart of the petrochemical complex in Pasadena, Texas. In addition, the Company is the original developer and a 35% owner of Al Masane Al Kobra Mining Co., a Saudi Arabian joint stock company.

With more than 60 years experience, South Hampton Resources is the industry leader in product quality and service to the customer. In addition to petrochemical production, South Hampton also provides custom processing and product development work for others in the industry. The wide variety of available equipment and the ready source of good quality hydrogen enables South Hampton to assist others with their particular needs. Customers include many Fortune 500 oil and chemical companies. South Hampton is known for its ability to act quickly and for its flexibility in meeting customer's needs.

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SOURCE Trecora Resources