Audi a3 TDI to run synthetic diesel

Rentech's Synthetic RenDiesel® Fuels Audi A3 TDIs for 1,000 Mile California Drive

'Eureka! Diesel Driving the Future' Clean Diesel Journey Part of Green Car of the Year Tourâ„¢

Rentech, Inc. announced that its synthetic RenDiesel® will fuel two Audi A3 TDIs during a four day, 1,000 mile journey beginning October 18th. The Audi A3 TDI® is Green Car Journal's 2010 Green Car of the Year®.

"Rentech is excited to participate in this Green Car Journal drive, celebrating innovation and clean diesel"

The clean diesel journey by Green Car Journal editors and invited VIPs is part of the magazine's Green Car of the Year Tourâ„¢, which this year focuses on the important role advanced clean diesel vehicles play in efficiency and CO2 reduction as well as the importance of sustainable non-petroleum fuels in America's future.

The two Audi A3 TDIs will run exclusively on RenDiesel® during the 'Eureka! Diesel Driving the Future' 1,000-mile journey. The tour will span the state of California, beginning in Eureka and ending in San Diego. Throughout the journey, press conferences will take place in Sacramento (October 19th), Rialto and San Diego (both on October 20th) and at the Petersen Automotive Museum in Los Angeles for a Green Car of the Year Tour™ celebration event (October 21st) at the end of the journey.

"Rentech is excited to participate in this Green Car Journal drive, celebrating innovation and clean diesel," commented D. Hunt Ramsbottom, President and CEO of Rentech. "Diesel vehicles such as the Audi A3 TDI and fuel such as Rentech's synthetic drop-in RenDiesel® provide viable solutions to improving our environment. We commend the Green Car Journal for recognizing innovative technologies and embracing the future of America's fuels," Mr. Ramsbottom added.

"When you combine the reigning Green Car of the Year, our Audi A3 TDI, with advanced fuels, such as RenDiesel®, you begin to see that the future for sustainable motoring is near at hand," said Johan de Nysschen, President, Audi of America. "These technologies have powerful near-term potential to answer some of our thorniest energy questions."

The event in Rialto, home to Rentech's proposed Rialto Renewable Energy Center (Rialto Project), will commemorate the City as "The Chosen City for America's New Fuels." The Rialto Project, which is anticipated to create over 1,000 direct and indirect jobs during the construction and operations phases, is designed to produce approximately 640 barrels per day of renewable synthetic fuels, primarily RenDiesel®, and approximately 35 MW of renewable electric power (RenPowerTM) from urban green waste diverted from landfills. Both of these products will have low carbon footprints and help California reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, consistent with the State's Low Carbon Fuel Standard and Renewable Portfolio Standard. The project is a candidate for a U.S. Department of Energy loan guarantee.

Rentech's synthetic RenDiesel® can be produced from a variety of domestic resources using the Company's proprietary technologies to create sustainable and environmentally friendly diesel fuel. RenDiesel® is biodegradable, exceeds all global sulfur requirements and has virtually no aromatics. When compared to traditional petroleum-derived low sulfur diesel, tailpipe emissions from RenDiesel® generate lower amounts of hydrocarbons, carbon monoxide, particulate matter, nitrogen oxides (NOX), sulfur oxides (SOX) and carbon dioxide. Also, when compared to traditional diesel fuels, RenDiesel® has higher hydrogen content, heating value and cetane index, making it very energy-efficient.

RenDiesel® provides a viable solution that can be deployed today to minimize the transportation sector's environmental impact. The renewable RenDiesel® to be produced at the Rialto Project is expected to reduce greenhouse gas emissions on a lifecycle basis by as much as 97% over conventional diesel fuel and by a comparable amount over electric vehicles. A vehicle using RenDiesel® is also expected to be as much as two times more fuel efficient than one running on ethanol. RenDiesel® contains approximately 60% more energy per gallon than ethanol and diesel engines typically achieve 20-40% more miles per gallon than gasoline engines. RenDiesel® also produces fewer volatile organic compound (VOC) emissions than ethanol or traditional diesel.

The celebratory conclusion of the 'Eureka! Diesel Driving the Future' 1,000-mile journey will include a clean diesel panel discussion at the Peterson Automotive Museum in Los Angeles. The panel will be moderated by Green Car Journal's Ron Cogan and Matt Petersen, President of Global Green USA. Executives from Rentech, Audi, Bosch and Argonne National Laboratory will discuss the latest advances that have made clean diesel vehicles feasible options for a sustainable future, and the role synthetic and bio-based diesel fuels will play in the marketplace.

"With many thousands of miles already behind the wheel of Audi's outstanding A3 TDI over the past year, Green Car Journal editors are well acquainted with the model's thriftiness and fun-to-drive nature," said Ron Cogan, Editor and Publisher of the Green Car Journal and Editor of GreenCar.com. "Running on a 100% low carbon fuel will make this 1,000 mile journey all the more satisfying," Mr. Cogan said.

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