Verenium Appoints Carey Buckles Vice President of Biofuels Operations

- Company adds leader with comprehensive industrial and biotech experience -


CAMBRIDGE, Mass., Sept. 21  /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Verenium Corporation (NASDAQ:VRNM), a pioneer in the development of next-generation cellulosic ethanol and high-performance specialty enzymes, today announced the appointment of Carey A. Buckles to the position of Vice President of Biofuels Operations. Buckles will report directly to Gregory Powers, Verenium's Executive Vice President of Research and Development, and have full site operations responsibility for the Jennings, Louisiana pilot and demonstration facilities.

"We are pleased that Carey has joined the team, as his combined industrial and biotech operations expertise will greatly benefit Verenium as we move closer to commercial-scale cellulosic ethanol production," said Gregory Powers, Executive Vice President of Research and Development of Verenium.  "Carey is a key addition to our team and we look forward to working with him to lead biofuels operations through continuous improvement to our process and in implementing next generation processes of the future."

Prior to joining Verenium, Buckles held positions with NatureWorks LLC, an independent company wholly owned by Cargill, the first company to produce commercially available sustainable plastics derived from plants. Most recently Buckles served as Director of Manufacturing and Engineering where he was directly responsible for all aspects of manufacturing including site integration, plant operation and maintenance, supply chain, engineering and environmental health and safety. Prior to that, he was the Lactic Acid Plant Production Leader, responsible for the commissioning and start up of the world's first and largest continuous fermentation lactic acid plant.

Buckles also held various positions at Dow Chemical Inc. between 1983 and 2001 where he had increasing responsibility in numerous global, multiproduct petrochemical businesses.

Buckles received a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from Mississippi State University and has extensive training and experience implementing OSHA PSM safety standards, Six Sigma methodologies and EHS systems.

About Verenium

Verenium Corporation is a leader in the development and commercialization of cellulosic ethanol, an environmentally-friendly and renewable transportation fuel, as well as high-performance specialty enzymes for applications within the biofuels, industrial, and animal health markets. The Company possesses integrated, end-to-end capabilities and cutting-edge technology in pre-treatment, novel enzyme development, fermentation and project development for next-generation biofuels. Through Vercipia, the Company is moving rapidly to commercialize cellulosic technology for the production of ethanol from a wide array of non-food feedstocks, including dedicated energy crops, agricultural waste, and wood products. In addition to the vast potential for biofuels, a multitude of large-scale industrial opportunities exist for the Company for products derived from the production of low-cost, biomass-derived sugars.

Verenium's Specialty Enzyme business harnesses the power of enzymes to create a broad range of specialty products to meet high-value commercial needs. Verenium's world class R&D organization is renowned for its capabilities in the rapid screening, identification, and expression of enzymes-proteins that act as the catalysts of biochemical reactions. For more information on Verenium, visit http://www.verenium.com/.

Forward Looking Statements

Statements in this press release that are not strictly historical are "forward-looking" and involve a high degree of risk and uncertainty.  These include, but are not limited to, statements related to the Company's operations, capabilities, commercialization activities, cellulosic ethanol facilities, target markets and future financial performance, results and objectives, all of which are prospective.  Such statements are only predictions, and actual events or results may differ materially from those projected in such forward-looking statements.  Factors that could cause or contribute to the differences include, but are not limited to, risks associated with Verenium's technologies, risks associated with the costs, labor requirements and labor availability associated with Verenium's demonstration plant, risks associated with Verenium's ability to obtain additional capital to support its planned operations and financial obligations, risks associated with Verenium's dependence on patents and proprietary rights, risks associated with Verenium's protection and enforcement of its patents and proprietary rights, technological, regulatory, competitive and other risks related to development, production, and commercialization of cellulosic ethanol and other biofuels and the commercial prospects of those industries, Verenium's dependence on existing collaboration, manufacturing, and/or license agreements, and its ability to achieve milestones under existing and future collaboration agreements, the ability of Verenium and its partners to commercialize its technologies and products (including by obtaining any required regulatory approvals) using Verenium's technologies and timing for launching any commercial products and projects, the ability of Verenium and its collaborators to market and sell any products that it or they commercialize, the development or availability of competitive products or technologies, the future ability of Verenium to enter into and/or maintain collaboration and joint venture agreements and licenses, changes in the U.S. or global energy markets and laws and regulations applicable to them, and risks and other uncertainties more fully described in the Company's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including, but not limited to, the Company's annual report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2008 and any updates contained in its subsequently filed quarterly reports on Form 10-Q.  These forward-looking statements speak only as of the date hereof, and the Company expressly disclaims any intent or obligation to update these forward-looking statements.

  Contacts:

  Kelly Lindenboom
  Vice President, Corporate Communications
  617-674-5335
  

  Sarah Carmody
  Sr. Corporate Communications Associate
  617-674-5357
  

DATASOURCE: Verenium Corporation



CONTACT:  Kelly Lindenboom, Vice President, Corporate Communications,

[phone], , or Sarah Carmody, Sr.

Corporate Communications Associate, [phone],

, both of Verenium Corporation



Web Site:  http://www.verenium.com/ 

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