CleanTech Biofuels, Inc. - Quarter Report: 2009 March (Form 10-Q)
Table of Contents
UNITED STATES
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington, D.C. 20549
FORM 10-Q
þ | QUARTERLY REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934 |
FOR THE QUARTERLY PERIOD ENDED MARCH 31, 2009
o | TRANSITION REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934 |
FOR THE TRANSITION PERIOD FROM TO
Commission file number 333-145939
CLEANTECH BIOFUELS, INC.
(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)
Delaware | 33-0754902 | |
(State or other jurisdiction of incorporation or organization) | (I.R.S. Employer Identification No.) | |
7386 Pershing Ave., University City, Missouri | 63130 | |
(Address of principal executive offices) | (Zip Code) |
(Registrants telephone number): (314) 802-8670
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant (1) filed all reports required to be filed by Section
13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 during the preceding 12 months (or for such
shorter period that the registrant was required to file such reports), and (2) has been subject to
such filing requirements for the past 90 days. Yes þ No o
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has submitted electronically and posted on its
corporate Web site, if any, every Interactive Data File required to be submitted and posted
pursuant to Rule 405 of Regulation S-T (§232.405 of this chapter) during the preceding 12 months
(or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to submit and post such
files). Yes o No o
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, a
non-accelerated filer, or a smaller reporting company. See the definitions of large accelerated
filer, accelerated filer and smaller reporting company in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act.
Large accelerated filer o | Accelerated filer o | Non-accelerated filer o | Smaller reporting company þ | |||
(Do not check if a smaller reporting company) |
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a shell company (as defined in Rule 12b-2 of the
Exchange Act). Yes o No þ
As of May 7, 2009, 61,392,253 shares of the Companys common stock were outstanding.
CLEANTECH BIOFUELS, INC.
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Exhibit 31.2 | ||||||||
Exhibit 32.1 | ||||||||
Exhibit 32.2 |
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PART I. FINANCIAL INFORMATION
Item 1. Financial Statements (Unaudited)
CLEANTECH BIOFUELS, INC.
(formerly Alternative Ethanol Technologies, Inc.)
(A Development Stage Company)
(formerly Alternative Ethanol Technologies, Inc.)
(A Development Stage Company)
BALANCE SHEET
March 31, | December 31, | |||||||
2009 | 2008 | |||||||
(unaudited) | ||||||||
ASSETS |
||||||||
Current assets: |
||||||||
Cash and cash equivalents |
$ | 19,082 | $ | 96,617 | ||||
Prepaids and other current assets |
49,963 | 68,345 | ||||||
69,045 | 164,962 | |||||||
Property and equipment, net |
32,956 | 18,826 | ||||||
Non-current assets: |
||||||||
Technology licenses |
2,021,782 | 2,021,782 | ||||||
Patents |
600,000 | 600,000 | ||||||
Total Assets |
$ | 2,723,783 | $ | 2,805,570 | ||||
LIABILITIES AND STOCKHOLDERS EQUITY (DEFICIT) |
||||||||
Current liabilities: |
||||||||
Accounts payable |
$ | 269,933 | $ | 238,925 | ||||
Accrued interest |
44,517 | 26,660 | ||||||
Accrued professional fees and other |
129,600 | 66,250 | ||||||
Notes Payable, net |
638,370 | 456,712 | ||||||
Deferred revenue |
70,333 | | ||||||
Capital lease |
4,704 | 4,649 | ||||||
Total current liabilities |
1,157,457 | 793,196 | ||||||
Capital Lease |
4,919 | 6,117 | ||||||
Series A Convertible Debentures |
140,000 | 140,000 | ||||||
STOCKHOLDERS EQUITY (DEFICIT) |
||||||||
Preferred stock, $0.001 par value; 10,000,000 authorized shares; no shares
issued or outstanding |
| | ||||||
Common stock, $0.001 par value; 240,000,000 authorized shares;
61,392,253 and 61,270,153 shares issued and outstanding at
March 31, 2009 and December 31, 2008, respectively |
61,392 | 61,270 | ||||||
Additional paid-in capital |
4,804,922 | 4,675,098 | ||||||
Notes receivable restricted common shares issued to Directors and Employees |
(164,807 | ) | (162,567 | ) | ||||
Deficit accumulated during the development stage |
(3,280,100 | ) | (2,707,544 | ) | ||||
Total Stockholders Equity |
1,421,407 | 1,866,257 | ||||||
Total Liabilities and Stockholders Equity |
$ | 2,723,783 | $ | 2,805,570 | ||||
See accompanying notes to financial statements.
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CLEANTECH BIOFUELS, INC.
(formerly Alternative Ethanol Technologies, Inc.)
(A Development Stage Company)
(formerly Alternative Ethanol Technologies, Inc.)
(A Development Stage Company)
STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS (unaudited)
July 14, 2004 | ||||||||||||
Three months ended | (inception) to | |||||||||||
March 31, | March 31, | |||||||||||
2009 | 2008 | 2009 | ||||||||||
General and administrative |
$ | 243,823 | $ | 146,223 | $ | 1,311,573 | ||||||
Professional fees |
109,413 | 111,946 | 868,854 | |||||||||
Research and development |
101 | 183,104 | 524,802 | |||||||||
Operating Loss |
353,337 | 441,273 | 2,705,229 | |||||||||
Other expense (income): |
||||||||||||
Interest expense |
226,127 | 19,751 | 472,585 | |||||||||
Amortization of technology license |
| 3,750 | 35,000 | |||||||||
Deposit forfeiture |
| | (25,000 | ) | ||||||||
Other income |
(4,667 | ) | | (4,667 | ) | |||||||
Interest income |
(2,241 | ) | (5,727 | ) | (37,395 | ) | ||||||
219,219 | 17,774 | 440,523 | ||||||||||
Net loss applicable to common stockholders |
$ | 572,556 | $ | 459,047 | $ | 3,145,752 | ||||||
Basic and diluted net loss per common share |
$ | 0.01 | $ | 0.01 | $ | 0.07 | ||||||
Weighted average common shares outstanding |
61,351,553 | 50,082,525 | 45,050,374 | |||||||||
See accompanying notes to financial statements.
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CLEANTECH BIOFUELS, INC.
(formerly Alternative Ethanol Technologies, Inc.)
(A Development Stage Company)
(formerly Alternative Ethanol Technologies, Inc.)
(A Development Stage Company)
STATEMENTS OF CHANGES IN STOCKHOLDERS EQUITY (DEFICIT) (unuaudited)
Notes Rec - | ||||||||||||||||||||
restricted | ||||||||||||||||||||
common | July 14, 2004 | |||||||||||||||||||
Additional | shares issued | (inception) to | ||||||||||||||||||
Common Stock | Paid-in | to Directors | March 31, | |||||||||||||||||
Shares | Amount | Capital | and Employees | 2009 | ||||||||||||||||
Balances at December 31, 2008 |
61,270,153 | $ | 61,270 | $ | 4,675,098 | $ | (162,567 | ) | $ | (2,707,544 | ) | |||||||||
Conversion of convertible note in
February 2009 at $.25 per share |
122,100 | 122 | 11,533 | |||||||||||||||||
Discounts on Notes Payable |
35,000 | |||||||||||||||||||
Interest on Notes Receivable |
(2,240 | ) | ||||||||||||||||||
Stock-based compensation |
83,291 | |||||||||||||||||||
Net loss |
(572,556 | ) | ||||||||||||||||||
Balances at March 31, 2009 |
61,392,253 | $ | 61,392 | $ | 4,804,922 | $ | (164,807 | ) | $ | (3,280,100 | ) | |||||||||
See accompanying notes to financial statements.
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CLEANTECH BIOFUELS, INC.
(formerly Alternative Ethanol Technologies, Inc.)
(A Development Stage Company)
(formerly Alternative Ethanol Technologies, Inc.)
(A Development Stage Company)
STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS (Unaudited)
July 14, 2004 | ||||||||||||
Three months ended | (inception) to | |||||||||||
March 31, | March 31, | |||||||||||
2009 | 2008 | 2009 | ||||||||||
Operating Activities |
||||||||||||
Net loss applicable to common stockholders |
$ | (572,556 | ) | $ | (459,047 | ) | $ | (3,145,752 | ) | |||
Adjustments to reconcile net loss applicable to common
stockholders to net cash used by operating activities: |
||||||||||||
Items that did not use (provide) cash: |
||||||||||||
Common stock issued for organizational costs |
| | 100 | |||||||||
Depreciation |
1,070 | 4,909 | 29,898 | |||||||||
Amortization |
| 3,750 | 35,000 | |||||||||
Interest income |
(2,240 | ) | | (10,007 | ) | |||||||
Amortization of discounts (interest expense) and
other financing charges |
207,401 | | 346,353 | |||||||||
Share-based compensation expense |
83,291 | 82,680 | 341,412 | |||||||||
Write-off of technology license |
| | 97,500 | |||||||||
Fair value of RAM warrant settlement |
| | 125,027 | |||||||||
Changes in operating assets and liabilities that provided
(used) cash, net: |
||||||||||||
Prepaids and other current assets |
18,382 | 11,581 | (49,963 | ) | ||||||||
Technology license |
| | (132,500 | ) | ||||||||
Accounts payable |
31,008 | 71,538 | 269,933 | |||||||||
Other assets and other liabilities |
88,836 | 13,969 | 164,367 | |||||||||
Accrued liabilities |
63,350 | | 129,600 | |||||||||
Net cash used by operating activities |
(81,458 | ) | (270,620 | ) | (1,799,032 | ) | ||||||
Cash Flows Provided (Used) by Investing Activities |
||||||||||||
Acquisition of patent, net |
| | (150,000 | ) | ||||||||
Merger of Biomass North America Licensing, Inc., net |
| | (20,000 | ) | ||||||||
Acquisition of HFTA technology, net |
| | | |||||||||
Expenditures for equipment |
(15,200 | ) | (26,680 | ) | (48,735 | ) | ||||||
Net cash used by investing activities |
(15,200 | ) | (26,680 | ) | (218,735 | ) | ||||||
Cash Flows Provided (Used) by Financing Activities |
||||||||||||
Payments on capital lease, including interest |
(1,264 | ) | (366 | ) | (5,051 | ) | ||||||
Series A Convertible Debentures, including interest |
| 474,900 | 1,424,900 | |||||||||
Issuance of Convertible Notes Payable |
35,000 | | 642,000 | |||||||||
Payments on Note Payable |
(14,613 | ) | | (50,000 | ) | |||||||
Sale of common stock |
| | 25,000 | |||||||||
Net cash provided by financing activities |
19,123 | 474,534 | 2,036,849 | |||||||||
Net increase (decrease) in cash and cash equivalents |
(77,535 | ) | 177,234 | 19,082 | ||||||||
Cash and cash equivalents at beginning of period |
96,617 | 120,356 | | |||||||||
Cash and cash equivalents at end of period |
$ | 19,082 | $ | 297,590 | $ | 19,082 | ||||||
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CLEANTECH BIOFUELS, INC.
(formerly Alternative Ethanol Technologies, Inc.)
(A Development Stage Company)
STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS contd
(formerly Alternative Ethanol Technologies, Inc.)
(A Development Stage Company)
STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS contd
July 14, 2004 | ||||||||||||
Three months ended | (inception) to | |||||||||||
March 31, | March 31, | |||||||||||
2009 | 2008 | 2009 | ||||||||||
Supplemental
disclosure of cash
flow information: |
||||||||||||
Cash paid for interest |
$ | 345 | $ | | $ | 7,555 | ||||||
Supplemental
disclosure of noncash
investing and
financing activities: |
||||||||||||
Promissory notes receivable
related to Series A
Convertible Debentures |
$ | | $ | | $ | 450,000 | ||||||
Capital lease related to
the purchase of equipment |
$ | | $ | | $ | 14,119 | ||||||
Common stock issued for
organizational costs |
$ | | $ | | $ | 100 | ||||||
Common stock issued for
promissory notes |
$ | | $ | | $ | 133,596 | ||||||
Common stock issued for
Convertible notes converted |
$ | 122,100 | $ | | $ | 122,100 | ||||||
Common stock issued for
Debentures converted |
$ | | $ | 664,960 | $ | 1,333,337 | ||||||
Common stock and note
payable issued for
acquistion of Biomass |
$ | | $ | | $ | 1,501,250 | ||||||
Common stock issued for HFTA |
$ | | $ | | $ | 500,532 | ||||||
See accompanying notes to financial statements.
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Note 1 Organization and Business
Alternative Ethanol Technologies, Inc. (the Company), was incorporated in Delaware on December
20, 1996. Effective August 2, 2007, the Company changed its name to CleanTech Biofuels, Inc.
On March 27, 2007, the Company acquired SRS Energy, Inc., a Delaware corporation (SRS Energy),
pursuant to an Agreement and Plan of Merger and Reorganization. In accordance with the merger
agreement, SRS Acquisition Sub, Inc., a Delaware corporation and wholly-owned subsidiary of the
Company, merged with and into SRS Energy. The merger was consummated on May 31, 2007 and resulted
in SRS Energy becoming a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Company. As a result of the merger, the
stockholders of SRS Energy surrendered all of their issued and outstanding common stock and
received shares of the Companys common stock, $.001 par value per share. The former parent of SRS
Energy, Supercritical Recovery Systems, Inc., immediately prior to the merger, distributed 78.8% of
its 96% ownership in SRS Energy to its shareholders on a pro rata basis.
For accounting purposes, because the Company had been a public shell company prior to the merger,
the merger was treated as an acquisition of the Company and a recapitalization of SRS Energy. As a
result, the historical information of the Company prior to the merger disclosed in this report is
that of SRS Energy. In addition, historical share amounts have been restated to reflect the effect
of the merger.
The Company is a development stage company that has been engaged in technology development and
pre-operational activities since its formation, however the Company has begun evaluating potential
commercial projects. These projects plan to focus on cleaning and separating municipal solid waste
(also referred to as MSW) into its component parts in order to obtain a homogenous feedstock of
cellulosic biomass and plastics for energy production. The Company has limited exclusive licenses
to technology designed to convert cellulosic feedstocks, including MSW, into combustible sources of
energy.
The Company has no operating history as a producer of biomass or energy sources and has not
constructed any commercial plants to date. It has no operating revenues to date and expects that
its current capital and other existing resources will be sufficient only to provide a limited
amount of working capital. The Company will require substantial additional capital to implement its
business plan and it may be unable to obtain the capital required to do so. If we are not able to
timely and successfully raise additional capital and/or achieve profitability or positive cash
flow, we will be required to delay our development and may not be able to implement our business
plan.
Note 2 Interim Financial Statements
The accompanying unaudited, financial statements have been prepared in accordance with accounting
principles generally accepted in the United States for interim financial information and with the
instructions to Form 10-Q and Articles 8 and 10 of Regulation S-X. Accordingly, they do not include
all of the information and notes required by generally accepted accounting principles for complete
financial statements. In the opinion of management, all adjustments, consisting of normal recurring
items considered necessary for a fair presentation, have been included. Operating results for the
three months ended March 31, 2009 are not necessarily indicative of the results that may be
expected for the year ended December 31, 2009. For further information, refer to the Companys
audited financial statements and notes thereto included in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the
year ended December 31, 2008, filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on March 30, 2009.
Note 3 Mergers/Acquisitions
On September 15, 2008, the Company consummated the acquisition of Biomass North America Licensing,
Inc. (Biomass) pursuant to a merger between Biomass and a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Company
(with Biomass as the surviving subsidiary of the Company) in accordance with an Agreement and Plan
of Merger by and between the Company and Biomass. By virtue of the merger, the Company acquired a
license agreement pursuant to which the Company holds a license in the United States and Canada to
use patent pending technology owned by Biomass North America, LLC, the former parent of Biomass
(the Licensor), to clean and separate municipal solid waste (the Biomass Recovery Process).
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Upon consummation of the merger, the Company paid $20,000 in cash and issued a promissory note in
the original principal amount of $80,000 bearing interest at an annual rate of 6% (the Note) to a
shareholder of the Licensor. This note has a payable balance of approximately $30,000 as of March
31, 2009. If the amount due under the Note is not paid during the term of the Note, the holder has
a right to receive 123,000 shares of the Companys common stock, par value $.001 per share (Common
Stock), in addition to receiving the principal and interest due on the Note. Additionally, the
Company issued to the four shareholders of the Licensor a total of 1,895,000 shares of Common Stock
and deposited an additional 4,000,000 shares of Common Stock into an escrow account (collectively,
the Shares). The Shares were issued as part of the merger consideration received by the
shareholders of the Licensor. The escrowed shares will be released to the Licensors shareholders
if and when the Company commences a commercial development that utilizes the Biomass Recovery
Process. The Company recorded a long-term asset of approximately $1.5 million which it will begin
to amortize upon utilizing the license in our operations. If the escrowed shares are released based
on the specified future events, an increase to the value of the asset will be recorded at that
time. Based on the market value of Common Stock as of March 31, 2009, it would result in an
approximate increase of approximately $240,000 to the asset. Any future increase in the value of
the asset would depend on the market value of our Common Stock at the time of utilization.
Note 4 Patent
On October 22, 2008, the Company completed the purchase of Patent No. 6,306,248 (the Patent)
pursuant to a Patent Purchase Agreement (Agreement) with World Waste Technologies, Inc. (WWT).
The Patent is the basis for a pressurized steam classification technology from which our Biomass
Recovery Process was developed. As part of the acquisition of the Patent, we also became the
licensor of such technology to Bio-Products International, Inc. Upon signing the Agreement, the
Company paid WWT $150,000, issued a note in the amount of $450,000 and issued warrants to purchase
900,000 shares of Common Stock at a price of $0.45 per share. The note matures on July 22, 2009,
bears interest at 6.0% per annum and is secured by a security interest in the Patent. The warrants
are exercisable at any time for five years from the date of issuance. The value of these warrants
has been recorded as a contra-balance amount with the note and is being amortized through interest
expense over the life of the note. In addition, the Company issued a contingent warrant to purchase
900,000 shares of Common Stock at a price of $0.45 per share. The contingent warrant becomes
exercisable if the Company defaults on its obligations under the note and remains exercisable for
five years from the date of such default. This note has been recorded as short-term debt (notes
payable) in the financial statements, net of discounts for the warrant features. For the three
months ended March 31, 2009, amortization of this discount of approximately $58,000 has been
recorded in interest expense. At March 31, 2009, the notes payable balance, net of the discount,
related to this note is approximately $375,000.
Note 5 Technology Licenses
Biomass North America Licensing, Inc.
On September 15, 2008, in connection with the acquisition of Biomass described in Note 3 -
Mergers/Acquisitions, we acquired a license in the United States and Canada to use patent pending
technology owned by Biomass North America, LLC, the former parent of Biomass (the Licensor), to
clean and separate MSW, which we refer to as the Biomass Recovery Process. As a result of the
merger, a long-term asset of approximately $1.5 million was recorded for the value of this license.
Amortization of this asset will begin upon commencement of the use of the Biomass Recovery Process.
The Company also deposited an additional 4,000,000 shares of the Companys Common Stock into an
escrow account. For accounting purposes, the shares remaining in escrow are not considered issued
and outstanding as a project has not started using the Biomass Recovery Process. The shares are not
deemed issued or vested until that time as described above.
The license requires that the Company pay a royalty in the amount of $1.00 per ton of bone-dry
biomass produced using the Biomass Recovery Process. The license agreement is for a term of 21
years or the life of any patent issued for the Biomass Recovery Process. The Company has an
exclusive license in the United States and Canada to use the Biomass Recovery Process, except that
a principal owner of the Licensor has the right of first offer to manage and operate with respect
to any development commenced using the licensed technology within 100 miles of the City of Chicago,
Illinois. The license agreement further provides that Biomass and Licensor will work in good faith
to complete a commercial development in the City of Chicago using the Biomass Recovery Process.
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HFTA, Inc.
On March 20, 2008, the Company entered into a license agreement with HFTA, Inc. (HFTA) granting
the Company the exclusive worldwide right to use the HFTA technology for the production of ethanol
from MSW. The terms in the agreement required us to pay an initial license fee of $25,000 to HFTA
on execution of the agreement and a second license fee of $150,000 on September 1, 2009 if we are
using the technology at that time.
Additionally, we deposited 2,887,687 shares of our common stock into an escrow account on May 12,
2008. The shares held in escrow will be released to HFTA as follows: one-third upon the earlier of
six months from the date of the license agreement or the completion of the proof of concept phase
if at that time we elect to continue to use the HFTA technology in the demonstration phase and
two-thirds upon completion of the demonstration phase if at that time we elect to incorporate the
HFTA technology into the small commercial plant. The first third of the shares (962,562 shares)
were released from escrow on September 20, 2008. As a result, the Company recorded an asset for the
value of this share payment of approximately $500,000 and will begin amortizing this asset upon use
of the technology. For accounting purposes, the shares remaining in escrow are not considered
issued and outstanding as the Company has the option to use or not use the technology and the
shares are not deemed issued or vested until that time as described above. As of March 31, 2009,
the approximate license to be recorded upon issuing the remaining shares, based on the market value
of our common stock at March 31, 2009, would be approximately $115,000. Any future increase in the
value of the asset would depend on the market value of our Common Stock at the time of
utilitzation.
In addition, we are required to pay a process royalty of 4% of the sales price of ethanol less
taxes and applicable fees if the sales price is in excess of $1.50 per gallon, 3% of the sales
price if it is between $1.50 and $1.30 per gallon, and 2% of the sales price if it is less than
$1.30 per gallon. We are also required to pay certain minimum royalties, less the amount of any
process royalties paid, commencing in the calendar year ending December 31, 2010 and in subsequent
years as follows: (i) 2010 -$25,000; (ii) 2011 $25,000; (iii) 2012 $60,000; (iv) increasing by
$20,000 per year for each year thereafter until it reaches $120,000 per year; and (v) $120,000 per
year thereafter.
Bio-Products International, Inc.
On August 17, 2005, the Company entered into a license agreement with Bio-Products International,
Inc. (Bio-Products) giving the Company limited exclusive rights to use Bio-Products technology
(Patent No. 6,306,248) to process MSW and convert the cellulosic component of that waste to a
homogenous feedstock to produce ethanol in the United States, subject to the right of Bio-Products
to request five sites to construct MSW to ethanol plants in the United States. The Companys
license with Bio-Products was for a period of twenty years. Under the license, Bio-Products was to
be paid a process royalty of $1.50 for every ton of waste received and processed at each facility
to be constructed and operated under the agreement. The Company also was required to pay a
by-product royalty of 2.5 percent of the gross sales price in excess of $10 per ton obtained from
the sale of recyclable by-products, excluding the cellulosic biomass. Bio-Products would also have
been paid a monthly fee for technical services to be provided by Bio-Products for each facility to
be constructed and operated which initially would have been $10,000 per month and increase to
$20,000 per month when vessels for processing waste are ordered for the facility. The $20,000 per
month fee would have continued until construction of a facility was completed. The Companys
litigation involving Bio-Products was settled in March 2009 and as a result, this sublicense has
been mutually terminated by all parties.
As disclosed in a previous footnote, the Company purchased Patent No. 6,306,248 (the Patent)
pursuant to an Agreement with WWT. The Patent is the basis for the pressurized steam classification
technology that cleans and separates MSW into its component parts, which we refer to as the PSC
technology. The company is now a licensor to Bio-Products for this Patent. Bio-Products is the
exclusive licensee of the PSC technology (but not the Biomass Recovery Process) and has the right
to sublicense the PSC technology to any party. Under the Master License Agreement, we are entitled
to be paid 5% of any revenue derived by Bio-Products from the use of the technology and 40% of any
sublicensing fees paid to Bio-Products for the use of the technology. The Master License Agreement
is for a term of 20 years that commenced on August 18, 2003.
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Brelsford Engineering, Inc.
On April 1, 2005, the Company entered into a license agreement with Brelsford Engineering, Inc.
(Brelsford) giving the Company the exclusive right to use Brelsfords technology (Patent No.
5,411,594) to convert cellulosic biomass into fuel grade ethanol in the United States. This
agreement was amended in November 2005 to extend the initial evaluation period for the
technology. Under the terms of the license with Brelsford, the Company paid an initial fee of
$50,000 and monthly fees for the trial option premium totaling $67,500 (recorded as a long-term
asset in the aggregate on the balance sheet). The Company also was required to pay a minimum annual
fee of $15,000 and a project fee of $30,000 for each project that commences for the manufacture of
a plant. On August 30, 2007, the Company paid the first project fee in the amount of $30,000 to
Brelsford with respect to the commencement of the design of our pilot plant and Brelsford
simultaneously acknowledged that the Company had met all requirements to maintain the exclusivity
of its license. Brelsford had the right to terminate the license agreement on sixty days notice if
the Company failed to make any payment due under our license agreement. Commencing with the first
project payment, the Company began amortizing costs previously capitalized over the remaining term
of the license. During the fourth quarter of 2008, the Company received a termination notice from
Brelsford for non-payment of certain fees. The Company has decided not to use this technology going
forward in our operations and thus has written off the remaining asset as of December 31, 2008. The
impairment loss of $97,500 was included in research and development expense on the statement of
operations for the year ended December 31, 2008.
All intangible assets are reviewed for impairment whenever events or other changes in circumstances
indicate that the carrying amount may not be recoverable. An impairment charge is recognized if the
carrying amount of an intangible asset exceeds its implied fair value.
Note 6 Debt
March 31, | December 31, | |||||||
2009 | 2008 | |||||||
Convertible Notes Payable, net of discounts of $381,208 and $514,797
at March 31, 2009 and December 31, 2008, respectively, which are
made up of various individual notes with an aggregate face value
of
$612,000 and $607,000 at March 31, 2009 and December 31, 2008,
respectively, due in one year from date of note, interest at 6.0% |
$ | 230,792 | $ | 92,203 | ||||
WWT Note Payable, net of discount of $72,423 and $130,105 at
March 31, 2009 and December 31, 2008, respectively, with a face
value of $450,000, due July 22, 2009, interest at 6.0% |
377,577 | 319,895 | ||||||
Note Payable, due April 5, 2009, interest at 6.0% |
30,001 | 44,614 | ||||||
Series A Convertible Debentures, due April 16, 2010, interest at 6.0% |
140,000 | 140,000 | ||||||
Total debt |
778,370 | 596,712 | ||||||
Current maturities Notes Payable, net |
(638,370 | ) | (456,712 | ) | ||||
Long-term portion, less current maturities |
$ | 140,000 | $ | 140,000 | ||||
Convertible Notes Payable
During September 2008, the Company commenced an offering of units comprised of a convertible
promissory note and a warrant. As of March 31, 2009, the Company raised a total of $642,000 of
investment proceeds. One note was converted during the second quarter of 2009 leaving $612,000 face
value of notes outstanding. Each convertible promissory note carries a one-year term and a 6%
interest rate. In addition, each note can be converted, at the note holders option, at any time
during the one-year term into shares of Common Stock at $0.25 per share, or prior to the closing of
any Qualifying Equity Financing (minimum capital received of $5 million). Each note was issued with
a
warrant to purchase additional shares of Common Stock equal to the principal amount of the
promissory note at a price of $0.45 per share. These promissory notes have been recorded as
short-term debt (notes payable) in the financial statements, net of discounts for the conversion
and warrant features. The discounts are being amortized on a straight-line basis over the term of
each note. For the three months ended March 31, 2009, amortization of approximately $150,000 for
these discounts has been recorded in interest expense.
The Company has commenced another offering and received additional investment proceeds subsequent
to the financial statement date. See the Subsequent Event footnote for further information.
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WWT Note Payable
As disclosed previously, the Company issued to WWT a note in the amount of $450,000 and warrants to
purchase 900,000 shares of Common Stock at a price of $0.45 per share related to the purchase of
the Patent. The note matures on July 22, 2009, bears interest at 6.0% per annum and is secured by a
security interest in the Patent. The warrants are exercisable at any time for five years from the
date of issuance. The value of these warrants has been recorded as a contra-balance amount discount
with the note and is being amortized through interest expense over the life of the note. For the
three months ended March 31, 2009, amortization of approximately $58,000 for this discount has been
recorded in interest expense.
Note Payable
As disclosed previously in Note 3, upon consummation of the merger, the Company issued a promissory
note in the original principal amount of $80,000 bearing interest at 6% per annum and was due April
5, 2009. This note has been paid in full subsequent to the financial statement date.
Series A Convertible Debentures
In April 2007, the Company sold $1,400,000 of Series A Convertible Debentures (Debentures), due
April 16, 2010, that convert into shares of Common Stock at $.15 per share. The Company filed a
registration statement with regard to the sale of these shares of Common Stock, which was declared
effective by the Securities and Exchange Commission on January 2, 2008. The debentures accrue
interest at 6% per annum. The interest is payable in cash or shares of Common Stock at the
Companys option. The Debenture Holders can convert their amount into shares at any time until the
due date. The maximum number of shares that would be issued at the due date is 11,013,333.
The Company received cash of $950,000 and Promissory Notes (Notes) with an aggregate principal
amount of $450,000 that accrue interest at 6.0%. Effective with the listing of our common stock on
the OTCBB on March 13, 2008 (previously traded on Pink Sheets) we received full payment on all
principal and accrued interest on the Notes totaling approximately $475,000 on March 14, 2008.
During March 2008, various debenture holders converted an aggregate amount of $630,000 of our
Debentures, plus interest earned, into 4,433,067 shares of Common Stock. During April 2008, various
debenture holders converted an aggregate amount of $630,000 of our Debentures, plus interest
earned, into 4,455,844 shares of Common Stock. These transactions converted in the aggregate
$1,260,000 of our Debentures, leaving $140,000 remaining to be converted. As of March 31, 2009,
$140,000 of our Debentures remained outstanding and eligible for conversion.
Note 7 Stockholders Deficit
In March 2008, the Company issued 4,433,067 shares of Common Stock ($0.15 per share) upon the
conversion of an aggregate amount of $630,000 of the Companys Debentures and accrued interest of
approximately $35,000.
In April 2008, the Company issued 4,455,844 shares of Common Stock ($0.15 per share) upon the
conversion of an aggregate amount of $630,000 of the Companys Debentures and accrued interest of
approximately $38,000.
In September 2008, the Company released 962,562 shares of Common Stock ($0.52 per share) to HFTA in
accordance with the previously disclosed licensing agreement with HFTA representing one-third of
the total shares escrowed as part of the compensation for the licensing agreement.
In September 2008, the Company issued 1,895,000 shares of Common Stock ($0.75 per share) to Biomass
in accordance with the previously disclosed merger agreement.
In February 2009, the Company issued 122,100 shares of Common Stock ($0.25 per share) to an
investor upon their conversion of a Convertible Note.
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Net
Loss per Common Share The Company calculates basic loss per share (EPS) and diluted EPS.
Basic loss per share is computed as net loss divided by the weighted average number of common
shares outstanding for the period. Diluted EPS would reflect the potential dilution that could
occur from common shares issuable through stock options, warrants and other convertible securities.
As of March 31, 2009 and 2008, the Company had options, warrants and other convertible securities
to purchase an aggregate of 21,339,728 and 13,289,768 shares of common stock, respectively, that
were excluded from the calculation of diluted loss per share as their effects would have been
anti-dilutive. Therefore, the Company only presents basic loss per share on the face of the
statement of operations.
Note 8 Related Party Transactions
The Company had a $72,103 advance from one of its board of director members at December 31, 2006
evidenced by a promissory note that accrued interest at 9.5% per annum. The promissory note also
contained an option to acquire 5% of the outstanding capital stock of SRS Energy at a price of
$250,000. In April 2007, the indebtedness under the promissory note was repaid and the promissory
note was cancelled. Under its terms, the right to exercise the option to purchase shares survived
after the repayment of the indebtedness under the note. As part of the merger consideration issued
by the Company pursuant to the acquisition of SRS Energy, the Company issued a warrant exercisable
until August 31, 2009 to purchase 1,923,495 shares of its common stock at $.13 per share to replace
the option included in the promissory note on substantially similar terms as the option.
In August 2007, the Company entered into stock purchase agreements with certain members of the
Board of Directors. In December 2008, the Company entered into stock purchase agreements with the
executive officers. The directors and executive officers issued notes to the Company in exchange
for their stock purchases. See Share-Based Payments footnote for further discussion. These notes
and accumulated interest are recorded as notes receivable in Stockholders Deficit.
The Company had engaged the law firm of Sauerwein, Simon and Blanchard (SSB) related to various
issues including our reverse merger, our SB-2 registration statement, litigation matters and
general business activity. A member of our board of directors is a partner of SSB. For the three
months ended March 31, 2009 and 2008, we incurred $-0- and approximately $55,000, respectively, in
legal fees with SSB. As of March 31, 2009, all amounts have been paid to SSB except for
approximately $95,000.
Note 9 Share-based Payments
The Company accounts for stock options and restricted stock issued to employees, directors and
consultants under SFAS No. 123(R), in which share-based compensation cost to employees, directors
and consultants is measured at the grant date, based on the estimated fair value of the award, and
is recognized as expense over the requisite service period. The Company has no awards with market
or performance conditions.
In March 2007, the Company adopted the 2007 Stock Option Plan (Stock Plan) for its employees,
officers, directors and consultants, which includes an equity compensation plan for non-employee
directors pursuant to which stock options and shares of restricted stock may be granted. The
Company has reserved a maximum of 9,000,000 shares of common stock to be issued for stock options
or restricted shares awarded under the Stock Plan.
In August 2007, the Company granted options under the Stock Plan to purchase an aggregate 3,850,000
shares of common stock to various employees that vest ratably over three years and options to
purchase an aggregate 160,000 shares of common stock to directors that vest ratably over two years.
All of these options have an exercise price of $0.15. The Company also issued an aggregate of
600,000 shares of restricted common stock to our directors. Under the agreements, each of our four
directors agreed to purchase 150,000 shares of restricted common stock of the Company at a cost of
$0.15 per share. The directors issued promissory notes to the Company in exchange for their
stock purchases. The shares purchased by the directors under the agreements are restricted shares
subject to a right, but not obligation, of repurchase by the Company. The Company may exercise its
repurchase right only during the 60 day period following a directors termination of service on the
Board of Directors. Commencing on September 21, 2007, the Companys repurchase rights lapse at the
rate of 8,333 shares per month of continuous service by each director through September 21, 2008,
when the Companys repurchase rights lapse on 4,167 shares per month of continuous board service
until the repurchase rights have lapsed on all restricted shares. At March 31, 2009, 83,340 shares
remain subject to a right of repurchase. No outstanding options were cancelled or expired as of
March 31, 2009.
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In November 2008, the Company granted options under the Stock Plan to purchase an aggregate 100,000
shares of common stock to a consultant. The options vest ratably monthly over a one-year period
beginning in December 2008 and have an exercise price of $0.58. In December 2008, the Company: (i)
granted options under the Stock Plan to purchase an aggregate 1,200,000 shares of common stock to
employees that vest in thirds on August 31, 2009, 2010 and 2011 and have an exercise price of
$0.36, (ii) granted options under the Stock Plan to purchase 1,200,000 shares of common stock to
our Chief Executive Officer (CEO) (that replaces options that were to be issued to our CEO upon
commissioning of the pilot plant), that vest in thirds on August 31, 2009, 2010 and 2011 and have
an exercise price of $0.15 and (iii) issued an aggregate of 180,000 shares of restricted common
stock to our employees. Under the restricted stock agreements, each of our three employees agreed
to purchase 60,000 shares of restricted common stock of the Company at a cost of $0.36 per share.
The employees issued promissory notes to the Company in exchange for their stock purchases. As of
March 31, 2009, 1,396,666 options were vested and exercisable.
Pursuant to a settlement agreement, RAM Resources, L.L.C. obtained the right to acquire an
aggregate of 1,923,495 shares of our common stock at a price of $0.13 per share. This warrant is
exercisable during a two year term that started on August 29, 2007 and ends on August 29, 2009.
RAM Resources, L.L.C. agreed to terminate the Letter Agreement and release all claims to acquire
any shares of our stock. The fair value of $125,027 has been recorded in the Companys general and
administrative expenses for the year ended December 31, 2007 and additional paid in capital at
December 31, 2007.
The estimated fair value of stock option grants is computed using the binomial option-pricing
model. Generally, expected volatility is based on historical periods commensurate with contractual
term of options. However, since we have no history of stock price volatility as a public company at
the time of the grants, we calculated volatility by considering historical volatilities of public
companies in our industry. Due to the short history of our industry, the historical period used in
our calculations is shorter than the contractual term of the options. The fair value for options
granted was determined at the date of grant. The following assumptions were used for options
granted in the corresponding year.
For the years ended December 31, | ||||||||
2008 | 2007 | |||||||
Risk-free interest rate |
1.57 | % | 4.25 | % | ||||
Dividend yield |
0 | % | 0 | % | ||||
Volatility |
36.91 | % | 61.49 | % | ||||
Expected term |
4.8 | 5.0 | ||||||
Fair market value |
$ | 0.12 | $ | 0.08 |
Stock option expense is recognized in the statements of operations ratably over the vesting period
based on the number of options that are expected to ultimately vest. We currently use a forfeiture
rate of zero percent for all existing share-based compensation awards since we have no historical
forfeiture experience under our share-based payment plans. Our options have characteristics
significantly different from those of traded options and changes in the assumptions can materially
affect the fair value estimates. The following table presents the components of share-based
compensation recorded as general and administrative expense.
Three months ended | ||||||||
Mar 31, 2009 | Mar 31, 2008 | |||||||
Pre-tax compensation expense: |
||||||||
Stock options |
$ | 83,291 | $ | 82,681 | ||||
Warrants |
| | ||||||
Total expense |
83,291 | 82,681 | ||||||
Tax benefit, net |
| | ||||||
After-tax compensation expense |
$ | 83,291 | $ | 82,681 | ||||
Related to these grants, the Company will record future compensation expense for stock options of
approximately $180,000 for the remaining nine months of 2009. The potential tax benefit realizable
for the anticipated tax deductions of the exercise of share-based payment arrangements totaled
approximately $130,000 and $100,000 at March 31, 2009 and December 31, 2008, respectively. However,
due to the uncertainty that the tax benefits will be realized, these potential benefits were not
recognized currently.
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As of March 31, 2009, there was approximately $290,000 of unrecognized compensation cost related to
all share-based payment arrangements, which will be recognized over a remaining period of
approximately 2.5 years. There are 5,113,334 options granted that are not yet vested as of March
31, 2009. These options have a weighted average exercise price of $0.21.
Weighted | ||||||||||||
Shares Under | Average | Aggregate | ||||||||||
Option | Exercise Price | intrinsic value | ||||||||||
Options outstanding at December 31, 2008 |
6,510,000 | $ | 0.20 | (1) | ||||||||
Granted |
| |||||||||||
Exercised |
| |||||||||||
Forfeited |
| |||||||||||
Options outstanding at March 31, 2009 |
6,510,000 | $ | 0.20 | (1) | ||||||||
Options exercisable at March 31, 2009 |
1,396,666 | $ | 0.16 | (1) | ||||||||
(1) | The weighted-average exercise price at December 31, 2008 and March 31, 2009 for all
outstanding
and exercisable options was greater than the fair value of the
Companys common stock on that date, resulting in an aggregate intrinsic value of $-0-. |
Note 10 Commitments and Contingencies
Project management - We have entered into an engagement agreement with Merrick & Company to develop
a complete project management plan. For the three months ended March 31, 2009 and 2008, we incurred
approximately $100 and $57,000, respectively, for engineering, design and consulting services. In
2008, we completed our initial project plan with Merrick & Company. We intend to continue to engage
Merrick & Company on an as needed basis as we proceed with engineering review and testing of our
technologies.
In December 2007, we entered into an agreement with Hazen Research, Inc. (Hazen) to install and
operate the HFTA equipment at Hazens facility in Golden, Colorado. The agreement also
contemplates the expansion of the scope of work to include the construction and operation of a
demonstration plant. We are billed at an hourly rate for time used by Hazen employees in
connection with our projects. For the three months ended March 31, 2009 and 2008, we incurred $-0-
and approximately $90,000, respectively, with Hazen.
Duluth
Litigation We are a defendant in a lawsuit filed on January 6, 2009 on behalf of Duluth
Venture Capital Partners, L.L.C., one of our stockholders. The suit was filed in Superior Court for
the State of California. The other
defendants to the suit are our officers and directors, our transfer agent, Keith Mazer and World
Capital Funding. The suit alleges among other things that Duluth Venture Capital Partners, L.L.C.
was entitled to transfer certain shares of the common stock of the Company for which stop orders
had been previously issued. The case was subsequently moved to Federal court in the Southern
District of California. On March 10, 2009, we filed a motion to dismiss the lawsuit. The Company
intends to defend itself vigorously in this litigation. It is not possible at this time to
reasonably assess the outcome of this lawsuit or the potential impact on the Company.
Leases The Company entered into a lease on October 16, 2007 (and took occupancy in January 2008)
to rent approximately 1,800 square feet of office space for use as our corporate office, located at
7386 Pershing Ave. in St. Louis, Missouri for a term of three years. Our monthly rent under the
lease is $1,800 plus the cost of utilities. We entered into a lease for office furniture in
January 2008. The lease payments are approximately $450 per month for 36 months. This lease is
accounted for as a capital lease for accounting purposes.
Note 11 Subsequent Events
Beginning in April 2009, the Company commenced a second offering of units comprised of a
convertible promissory note and a warrant. As of May 11, 2009, the Company has received $235,000 in
investment proceeds. Each convertible promissory note carries a one-year term and a 6% interest
rate. In addition, each note can be converted into shares of Common Stock at $0.08 per share, at
the Note holders option. Each note was issued with a warrant to purchase additional shares of
Common Stock equal to the principal amount of the Note at a price of $0.30 per share. Under the
first offering of units comprised of a convertible promissory note and warrants, which is now
closed, the Company received $642,000 in investment proceeds.
15
Table of Contents
Item 2. | Managements Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations |
Statement Regarding Forward-Looking Information
From time to time, we make written or oral statements that are forward-looking, including
statements contained in this report and other filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission
(SEC) and in our reports to stockholders. The Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995
and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, provide a safe harbor for such
forward-looking statements. All statements, other than statements of historical facts, included
herein regarding our strategy, future operations, financial position, future revenues, projected
costs, prospects, plans, objectives and other future events and circumstances are forward-looking
statements. In some cases, you can identify forward-looking statements by terminology such as
anticipates, believes, estimates, expects, intends, may, plans, projects, would,
should and similar expressions or negative expressions of these terms. Such statements are only
predictions and, accordingly, are subject to substantial risks, uncertainties and assumptions.
Actual results or events could differ materially from the plans, intentions and expectations
disclosed in the forward-looking statements we make. We caution you that any forward-looking
statement reflects only our belief at the time the statement is made. Although we believe that the
expectations reflected in our forward-looking statements are reasonable, we cannot guarantee our
future results, levels of activity, performance or achievements. Refer to our Risk Factors section
of our annual report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2008, filed with the SEC on March
30, 2009, for a full description of factors we believe could cause actual results or events to
differ materially from the forward-looking statements that we make. These factors include:
| the commercial viability of our technologies, |
||
| our ability to maintain and enforce our exclusive rights to our technologies, |
||
| our ability to raise additional capital on favorable terms to continue developing
our technologies; |
||
| the demand for and production costs of various energy products made from our
biomass, |
||
| competition from other alternative energy technologies, and |
||
| other risks and uncertainties detailed from time to time in our filings with the
SEC. |
Although we believe the expectations reflected in our forward-looking statements are based upon
reasonable assumptions, it is not possible to foresee or identify all factors that could have a
material and negative impact on our future performance. The forward-looking statements in this
report are made on the basis of managements assumptions and analyses as of the time the statements
are made, in light of their experience and perception of historical conditions, expected future
developments and other factors believed to be appropriate under the circumstances.
Company Overview
The following discussion of our company overview and plan of operation should be read in
conjunction with the financial statements and related notes to the financial statements included
elsewhere in this report. This discussion contains forward-looking statements that relate to future
events or our future financial performance. These statements involve known and unknown risks,
uncertainties and other factors that may cause our actual results, levels of activity or
performance to be materially different from any future results, levels of activity or performance.
These risks and other factors include, among others, those listed under Statement Regarding
Forward-Looking Information.
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We are a development stage company that has recently changed its focus from being a fully
integrated cellulosic ethanol producer to being a provider of cellulosic biomass derived from
municipal solid waste, also known as MSW, for any energy product. Previously, our business focused
on utilizing the following technologies to produce ethanol:
| a pressurized steam classification technology, which we refer to as the PSC
technology, invented at the University of Alabama, Huntsville that used a pressurized steam
classification vessel to convert MSW into cellulosic material while simultaneously
segregating and eliminating any inorganic materials in the solid waste and cleaning
recyclable materials in the MSW; |
||
| a sulfuric acid hydrolysis process, which we refer to as the Brelsford technology,
developed by Brelsford Engineering, Inc. that employs an acid hydrolysis process to convert
cellulosic material into fermentable sugars, which can then be fermented into ethanol, and; |
||
| a nitric acid hydrolysis process, which we refer to as our HFTA technology, developed
by scientists working at the University of California, Berkeley, that incorporates
anticipated improvements in chemical reaction by which acid hydrolysis occurs. |
In January 2008, we purchased a small scale unit designed to operate the HFTA technology from the
University of California Berkeley and moved this unit to the Hazen Research facility in Golden
Colorado. The unit was reconstructed and used to analyze the sugar content obtainable from a
variety of biomass derived from different sources of garbage and waste paper. Based on these
results, we determined that there are sufficient amounts of sugars obtainable from the biomass we
derive from garbage to warrant further development and potential commercialization of the HFTA
technology.
In September 2008, we acquired the exclusive rights to a Biomass Recovery System developed by
Anthony Noll that we refer to as our Biomass Recovery Process, which is technology comprised of
improvements to the patent we acquired in October 2008. Our rights to use the Biomass Recovery
Process technology permit us to use the biomass we derive from MSW to produce all energy products.
In October 2008, we acquired the patent for the PSC technology from World Waste Technologies
(WWT), who previously had purchased the patent from the University of Alabama Huntsville. As a
result, we became the licensor of the PSC technology to Bio-Products International, Inc.
(Bio-Products) under its Master License Agreement. Bio-Products was the sublicensor of the PSC
technology to us.
During the fourth quarter of 2008, Brelsford Engineering, Inc. terminated our license to the
Brelsford technology for non-payment of certain fees. We have decided not to use this technology
going forward in our operations and thus have written off the remaining asset as of December 31,
2008. The impairment loss of $97,500 is included in research and development expense on the
statement of operations for the year ended December 31, 2008.
Since early 2008, we had been in litigation against Bio-Products regarding our use of the PSC
technology as a sublicensee. In March 2009, we entered into a Settlement Agreement with
Bio-Products settling all of these claims.
Pursuant to the Settlement Agreement, in addition to a customary mutual release, Bio-Products
entered into a covenant not to sue whereby Bio-Products and its related parties agreed to permit us
to use the Biomass Recovery Process technology worldwide, for any product that we desire and with
no royalty due to Bio-Products. We also mutually terminated the License Agreement with
Bio-Products that had granted to us a sublicense to use the PSC technology. As a result, we have no
further obligations thereunder. Due to our ownership of the patent covering the PSC technology, we
continue to be the licensor of the PSC technology to Bio-Products under the Master License
Agreement. As a result of the Settlement Agreement, we are now capable of using the Biomass
Recovery Process technology to produce any energy product that we desire and are no longer limited
to production of fuel grade ethanol in the United States.
We were originally incorporated in 1996 as Long Road Entertainment, Inc., and were formed to
operate as a holding company for businesses in the theater, motion picture and entertainment
industries. We ceased conducting that business in 2005 and were dormant until the fall of 2006, at
which time our founder and then controlling stockholder decided to pursue the sale of the company.
In anticipation of that sale, we changed our name to Alternative Ethanol Technologies, Inc.
On March 27, 2007, we entered into an Agreement and Plan of Merger and Reorganization in which we
agreed to acquire SRS Energy, Inc., a Delaware corporation that is the holder of the technology
licenses. Pursuant to the merger agreement, SRS Acquisition Sub, our wholly-owned subsidiary,
merged into SRS Energy with SRS Energy as the surviving corporation. We consummated the merger on
May 31, 2007 resulting in SRS Energy becoming our wholly-owned subsidiary. Effective August 2,
2007, we changed our name to CleanTech Biofuels, Inc.
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Table of Contents
SRS Energy was originally formed as a wholly-owned subsidiary of Supercritical Recovery Systems,
Inc., a Delaware corporation, in July 2004. At that time, Supercritical Recovery Systems was a
licensee of various technologies for the processing of waste materials into usable products. While
investigating different technologies, Supercritical Recovery Systems was introduced to the PSC and
Brelsford technologies and secured licenses to the technologies in SRS Energy. Prior to our
acquisition of SRS Energy, Supercritical Recovery Systems distributed approximately 80% of its
ownership of SRS Energy to the stockholders of Supercritical Recovery Systems. Since our
acquisition of SRS Energy, Supercritical Recovery Systems has ceased its business activities with
respect to licensing other technologies.
We have no operating history as a producer of biomass feedstocks or any energy products and have
not constructed any commercial operating plants to date. We have no operating revenues to date and
expect that our current capital and other existing resources will be sufficient only to complete a
portion of the testing of our technologies and to provide a limited amount of working capital. The
Company will require substantial additional capital to implement its business plan and it may be
unable to obtain the capital required to do so. If we are not able to timely and successfully raise
additional capital and/or achieve profitability or positive cash flow, we will be required to delay
our development and may not be able to implement our business plan.
Recent Developments
Beginning in April 2009, the Company commenced a second offering of units comprised of a
convertible promissory note and a warrant. As of May 11, 2009, the Company has received $235,000 in
investment proceeds. Each convertible promissory note carries a one-year term and a 6% interest
rate. In addition, each note can be converted into shares of the Companys common stock, par value
$0.001per share (the Common Stock), at $0.08 per share, at the Note holders option. Each note
was issued with a warrant to purchase additional shares of Common Stock equal to the principal
amount of the Note at a price of $0.30 per share. Under the first offering of units comprised of a
convertible promissory note and warrants, which is now closed, the Company received $642,000 in
investment proceeds.
During the first quarter of 2009, we constructed a small-scale test vessel. This vessel was
operated in Kentucky during April 2009 processing approximately 10 tons of MSW. The biomass will be
tested as a feedstock in energy conversion technologies that are ready for commercialization. We
may eventually move this test vessel to Pasco,
Washington as detailed further in our Plan of Operation. In March 2009, we also entered into an
equipment lease for $25,000 whereby our customer has the use of our HFTA equipment for our
customers testing purposes. This lease is for two and one half months and currently ends on May
31, 2009, but can be renewed by our customer.
Plan of Operation
The following discussion of our plan of operation should be read in conjunction with the financial
statements and related notes to the financial statements included elsewhere in this report. This
discussion contains forward-looking statements that relate to future events or our future financial
performance. These statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that
may cause our actual results, levels of activity or performance to be materially different from any
future results, levels of activity or performance. These risks and other factors include, among
others, those listed under Statement Regarding Forward-Looking Information.
Our company was initially conceived as a fully-integrated producer of cellulosic ethanol using a
technology for cleaning and separating municipal solid waste, also known as MSW, into its component
parts, which we refer to as the PSC technology and a dilute acid hydrolysis technology developed by
Brelsford Engineering, Inc. To further enhance our ability to produce ethanol, in 2008 we licensed
a technology that uses nitric acid to hydrolize biomass into ethanol. The technology developed at
the University of California Berkeley is controlled by HFTA, Inc. pursuant to a Master License
Agreement with the University of California Berkeley and sublicensed to us for the production of
ethanol from MSW.
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Based on our investigation and acquisition of new technologies and research and development of our
existing technologies in 2008, we have re-focused our business on the commercialization of our
technology for cleaning and separating MSW into its component parts through the acquisition of
further technology to clean and separate MSW, which we refer to as the Biomass Recovery Process and
is currently in use in a commercial setting in Australia. As a result, we believe this technology
is ready for commercial implementation in the United States and elsewhere. In furtherance of our
new focus, we have begun evaluating potential commercial projects using our technology.
Biomass Feedstock Production
We are seeking sites to develop a facility in Chicago, Illinois including negotiating a lease for a
facility to construct an operating commercial plant in Chicago, Illinois. The site we intend to
lease currently has a commercial waste transfer station in operation by a third party. In
anticipation of completing the lease, the owner of the property has commenced the permitting
process to obtain the permits necessary for us to convert the commercial waste transfer station
into a residential MSW transfer station and install our vessels for processing the waste delivered
to the transfer station into cellulosic biomass. We will be required to pay the expenses incurred
to date for permitting at the site upon completing our lease. Any new site we seek to develop may
require us to seek permits or licenses to operate such sites. The biomass we expect to produce will
be sold to utilities or other energy producers operating near the plant for combustion in existing
co-fired boilers. We have provided our biomass to different utility owners for testing the BTU
value and emissions profile and universally have been advised by the utilities that our biomass can
be used as a feedstock for combustion together with coal.
We have completed construction of a small test vessel and operated this vessel beginning in April
2009 in Kentucky that processed approximately 10 tons of MSW into approximately 4-5 tons of
biomass. We will provide the biomass produced during this testing phase to utilities and other
mass consumers of energy operating in the Chicago area and to Green Power, Inc. in sufficient
quantities to permit them to test the ability to utilize our biomass in their existing material
handling operations. Upon completing this stage of our testing, we intend to seek long-term
off-take contracts for the purchase of our biomass and begin construction of a larger scale plant
to process sufficient biomass to the requirements of our agreements and any other market
opportunities to sell the biomass in the Chicago area.
Upon operating a plant in Chicago and after refining our know-how with respect to implementation of
the technology, we intend to seek to partner with waste haulers, landfill owners and municipalities
to implement the technology across the United States and internationally.
The further implementation of the commercial plant described above will require significant
additional capital, which we currently do not have. We cannot provide any assurance that we will be
able to raise this additional
capital. We anticipate that financing for this project will be provided in large part via tax
exempt bond financing. In addition we intend to seek funding and loan guarantees from local, state
and federal authorities. On January 23, 2009, our partner in the Chicago project submitted an
application to the City of Chicago for a $100,000 grant to develop an organic waste processing
station in the city. We believe that further opportunities to utilize governmental assistance will
become available for this project.
Diesel Fuel Production
We are working to complete an agreement with Green Power, Inc. (Green Power) to build a 200 ton
per day MSW processing station to provide biomass for an existing 100 ton per day diesel fuel
production plant. We have not completed an agreement to date and there can be no assurance that we
will complete any agreement and proceed with this development. Green Power has constructed a
facility in Pasco, Washington capable of processing up to 100 tons of organic biomass material per
day into diesel. The diesel produced is not biodiesel, but rather a high grade fuel diesel. Green
Power has tested the system with wood waste and other organic matter and the results have proven
superior, however it is difficult and costly to obtain long term supplies of organic matter to
operate the plant on a continuous basis. We believe that the organic matter we derive from MSW
(biomass and plastics) will provide an excellent feedstock for the Green Power process.
We may move our test vessel, currently located in Kentucky, to Pasco, Washington in order to
operate this small vessel for a sufficient time to enable an independent verification of the inputs
and outputs to the system as well as completing a full feasibility study for the technology.
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If the results from this stage of operations are successful, we plan to construct a system to
process 200 tons of MSW (creating approximately 100 tons of usable biomass) daily at the Pasco
plant. We anticipate the total costs to construct and operate the full system will be
approximately $4 million to $5 million. We have applied to the USDA for a grant pursuant to its
Repowering America Program to offset part of this cost. Additionally, the Company and Green Power
have had preliminary discussions about a possible equity investment in our Company in an amount
that will enable us to complete this construction, regardless of whether governmental assistance
becomes available.
New Technologies; Commercializing Existing Technologies
Because of our unique ability to produce a clean, homogenous biomass feedstock, we are frequently
presented with the opportunity to partner with or acquire new technologies. In addition to
developing our current technologies, we will continue to add technologies to our suite of solutions
that complement our core operations. We believe that our current technologies and aspects of those
in development will enable us to eventually expand our business to use organic material from other
waste streams such as municipal bio-solids from waste water facilities and animal waste for fuel
production.
To commercialize this technology, we intend to:
| construct and operate a commercial plant that processes MSW into cellulosic biomass for
combustion in existing co-fired boilers for electricity production in Chicago, Illinois; |
||
| identify and partner with landfill owners, waste haulers and municipalities to identify
locations suitable for our technology; and |
||
| pursue additional opportunities to implement our technology in commercial settings at
transfer stations and landfills in the United States and elsewhere in the world. |
Our ethanol conversion technology, like all other cellulosic ethanol conversion technologies in
development, has not been proven on a commercial level. To develop our technology for converting
our biomass into ethanol and other biofuels, we intend to:
| complete the research and development of our licensed technologies, which we believe
when combined can convert MSW into ethanol; and |
||
| explore, develop and/or license additional technologies for processing waste into energy
products as opportunities to do so present themselves. |
Our ability to implement this strategy will depend on our ability to raise significant amounts of
additional capital and to hire appropriate managers and staff. Our success will also depend on a
variety of market forces and other developments beyond our control.
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Results of Operations
The following table sets forth the amounts of expenses and changes represented by certain items
reflected in our consolidated statements of operations for the three months ended March 31, 2009
and 2008:
Three months ended | ||||||||||||
March 31, 2009 | March 31, 2008 | Change | ||||||||||
General and administrative |
$ | 243,823 | $ | 146,223 | $ | 97,600 | ||||||
Professional fees |
109,413 | 111,946 | (2,533 | ) | ||||||||
Research and development |
101 | 183,104 | (183,003 | ) | ||||||||
Operating loss |
353,337 | 441,273 | (87,936 | ) | ||||||||
Other expense (income): |
||||||||||||
Interest expense |
226,127 | 19,751 | 206,376 | |||||||||
Amortization of technology license |
| 3,750 | (3,750 | ) | ||||||||
Other income |
(4,667 | ) | | (4,667 | ) | |||||||
Interest income |
(2,241 | ) | (5,727 | ) | 3,486 | |||||||
Net loss applicable to common stockholders |
$ | 572,556 | $ | 459,047 | $ | 113,509 | ||||||
Three months ended March 31, 2009 compared to the three months ended March 31, 2008
General and administrative The increase in expense in 2009 is due primarily to accruing salaries
for all employees in 2009 compared to salary earned only by the CEO in 2008 and $15,000 in
increased marketing expenses.
Research and Development The decrease in 2009 is due primarily to a shift in focus in our plan of
operation from a fully-integrated producer of cellulosic ethanol to the commercialization of our
technology for cleaning and separating MSW into its component parts as described earlier in this
report.
Interest expense The increase in 2009 is due primarily to the amortization of approximately
$225,000 of discounts related to various notes and interest on those notes. These notes were issued
from September through March 2009 and thus no interest was incurred during the three months ended
March 31, 2008. This increase in interest was offset partially by reduced interest expense in 2009
on our Series A Convertible Notes as all but $140,000 of the notes were converted by the end of
March 2008.
Amortization The asset related to this amortization was written off as of December 31, 2008 as we
no longer plan to use the technology in our plan of operations going forward. As we have not yet
commenced our operations, we have no amortization in 2009 of our current technology assets.
Other income The income in 2009 is for the leasing of our HFTA equipment. This lease currently
expires on May 31, 2009 but can be renewed.
Interest income The income in 2008 is primarily interest on $450,000 of promissory notes issued
to us as part of the consideration for the issuance of the Series A Convertible Debentures. We
received the $450,000 plus accrued interest on March 14, 2008 and thus no longer earn interest at
6% per annum on those notes. The interest in 2009 is
for interest earned on the notes receivable from our directors and executive officers related to
the issuance of restricted stock.
Liquidity and Capital Resources
We have no operating revenues to date and will be required to raise additional capital in order to
execute our business plan and commercialize our products.
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Beginning in September 2008 and as of May 11, 2009, we raised $642,000 and $235,000, respectively,
in separate note issuances from investors in exchange for units comprised of a convertible note and
warrants. We are continuing to explore opportunities to raise cash through the issuance of these
units and other financing opportunities. As of May 11, 2009, our current cash will be sufficient to
fund approximately the next one to two months. Thereafter, we anticipate requiring additional
capital to continue our plan of operation. These costs will be substantially greater than our
current available funds. We currently expect attempting to obtain additional financing through the
sale of additional equity, various government funding opportunities and/or possibly through
strategic alliances with larger energy or waste management companies. However, we may not be
successful in securing additional capital. If we are not able to obtain additional financing in the
near-term future, we will be required to delay our development until such financing becomes
available. Further, even assuming that we secure additional funds, we may never achieve
profitability or positive cash flow. If we are not able to timely and successfully raise additional
capital and/or achieve profitability or positive cash flow, we will not have sufficient capital
resources to implement our business plan.
Debt
Convertible Notes Payable
During September 2008, the Company commenced an offering of units comprised of a convertible
promissory note and warrants. As of March 31, 2009, the Company raised a total of $642,000 of
investment proceeds. Each convertible promissory note carries a one-year term and a 6% interest
rate. In addition, each note can be converted, at the note holders option, at any time during the
one-year term into shares of the Companys common stock, par value $0.001 per share (the Common
Stock), at $0.25 per share, or prior to the closing of any Qualifying Equity Financing (minimum
capital received of $5 million). Each note was issued with a warrant to purchase additional shares
of Common Stock equal to the principal amount of the promissory note at a price of $0.45 per share.
These promissory notes have been recorded as short-term debt (notes payable) in the financial
statements, net of discounts for the conversion and warrant features. The discounts are being
amortized on a straight-line basis over the term of each note. For the three months ended March 31,
2009, amortization of approximately $150,000 for these discounts has been recorded in interest
expense.
WWT Note Payable
On October 22, 2008, the Company completed the purchase of Patent No. 6,306,248 (the Patent)
pursuant to a Patent Purchase Agreement (Agreement) with World Waste Technologies, Inc. (WWT).
The Patent is the basis for the pressurized steam classification technology that cleans and
separates municipal solid waste into its component parts, which the Company had licensed from
Bio-Products International, Inc. Pursuant to the Agreement, the Company issued to WWT a note in the
amount of $450,000 and a warrant to purchase 900,000 shares of Common Stock at a price of $0.45 per
share related to the purchase of the Patent. The note matures on July 22, 2009, bears interest at
6.0% per annum and is secured by a security interest in the Patent. The warrants are exercisable
at any time for five years from the date of issuance. The value of these warrants has been recorded
as a contra-balance amount discount with the note and is being amortized through interest expense
over the life of the note. For the three months ended March 31, 2009, amortization of approximately
$58,000 for this discount has been recorded in interest expense.
Note Payable
On September 15, 2008, the Company consummated the acquisition of Biomass North America Licensing,
Inc. (Biomass) pursuant to a merger between Biomass and a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Company
(with Biomass
as the surviving subsidiary of the Company) in accordance with an Agreement and Plan of Merger by
and between the Company and Biomass. By virtue of the merger, the Company acquired a license
agreement pursuant to which the Company holds a license in the United States and Canada to use
patent pending technology owned by Biomass North America, LLC, the former parent of Biomass (the
Licensor), to clean and separate MSW (the Biomass Recovery Process).
Upon consummation of the merger, the Company issued a promissory note in the original principal
amount of $80,000 bearing interest at 6% per annum due April 5, 2009. Subsequent to March 31, 2009,
this note was paid in full. Additionally, the Company issued to the four shareholders of the
Licensor a total of 1,895,000 shares of Common Stock and deposited an additional 4,000,000 shares
of Common Stock into an escrow account (collectively, the Shares). The Shares were issued as part
of the merger consideration received by the shareholders of the Licensor. The escrowed shares will
be released to the Licensors shareholders if and when the Company commences a commercial
development that utilizes the Biomass Recovery Process.
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Table of Contents
Series A Convertible Debentures
In April 2007, the Company sold $1,400,000 of Series A Convertible Debentures (Debentures), due
April 16, 2010, that convert into shares of the Companys common stock at $.15 per share. The
Company filed a registration statement with regard to the sale of these shares of Common Stock,
which was declared effective by the Securities and Exchange Commission on January 2, 2008. The
debentures accrue interest at 6% per annum. The interest is payable in cash or shares of the
Companys common stock at the Companys option. The Debenture Holders can convert their amount into
shares at any time until the due date. The maximum number of shares that would be issued at the due
date is 11,013,333.
During March 2008, various debenture holders converted an aggregate amount of $630,000 of our
Debentures, plus interest earned, into 4,433,067 shares of Common Stock. During April 2008, various
debenture holders converted an aggregate amount of $630,000 of our Debentures, plus interest
earned, into 4,455,844 shares of Common Stock. These transactions converted in the aggregate
$1,260,000 of our Debentures, leaving $140,000 remaining to be converted. As of March 31, 2009,
$140,000 of our Debentures remained outstanding and eligible for conversion.
Summary of Cash Flow Activity
Three Months Ended March 31, | ||||||||
2009 | 2008 | |||||||
Net cash used by operating activities |
$ | (81,458 | ) | $ | (270,620 | ) | ||
Net cash used by investing activities |
(15,200 | ) | (26,680 | ) | ||||
Net cash provided by financing
activities |
19,123 | 474,534 |
Net cash used by operating activities
During the three months ended March 31, 2009, cash used by operating activities was impacted
primarily by increases in accounts payable and other accrued liabilities.
Net cash used by investing activities
During 2009, cash used by investing activities was for the purchase of a small-scale vessel and in
2008, cash used by investing activities was for the purchase of office furniture and our HFTA
equipment.
Net cash provided by financing activities
During 2008, cash provided by financing activities was primarily from the remaining portion of the
Series A Convertible Debentures plus interest of $474,900.
23
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Contractual Obligations and Commitments
In the table below, we set forth our obligations as of March 31, 2009. Some of the figures we
include in this table are based on our estimates and assumptions about these obligations, including
their durations, anticipated actions by third parties and other factors. The obligations we may pay
in future periods may vary from those reflected in this table because of estimates or actions of
third parties as disclosed in the notes to the table.
Payments due by Period | ||||||||||||||||||||
Less than 1 | More than 5 | |||||||||||||||||||
Total | year | 1 to 3 years | 4 to 5 years | years | ||||||||||||||||
Convertible Notes (1) |
$ | 650,000 | $ | 650,000 | $ | | $ | | $ | | ||||||||||
WWT Note (2) |
470,250 | 470,250 | | | | |||||||||||||||
Note Payable (2) |
31,900 | 31,900 | | | | |||||||||||||||
Series A Convertible Debentures (3) |
140,000 | | 140,000 | | | |||||||||||||||
Capital Lease (4) |
10,800 | 5,400 | 5,400 | | | |||||||||||||||
Operating Lease (5) |
37,800 | 21,600 | 16,200 | | | |||||||||||||||
Total contractual obligations |
$ | 1,340,750 | $ | 1,179,150 | $ | 161,600 | $ | | $ | | ||||||||||
(1) | Amount represents value of principal amount of notes and estimates for interest. These notes
are with various
individuals, carry one-year terms and are convertible into shares of Common Stock at the
noteholders option. The first of
these notes are due October 1, 2009. If the noteholders do not convert their notes into shares of
Common Stock, the notes
will have to be repaid or refinanced. |
|
(2) | Amount represents value of principal amount of note and interest through term of note. |
|
(3) | Debentures are convertible at Companys option into shares of the Companys common stock. |
|
(4) | Represents lease on office furniture. |
|
(5) | Represents lease for office space. The lease is for three years from occupancy date of January
2008. |
Additionally, we have the following commitment that will require us to make payments as set forth
below:
Merrick & Company. We have entered into an engagement agreement with Merrick & Company to develop a
complete project management plan. For the three months ended March 31, 2009 and 2008, we incurred
approximately $100 and $57,000, respectively, for engineering, design and consulting services. In
2008, we completed our initial project plan with Merrick & Company. We intend to continue to engage
Merrick & Company on an as needed basis as we proceed with engineering review and testing of our
technologies.
Off-Balance Sheet Arrangements
We have no off-balance sheet arrangements.
Critical Accounting Policies
We prepare our consolidated financial statements in accordance with accounting principles generally
accepted in the United States of America. Certain accounting issues require management estimates
and judgments for the preparation of financial statements. Our management periodically evaluates
the estimates and judgments made. Management bases its estimates and judgments on historical
experience and on various factors that are believed to be reasonable under the circumstances.
Actual results may differ from these estimates as a result of different assumptions or conditions.
We believe that the estimates, assumptions and judgments relating to research and development
costs, share-based compensation and income tax matters have the greatest potential impact on our
financial statements. Therefore, we consider these to be our critical accounting estimates. Our
critical accounting policies and estimates are more fully described in our annual report on Form
10-K for the year ended December 31, 2008, filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on
March 30, 2009. Our critical accounting policies and estimate assumptions have not changed during
the three months ended March 31, 2009.
Item 3. Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures About Market Risk
Not applicable.
24
Table of Contents
Item 4T. Controls and Procedures
Effectiveness of Disclosure Controls and Procedures We maintain a set of disclosure
controls and procedures designed to ensure that information required to be disclosed in our reports
filed under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the Act), is recorded, processed,
summarized and reported within the time periods specified by the Security and Exchange Commissions
(the SEC) rules and regulations. Disclosure controls are also designed with the objective of
ensuring that this information is accumulated and communicated to our management, including our
chief executive officer and chief financial officer, as appropriate, to allow timely decisions
regarding required disclosure.
Our management does not expect that our disclosure controls and procedures will necessarily prevent
all fraud and material error. Our disclosure controls and procedures are designed to provide
reasonable assurance of achieving the objectives outlined above. Based on their most recent
evaluation, our chief executive officer and chief financial officer concluded that our disclosure
controls and procedures are effective at that reasonable assurance level at March 31, 2009.
Further, the design of a control system must reflect the fact that there are resource constraints,
including, but not limited to having three total employees (chief executive officer, general
counsel and chief financial officer), and the benefits of controls must be considered relative to
their costs. Because of the inherent limitations in all control systems, no evaluation of controls
can provide absolute assurance that all control issues and instances of fraud, if any, within the
Company have been detected. These inherent limitations include the realities that judgments in
decision-making can be faulty, and that breakdowns can occur because of simple error or mistake.
Changes in Internal Control Over Financial Reporting During the three months ended March
31, 2009, there were no material changes in the Companys internal control over financial reporting
that have materially affected, or are reasonably likely to materially affect, the Companys
internal control over financial reporting.
PART II. OTHER INFORMATION
Item 1. Legal Proceedings
Duluth Venture Capital Partners, LLC v. Cleantech Biofuels, Inc., et al. We are a defendant in a
lawsuit filed on January 6, 2009 on behalf of Duluth Venture Capital Partners, L.L.C., one of our
stockholders. The suit was filed in Superior Court for the State of California. The other
defendants to the suit are our officers and directors, our transfer agent, Keith Mazer and World
Capital Funding. The suit alleges among other things that Duluth Venture Capital Partners, L.L.C
was entitled to transfer certain shares of the common stock of the Company for which stop orders
had been previously issued. The case was subsequently moved to Federal court in the Southern
District of California. On March 10, 2009, we filed a motion to dismiss the lawsuit.
The lawsuit also alleges that World Capital Funding and/or Keith Mazer is the beneficial owner of
certain shares of our common stock owned by Brite Star Associates, L.L.C., Fountain Consulting,
L.L.C., St. Ives Consulting, Inc., Trinity Enterprises, and Padstow Estates, Inc. Each of these
entities is a Selling Stockholder who had completed and delivered a Selling Stockholder
Questionnaire to the Company representing the beneficial ownership of the shares as set forth in
our public filings.
In the interest of caution, given the subject matter of the allegations, we issued a Stop Order for
all shares of common stock owned by the entities set forth in the lawsuit filed on behalf of Duluth
Venture Capital Partners, LLC. After conducting further investigation of this matter, we determined
that we did not have sufficient evidence to verify the validity or invalidity of the claims made in
the lawsuit and the information set out in the Selling Stockholder Questionnaires obtained from the
stockholders named in that lawsuit.
In order to prevent any unwarranted transfers of our common stock while the issue of correct
beneficial ownership of these shares was being resolved, we suspended the registration rights for
the following Selling Stockholders. On February 24, 2009, we filed a Supplement to our prospectus
dated January 2, 2008 and the prospectus supplement
dated January 10, 2008, removing such stockholders from our Selling Stockholders, thereby making
the shares restricted:
Selling Stockholder | Shares Suspended | |||
Brite Star Associates, Inc. |
1,777,867 | |||
Fountain Consulting, Inc. |
1,482,000 | |||
St Ives Consulting, Inc. |
1,368,000 | |||
Trinity Enterprises, L.L.C. |
1,966,667 | |||
Padstow Estates, Inc. |
1,966,667 |
25
Table of Contents
Ram Resources, L.L.C. v. CleanTech Biofuels, Inc. On November 6, 2008 RAM Resources, LLC filed a
request for temporary injunction in the Circuit Court of St. Louis County seeking to have us remove
the restrictive legend on 552,335 shares of our common stock owned by RAM Resources, L.L.C. The
shares held by RAM Resources we reissued in private transactions and as such are subject to the
requirements of Rule 144 of Regulation D of the Securities Act of 1933, including Rule 144(i).
Based on our understanding of Rule 144(i) and conversations with the United States Securities and
Exchange Commission, we believe that it is not permissible to remove a restrictive legend on shares
of our stock in advance of a sale of those shares. On November 7, 2008, an order requiring us to
authorize the removal of the restrictive legend on 552,335 shares of our common stock owned by RAM
Resources, L.L.C was entered. This order was later reaffirmed by the court after a preliminary
injunction hearing. We have complied with this order and we understand that RAM Resources, L.L.C
has obtained a certificate for 552,335 shares of stock without restrictive legend. We have
established a procedure for clearing shares of our stock for removal of restrictive legends that
complies with the requirements of Rule 144(i) and are seeking to settle this litigation by
developing a mutually satisfactory process to enable RAM Resources, L.L.C to comply with Rule
144(i). If RAM Resources, L.L.C does not agree to comply with the procedures we have established
to ensure that all of the conditions of Rule 144(i) are met at the time of sales of previously
restricted stock, we will be required to defend this claim and seek a resolution that ensures
compliance with Rule 144(i) by RAM Resources, L.L.C.
Item 1A. Risk Factors
In addition to the other information set forth in this report, you should carefully consider the
risk factors discussed in Part I, Item 1A in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended
December 31, 2008, which could materially affect our business, financial condition or future
results. These cautionary statements are to be used as a reference in connection with any
forward-looking statements. The factors, risks and uncertainties identified in these cautionary
statements are in addition to those contained in any other cautionary statements, written or oral,
which may be made or otherwise addressed in connection with a forward-looking statement or
contained in any of our subsequent filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission.
Item 2. Unregistered Sales of Equity Securities and Use of Proceeds
During September 2008, the Company commenced an offering of units comprised of a convertible
promissory note and a warrant. As of March 31, 2009, the Company had issued promissory notes having
an aggregate original principal amount of $642,000. During the three months ended March 31, 2009,
$35,000 of promissory notes were issued. Each convertible promissory note carries a one-year term
and a 6% interest rate. In addition, each note can be converted into shares of the Companys common
stock, par value $0.001 per share (the Common Stock), at $0.25 per share at the holders option.
Each note was issued with a warrant to purchase additional shares of Common Stock equal to the
principal amount of the associated note at a price of $0.45 per share. The issuance of units was
exempt from the registration requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the
Securities Act), pursuant to Rule 506 of Regulation D promulgated under the Securities Act and/or
Section 4(2) of the Securities Act.
Item 3. Defaults Upon Senior Securities None.
Item 4. Submission of Matters to a Vote of Security Holders None.
Item 5. Other Information None.
26
Table of Contents
Item 6. Exhibits
(a) The following documents are filed as a part of this Report.
EXHIBIT NO. | DESCRIPTION | |||
31.1 | Certification of Chief Executive Officer pursuant to Rule 13a-14(a) and Rule 15d-14(a) of the
Securities Exchange Act, as amended. |
|||
31.2 | Certification of Principal Financial Officer pursuant to Rule 13a-14(a) and Rule 15d-14(a) of
the Securities Exchange Act, as amended. |
|||
32.1 | Certification (Pursuant to 18 U.S.C. Section 1350 as Adopted Pursuant to Section 906 of the
Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002) of Chief Executive Officer. |
|||
32.2 | Certification (Pursuant to 18 U.S.C. Section 1350 as Adopted Pursuant to Section 906 of the
Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002) of Principal Financial Officer. |
27
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SIGNATURES
Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the registrant has duly caused
this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned thereunto duly authorized.
CLEANTECH BIOFUELS, INC. |
||||
Date: May 15, 2009 | /s/ Edward P. Hennessey, Jr. | |||
Edward P. Hennessey, Jr. | ||||
Chief Executive Officer | ||||
Date: May 15, 2009 | /s/ Thomas Jennewein | |||
Thomas Jennewein | ||||
Chief Financial Officer and Principal Accounting Officer |
28
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INDEX TO EXHIBITS
EXHIBIT NO. | DESCRIPTION | |||
31.1 | Certification of Chief Executive Officer pursuant to Rule 13a-14(a) and Rule 15d-14(a) of the
Securities Exchange Act, as amended. |
|||
31.2 | Certification of Principal Financial Officer pursuant to Rule 13a-14(a) and Rule 15d-14(a) of
the Securities Exchange Act, as amended. |
|||
32.1 | Certification (Pursuant to 18 U.S.C. Section 1350 as Adopted Pursuant to Section 906 of the
Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002) of Chief Executive Officer. |
|||
32.2 | Certification (Pursuant to 18 U.S.C. Section 1350 as Adopted Pursuant to Section 906 of the
Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002) of Principal Financial Officer. |
29