CleanTech Biofuels, Inc. - Quarter Report: 2010 September (Form 10-Q)
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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 SEPTEMBER 30, 2010
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 (State or other jurisdiction of incorporation or organization) |
33-0754902 (I.R.S. Employer Identification No.) |
|
7386 Pershing Ave., University City, Missouri (Address of principal executive offices) |
63130 (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 (Do not check if a smaller reporting company) |
Smaller reporting company þ |
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 November 9, 2010, 68,309,679 shares of the Companys common stock were outstanding.
CLEANTECH BIOFUELS, INC.
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Exhibit 32.1 | ||||||||
Exhibit 32.2 |
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PART I. FINANCIAL INFORMATION
Item 1. | Financial Statements |
CLEANTECH BIOFUELS, INC.
(formerly Alternative Ethanol Technologies, Inc.)
(A Development Stage Company)
(formerly Alternative Ethanol Technologies, Inc.)
(A Development Stage Company)
CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS
September 30, 2010 | December 31, 2009 | |||||||
(unaudited) | (audited) | |||||||
ASSETS |
||||||||
Current Assets: |
||||||||
Cash and cash equivalents |
$ | 1,566 | $ | 912 | ||||
Prepaids and other current assets |
65,551 | 36,481 | ||||||
Total Current Assets |
67,117 | 37,393 | ||||||
Property and equipment, net |
11,026 | 20,308 | ||||||
Technology license, net |
1,521,250 | 1,521,250 | ||||||
Patent |
600,000 | 600,000 | ||||||
Total Assets |
$ | 2,199,393 | $ | 2,178,951 | ||||
LIABILITIES AND STOCKHOLDERS EQUITY (DEFICIT) |
||||||||
Current Liabilities: |
||||||||
Accounts payable |
$ | 421,421 | $ | 302,898 | ||||
Accrued interest |
90,842 | 83,142 | ||||||
Other accrued liabilities |
442,344 | 175,693 | ||||||
Notes payable, net |
1,785,382 | 1,401,925 | ||||||
Series A convertible debentures |
| 140,000 | ||||||
Deferred revenue |
50,000 | 50,000 | ||||||
Capital lease |
2,459 | 4,869 | ||||||
Total Current Liabilities |
2,792,448 | 2,158,527 | ||||||
Capital Lease |
| 1,235 | ||||||
Total Liabilities |
2,792,448 | 2,159,762 | ||||||
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;
68,309,679 and 66,256,824 shares issued and outstanding at
September 30, 2010 and December 31, 2009, respectively |
68,310 | 66,257 | ||||||
Additional paid-in capital |
6,291,513 | 5,911,136 | ||||||
Notes receivable restricted common stock |
(291,191 | ) | (316,838 | ) | ||||
Deficit accumulated during the development stage |
(6,661,687 | ) | (5,641,366 | ) | ||||
Total Stockholders Equity |
(593,055 | ) | 19,189 | |||||
Total Liabilities and Stockholders Equity |
$ | 2,199,393 | $ | 2,178,951 | ||||
The accompanying notes are an integral part of these Consolidated 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)
CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS (unaudited)
July 14, 2004 | ||||||||||||||||||||
Three months ended | Nine months ended | (inception) to | ||||||||||||||||||
September 30, | September 30, | September 30, | ||||||||||||||||||
2010 | 2009 | 2010 | 2009 | 2010 | ||||||||||||||||
General and
administrative
expenses |
$ | 155,019 | $ | 288,740 | $ | 591,770 | $ | 877,567 | $ | 2,747,409 | ||||||||||
Professional fees |
32,988 | 64,657 | 107,458 | 257,231 | 1,156,922 | |||||||||||||||
Research and
development |
| | | 101 | 1,217,847 | |||||||||||||||
Operating Loss |
188,007 | 353,397 | 699,228 | 1,134,899 | 5,122,178 | |||||||||||||||
Other expense
(income): |
||||||||||||||||||||
Interest expense |
101,302 | 253,657 | 325,446 | 725,949 | 1,478,439 | |||||||||||||||
Amortization of
technology
license |
| | | | 35,000 | |||||||||||||||
Deposit forfeiture |
| | | | (25,000 | ) | ||||||||||||||
Other expense
(income) |
4,377 | (3,431 | ) | (4,353 | ) | (39,938 | ) | (83,278 | ) | |||||||||||
105,679 | 250,226 | 321,093 | 686,011 | 1,405,161 | ||||||||||||||||
Net loss |
$ | 293,686 | $ | 603,623 | $ | 1,020,321 | $ | 1,820,910 | $ | 6,527,339 | ||||||||||
Basic net loss per
common share |
** | $ | 0.01 | $ | 0.02 | $ | 0.03 | $ | 0.13 | |||||||||||
Weighted average
common shares
outstanding |
68,509,679 | 63,571,205 | 67,795,732 | 62,174,488 | 50,019,713 | |||||||||||||||
** | - less than $.01 per share |
The accompanying notes are an integral part of these Consolidated 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)
CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CHANGES IN STOCKHOLDERS EQUITY(DEFICIT) (unaudited)
Additional | Notes Rec - | July 14, 2004 | ||||||||||||||||||
Common Stock | Paid-in | restricted | (inception) to | |||||||||||||||||
Shares | Amount | Capital | common stock | Sept. 30, 2010 | ||||||||||||||||
Balances at December 31, 2009 |
66,256,824 | $ | 66,257 | $ | 5,911,136 | $ | (316,838 | ) | $ | (5,641,366 | ) | |||||||||
Discounts on Notes Payable |
128,054 | |||||||||||||||||||
Issuance of restricted shares to a Director in
Feb-10 at
$.10 per share |
150,000 | 150 | 14,850 | (15,000 | ) | |||||||||||||||
Conversion of Debentures in Apr-10 at $.08 per
share |
2,069,375 | 2,069 | 163,480 | |||||||||||||||||
Conversion of Convertible Note in June-10
at $.08 per share |
133,480 | 134 | 10,545 | |||||||||||||||||
Interest on Notes Receivable |
(12,949 | ) | ||||||||||||||||||
Expiration of certain Notes Receivable in
Aug-10 at $.15 per share |
(300,000 | ) | (300 | ) | (44,700 | ) | 53,596 | |||||||||||||
Stock-based compensation |
108,148 | |||||||||||||||||||
Net loss |
(1,020,321 | ) | ||||||||||||||||||
Balances at September 30, 2010 |
68,309,679 | $ | 68,310 | $ | 6,291,513 | $ | (291,191 | ) | $ | (6,661,687 | ) | |||||||||
The accompanying notes are an integral part of these Consolidated 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)
CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS (unaudited)
July 14, 2004 | ||||||||||||
Nine months ended | (inception) to | |||||||||||
September 30, | September 30, | |||||||||||
2010 | 2009 | 2010 | ||||||||||
Operating Activities |
||||||||||||
Net loss |
$ | (1,020,321 | ) | $ | (1,820,910 | ) | $ | (6,527,339 | ) | |||
Adjustments to reconcile net loss to net cash used by
operating activities: |
||||||||||||
Items that did not use (provide) cash : |
||||||||||||
Common stock issued for organizational costs |
| | 100 | |||||||||
Depreciation |
9,282 | 13,017 | 57,330 | |||||||||
Amortization |
| | 35,000 | |||||||||
Interest income |
(4,353 | ) | (7,938 | ) | (23,891 | ) | ||||||
Amortization of discounts (interest expense) and
other financing charges |
236,681 | 661,211 | 1,191,157 | |||||||||
Share-based compensation expense |
108,148 | 318,740 | 727,990 | |||||||||
Write-off of technology license |
| | 790,545 | |||||||||
Fair value of RAM warrant settlement |
| | 125,027 | |||||||||
Changes in operating assets and liabilities that
provided
(used) cash, net: |
||||||||||||
Prepaids and other current assets |
(18,455 | ) | 50,957 | (33,177 | ) | |||||||
Technology license |
| | (132,500 | ) | ||||||||
Accounts payable |
118,523 | 21,230 | 421,421 | |||||||||
Other assets and other liabilities |
88,156 | 91,726 | 277,756 | |||||||||
Accrued liabilities |
266,651 | 81,989 | 442,344 | |||||||||
Net cash used by operating activities |
(215,688 | ) | (589,978 | ) | (2,648,237 | ) | ||||||
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 |
| (20,702 | ) | (54,237 | ) | |||||||
Net cash used by investing activities |
| (20,702 | ) | (224,237 | ) | |||||||
Cash Flows Provided (Used) by Financing Activities |
||||||||||||
Advances related parties |
(10,615 | ) | | (32,373 | ) | |||||||
Payments on capital lease, including interest |
(3,711 | ) | (3,788 | ) | (12,655 | ) | ||||||
Series A Convertible Debentures, including interest |
| | 1,424,900 | |||||||||
Issuance of Note Payable |
100,000 | | 100,000 | |||||||||
Issuance of Convertible Notes Payable |
350,000 | 627,499 | 1,915,500 | |||||||||
Payments on Notes Payable |
(219,332 | ) | (89,614 | ) | (546,332 | ) | ||||||
Sale of common stock |
| | 25,000 | |||||||||
Net cash provided by financing activities |
216,342 | 534,097 | 2,874,040 | |||||||||
Net increase (decrease) in cash and cash equivalents |
654 | (76,583 | ) | 1,566 | ||||||||
Cash and cash equivalents at beginning of period |
912 | 96,617 | | |||||||||
Cash and cash equivalents at end of period |
$ | 1,566 | $ | 20,034 | $ | 1,566 | ||||||
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CLEANTECH BIOFUELS, INC.
(formerly Alternative Ethanol Technologies, Inc.)
(A Development Stage Company)
CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS contd (unaudited)
(formerly Alternative Ethanol Technologies, Inc.)
(A Development Stage Company)
CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS contd (unaudited)
July 14, 2004 | ||||||||||||
Nine months ended | (inception) to | |||||||||||
September 30, | September 30, | |||||||||||
2010 | 2009 | 2010 | ||||||||||
Supplemental disclosure of cash flow information: |
||||||||||||
Cash paid for interest |
$ | 675 | $ | 2,925 | $ | 10,921 | ||||||
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 |
$ | 10,678 | $ | 36,655 | $ | 182,770 | ||||||
Common stock issued for Debentures converted |
$ | 165,550 | $ | | $ | 1,498,887 | ||||||
Common stock and note payable issued for acquistion of
Biomass |
$ | | $ | | $ | 1,501,250 | ||||||
Common stock issued for HFTA |
$ | | $ | 192,513 | $ | 693,045 | ||||||
The accompanying notes are an integral part of these Consolidated Financial Statements.
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CLEANTECH BIOFUELS, INC.
(A DEVELOPMENT STAGE COMPANY)
(A DEVELOPMENT STAGE COMPANY)
NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (unaudited)
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 (Common Stock). 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 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. The Company is currently in the process of raising
capital to design and build a commercial biomass recovery plant to provide biomass feedstock for
customer evaluation and trial purchases. Initially, the biomass feedstock output will be sold or
provided to electric utilities, power and steam producers, and biofuel and chemical research firms
for evaluation. In addition to research and development, the Company is also working towards
licensing and/or developing 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: (i) a homogenous feedstock of cellulosic biomass for producing energy and other chemical
products and (ii) recyclable products (metals, plastics).
The Company has no operating history as a producer of biomass or energy sources and has not
constructed any plants to date. We have no revenues and will be required to raise additional
capital in order to execute our business plan and commercialize our products. Our current cash is
not sufficient to fund our current operations. Our liabilities are substantially greater than our
current available funds. Although we continue to seek 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, we have not had recent success securing
meaningful amounts of financing. 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 immediately and successfully raise additional capital and/or achieve profitability or
positive cash flow, we may not be able to continue operations.
The accompanying unaudited, consolidated 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 and nine months ended September 30, 2010 are not necessarily indicative of
the results that may be expected for the year ended December 31, 2010. 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, 2009, filed with the Securities and Exchange
Commission on March 30, 2010. The Company has evaluated subsequent events through November 9, 2010.
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Note 2 Recent Accounting Pronouncements
In January 2010, the Financial Accounting Standards Board issued an amendment to the fair value
measurement and disclosure standard improving disclosures about fair value measurements. The
guidance requires additional disclosure for transfer activity pertaining to Level 1 and 2 fair
value measurements and purchase, sale, issuance, and settlement activity for Level 3 fair value
measurements. The guidance for the Level 1 and 2 disclosures was adopted on January 1, 2010 and did
not have an impact on our consolidated financial statements. The guidance for the activity in Level
3 disclosures is effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2010. The Company had no
transfers between Level 1, 2 or 3 inputs during the quarter ended September 30, 2010.
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 patented technology owned by Biomass North America, LLC, the former parent of Biomass (the
Licensor), to clean and separate MSW (the Biomass Recovery Process). In July 2010, the United
States Patent and Trademark Office issued US patent number 7,745,208 for this process (the BRP
Patent).
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 been 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. The Company
recorded a long-term asset of $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 September 30, 2010, it would result in an increase of approximately
$160,000 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
The Company owns US Patent No. 6,306,248 (the PSC Patent), which is the underlying technology
upon which the BRP Patent is based. The Company acquired the PSC Patent on October 22, 2008
pursuant to a Patent Purchase Agreement (Agreement) with World Waste Technologies, Inc. (WWT).
As part of the acquisition of the PSC 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 (interest at 6.0% per annum and secured by a security interest in
the PSC Patent) and issued warrants to purchase 900,000 shares of Common Stock at a price of $0.45
per share and to purchase an additional 900,000 shares of Common Stock at a price of $0.45 per
share contingent on payment of the note by July 22, 2009 (the original maturity date). WWT assigned
all of its rights, title and interest in the note, warrants, security agreement and purchase
agreement to Vertex Energy, Inc. (Vertex) as a result of a merger in March 2009. We entered into
amendments dated July 23, 2009 whereby: (i) the Company paid 10% of the original note and all
accrued interest to date, (ii) all previous warrants (totaling 1,800,000 shares) were reissued at a
price of $0.11 per share with no contingencies and (iii) the remaining payments on the note were
scheduled to be paid on October 22, 2009 (50% of principal plus accrued interest to date not yet
paid) and January 22, 2010 (remaining principal and accrued interest to date). We entered into
amendments dated October 22, 2009 whereby: (i) the October 22, 2009 payment was deferred until
November 22, 2009 and (ii) we issued additional warrants to Vertex for 500,000 shares of Common
Stock at a price of $0.10 per share. The warrants are exercisable at any time for five years from
the date of issuance or reissuance. The cost of the PSC Patent acquisition of $600,000 is recorded
as a long-term asset on the Balance Sheet. The value of the warrants had been recorded as a
contra-balance amount with the note and has been fully amortized through interest expense. The note
had been recorded as short-term debt (notes payable) in the financial statements, net of the discount for the warrant feature. This note was paid in full in September 2010. For the nine months
ended September 30, 2010 and 2009, amortization of this discount of approximately $7,000 and
$150,000, respectively, has been recorded in interest expense. For the three months ended September
30, 2010 and 2009, amortization of this discount of $-0- and approximately $35,000, respectively,
has been recorded in interest expense.
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On September 1, 2010, the Company issued a promissory note to CMS Acquisition, LLC (CMS) in the
amount of $100,000 and entered into a related Security Agreement. The Note matures on February 28,
2011, bears interest at 6.0% per annum and is secured by a security interest in the PSC Patent. In
connection with the financing, the Company issued a warrant to CMS to purchase 2,000,000 shares of
the Companys Common Stock at a price of $0.05 per share. The warrant is exercisable at any time
for five years from the date of issuance.
Note 5 Technology Licenses
Biomass North America Licensing, Inc.
We own a license in the United States and Canada to use the Biomass Recovery Process. See Note 3 Mergers/Acquisitions. We recorded a long-term asset of $1.5 million for the value of this license
when we acquired the license on September 15, 2008. 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 the benefit of the
Licensor. 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 the Company and the Licensor will work in
good faith to complete a commercial development in the City of Chicago using the Biomass Recovery
Process.
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 original 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 were using the technology at that time. On August 24, 2009, we entered into an amendment with
HFTA that moved the September 1, 2009 payment, plus interest at 6% per annum from the date of the
amendment, to March 1, 2010.
Additionally, we deposited 2,887,687 shares of our Common Stock into an escrow account on May 12,
2008. The shares held in escrow were released to HFTA as follows: the first third of the shares
(962,562 shares) were released from escrow on September 20, 2008 (six months from the date of the
original agreement) and the remaining 1,925,125 shares were released upon the amendment in August
2009. As a result, the Company recorded an asset for the value of the first third share payment of
approximately $500,000 in September 2008 and recorded an addition to the asset of approximately
$190,000 related to the release of the remaining shares in August 2009. During the fourth quarter
2009, the Company decided not to use this technology going forward in our operations and thus wrote
off the asset as of December 31, 2009. The impairment loss of approximately $690,000 is included in
research and development expense on the statement of operations for the year ended December 31,
2009.
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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 the PSC Patent 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 Note 4 Patent, the Company acquired the PSC Patent. The Company is now the
licensor to Bio-Products for the PSC Patent. Bio-Products (a wholly-owned subsidiary of Clean Earth
Solutions, Inc., CES) is the exclusive licensee of the PSC Patent and has the right to sublicense
the technology that is part of the PSC Patent 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. On September 22,
2010, the Company sent a Notice of Breach to the licensee of our PSC Patent. We received a response
from the licensee on November 5, 2010 and are currently working to resolve the issues raised by the
Company and licensee.
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.
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Note 6 Debt
September 30, | December 31, | |||||||
2010 | 2009 | |||||||
Convertible Notes Payable, net of discounts of $0 and $7,137 at
September 30, 2010 and December 31, 2009, respectively, which
are made up of various individual notes with an aggregate face
value of $0 and $502,000 at September 30, 2010 and December 31,
2009, respectively, due in one
year from date of note, interest at 6.0% |
$ | | $ | 494,863 | ||||
Convertible Notes Payable, net of discounts of $66,099 and
$187,880 at September 30, 2010 and December 31, 2009,
respectively, which are made up of various individual notes
with an aggregate face value of $1,703,329 and $898,500 at
September 30, 2010 and December 31, 2009, respectively, due in
one year from date of note, interest at 6.0% |
1,637,230 | 710,620 | ||||||
CMS Acquisition, LLC Note Payable, net of discount of $8,938 and
$-0- at September 30, 2010 and December 31, 2009, respectively,
with a face value of $100,000 and $-0- at September 30, 2010
and December 31, 2009, respectively, due on February 28, 2011,
interest at 6.0% |
91,062 | | ||||||
Convertible Note Payable, net of discounts of $17,911 and $-0-
at September 30, 2010 and December 31, 2009, respectively, which
is made up of an individual note with a face value of $75,000
and $-0- at September 30, 2010 and December 31, 2009,
respectively, due in one year from date of note, interest at
12.0% |
57,089 | | ||||||
Vertex (formerly WWT) Note Payable, net of discount of $-0- and
$6,558 at September 30, 2010 and December 31, 2009,
respectively, with a face value of $-0- and $203,000 at
September 30, 2010 and December 31, 2009, respectively,
interest at 6.0%. |
| 196,442 | ||||||
Series A Convertible Debentures, converted April 16, 2010,
interest at 6.0% |
| 140,000 | ||||||
Total debt |
1,785,381 | 1,541,925 | ||||||
Current maturities |
(1,785,381 | ) | (1,541,925 | ) | ||||
Long-term portion, less current maturities |
$ | | $ | | ||||
Convertible Notes Payable
During September 2008, the Company commenced an offering of units comprised of a convertible
promissory note and a warrant. The Company raised a total of $642,000 of investment proceeds
through March 31, 2009 and this offering is closed. As of March 31, 2010, all of these notes have
either been converted to shares of our common stock or re-priced to our second convertible note
offering (resulting in new notes with a total face value of $539,829, which included the original
principal and interest through the date of re-pricing). Each convertible promissory note carried a
one-year term and a 6% interest rate. In addition, each note could have been 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 had been recorded as short-term debt (notes payable) in the financial statements, net of
discounts for the conversion and warrant features. The discounts were being amortized on a
straight-line basis over the term of each note and are fully expensed as of March 31, 2010. For the
nine months ended September 30, 2010 and 2009, amortization of approximately $7,000 and $457,000,
respectively, for these discounts has been recorded in interest expense. For the three months ended
September 30, 2010 and 2009, amortization of $-0- and approximately $155,000, respectively, for
these discounts has been recorded in interest expense. All outstanding warrants related to this
offering have also been re-priced into our second note offering.
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During April 2009, the Company commenced another offering of units comprised of a convertible
promissory note and a warrant. As of September 30, 2010, the Company had raised a total of
$1,198,500 of investment proceeds. One note was converted during the second quarter of 2009 and one
note was converted during the second quarter 2010 leaving $1,163,500 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 $0.08 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 to provide for 100% coverage of the promissory note at a
price of $0.30 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 nine
months ended September 30, 2010 and 2009, amortization of approximately $214,000 and $54,000,
respectively, for these discounts has been recorded in interest expense. For the three months ended
September 30, 2010 and 2009, amortization of approximately $59,000 and $40,000, respectively, for
these discounts has been recorded in interest expense.
During June 2010, the Company commenced another offering of units comprised of a convertible
promissory note and a warrant. As of September 30, 2010, the Company had raised a total of $75,000
of investment proceeds. Each convertible promissory note carries a one-year term, a 12% interest
rate and a payback provision of the note if $250,000 or more in the aggregate is raised by the
Company in future offerings. 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 $0.08 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 to provide for 100%
coverage of the promissory note at a price of $0.30 per share. The promissory note has 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 and nine months ended September 30, 2010, amortization of
approximately $6,000 and $7,000, respectively, for these discounts has been recorded in interest
expense.
CMS Acquisition, LLC Note Payable
In September 2010, the Company issued a note in the amount of $100,000 (interest at 6.0% per annum
and secured by a security interest in the PSC Patent) and issued warrants to purchase 2,000,000
shares of Common Stock at a price of $0.05 per share. The note is due the earlier of: (i) February
28, 2011 or (ii) the date on which $500,000 or more in the aggregate is raised by the Company in
future offerings. The warrants are exercisable at any time for five years from the date of issuance
or reissuance. The value of these warrants has been recorded as a contra-balance amount discount
with the note and is being amortized through interest expense. For the three and nine months ended
September 30, 2010, amortization of approximately $2,000 for this discount has been recorded in
interest expense.
Vertex (formerly WWT) Note Payable
As disclosed previously, as part of the purchase of the PSC Patent, the Company issued a note in
the amount of $450,000 (interest at 6.0% per annum and secured by a security interest in the PSC
Patent) and issued warrants to purchase 900,000 shares of Common Stock at a price of $0.45 per
share and to purchase an additional 900,000 shares of Common Stock at a price of $0.45 per share
contingent on payment of the note by July 22, 2009 (the original maturity date). WWT assigned all
of its rights, title and interest in the note, warrants, security agreement and purchase agreement
to Vertex Energy, Inc. as a result of a merger in March 2009. We entered into amendments dated July
23, 2009 whereby: (i) the Company paid 10% of the original note and all accrued interest to date,
(ii) all previous warrants (totaling 1,800,000 shares) were reissued at a price of $0.11 per share
with no contingencies and (iii) the remaining payments on the note were scheduled to be paid on
October 22, 2009 (50% of principal plus accrued interest to date not yet paid) and January 22, 2010
(remaining principal and accrued interest to date). We entered into amendments dated October 22,
2009 whereby: (i) the October 22, 2009 payment was deferred until November 22, 2009 and (ii) we
issued additional warrants to Vertex for 500,000 shares of Common Stock at a price of $0.10 per
share. The warrants are exercisable at any time for five years from the date of issuance or
reissuance. The value of these warrants had been recorded as a contra-balance amount discount with
the note and has been fully amortized through interest expense. For the nine months ended September
30, 2010 and 2009, amortization of this discount of approximately $7,000 and $150,000,
respectively, has been recorded in interest expense. For the three months ended September 30, 2010 and 2009, amortization of this discount of $-0- and approximately
$35,000, respectively, has been recorded in interest expense. This note was paid in full in
September 2010.
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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 $0.15 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 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 our 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 our common stock. The remaining $140,000 of Debentures
matured on April 16, 2010 and, with interest earned, were converted into 2,069,375 shares of our
common stock.
Note 7 Stockholders Equity (Deficit)
In August 2010, certain notes receivable from former and current members of our Board of Directors
matured. The notes were originally issued in August 2007 to purchase shares of our common stock.
Two of the former directors declined to pay these notes or extend the due date. As a result,
300,000 shares of restricted stock, issued at $0.15 per share, were forfeited and cancelled. The
two other Directors agreed to extend the due date of their notes to August 2012. As the notes were
carried in additional paid-in capital, there was no effect on our financial results for the period
from the write-off of these notes.
In June 2010, the Company issued 133,480 shares of Common Stock ($0.08 per share) to an investor
upon the conversion of a Convertible Note.
In April 2010, the Company issued 2,069,375 shares of Common Stock ($0.08 per share) upon the
conversion of $140,000 of the Companys Debentures and accrued interest of approximately $25,000.
In February 2010, the Company issued 150,000 restricted shares of our common stock at $0.10 per
share to our newly elected director. The director issued a promissory note to the Company in
exchange for the stock purchases similar to the restricted share grants to all other directors. See
the share-based footnote for further details.
In June, September and December 2009, the Company issued 625,000, 300,000 and 625,000,
respectively, of restricted shares of our common stock at $0.12, $0.10 and $0.06 per share,
respectively, to a consultant pursuant to their consulting agreement and directors. For all of
these restricted common stock grants, each individual issued promissory notes to the Company in
exchange for their stock purchases. See the share-based footnote for further details.
In August 2009, the Company issued 357,778 shares of Common Stock ($0.13 per share) to the holders
of two separate warrants under the Net Issuance clause of the warrant agreements.
During 2009, the Company issued 466,268 shares of Common Stock ($0.25 per share) and 687,500 shares
of Common Stock ($0.08 per share) to investors upon conversion of the Convertible Notes.
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Net Loss per share The Company calculates basic loss per share (EPS) and diluted EPS. EPS 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 September 30, 2010 and 2009, the Company had options, warrants
and other convertible securities to purchase an aggregate of approximately 43 million and 26
million shares of our 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 $0.13 per share to
replace the option included in the promissory note on substantially similar terms as the option. In
August 2009, this warrant was exercised under the Net Issuance clause of the warrant agreement
resulting in 178,889 shares being issued.
In September 2009 and February 2010, the Company entered into stock purchase agreements with
certain members of the Board of Directors. The directors 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.
In August 2010, certain notes receivable from former and current members of our Board of Directors
matured. The notes were originally issued in August 2007 to purchase shares of our common stock.
Two of the former directors declined to pay these notes or extend the due date. As a result,
300,000 shares of restricted stock, issued at $0.15 per share, were forfeited and cancelled. The
two other Directors agreed to extend the due date of their notes to August 2012.
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. Since December
31, 2008, we incurred less than $100 in legal fees with SSB. As of September 30, 2010, all amounts
have been paid to SSB except for approximately $90,000.
The Company uses the Crane Agency (Crane) as its broker for business and property insurance. Our
CEOs brother is employed by Crane and was involved in the negotiation of coverage and premiums
related to policies. For the nine months ended September 30, 2010 and 2009, the Company paid less
than $3,000 and $3,000, respectively, in commissions on policies placed by Crane.
Beginning in 2009, the Company has provided advances to two employees Ed Hennessey and Mike Kime.
Mr. Kime resigned from his positions with the Company effective June 21, 2010. As of September 30,
2010 and December 31, 2009, the aggregate balances of advances totaled approximately $32,000 and
$22,000, respectively. The balances are included in Prepaids and Other Current Assets on the
Balance Sheet.
Three members of our Board of Directors, Dr. Jackson Nickerson, Mr. Jose Bared, Sr. and David
Bransby are parties in investments made in our convertible note offerings. As of September 30, 2010
and December 31, 2009, the aggregate amount due on these investments, including interest, is
approximately $605,000 and $518,000, respectively.
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Note 9 Share-based Payments
In January 2010, the Company granted options under the 2007 Stock Option Plan to purchase an
aggregate of 120,000 shares of Common Stock to a consultant that vested immediately, with an
exercise price of $0.07 per share. In February 2010, the Company issued 150,000 shares of
restricted Common Stock to our new director, Jose Bared, Sr. Under the agreement Mr. Bared agreed
to purchase 150,000 shares of restricted Common Stock of the Company at a cost of $0.10 per share.
Mr. Bared issued a promissory note to the Company in exchange for the stock purchase. The shares
purchased under the agreement 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 February 28,
2010, the Companys repurchase rights lapse at the rate of 8,333 shares per month of continuous
service by each director through January 31, 2011, 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 September 30, 2010, 175,010 shares remain subject to a right of repurchase on
all outstanding restricted stock grants to our directors. Additionally, the Company granted options
under the Stock Plan to purchase 40,000 shares of Common Stock to Mr. Bared, with an exercise price
of $0.10, that vest ratably over two years. None of these options were cancelled or expired as of
September 30, 2010. As of September 30, 2010, 120,000 of these options were vested.
In August 2010, certain notes receivable from former and current members of our Board of Directors
matured. The notes were originally issued in August 2007 to purchase shares of our common stock.
Two of the former directors declined to pay these notes or extend the due date. As a result,
300,000 shares of restricted stock, issued at $0.15 per share, were forfeited and cancelled. The
two other Directors agreed to extend the due date of their notes to August 2012.
The Company has recorded stock-based compensation expense of approximately $27,000 and $108,000 for
the three and nine months ended September 30, 2010, respectively and approximately $89,000 and
$319,000 for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2009, respectively, for the issued stock
option grants. Related to these grants, the Company will record future compensation expense of
approximately $10,000 for the remaining three months of 2010. The potential tax benefit realizable
for the anticipated tax deductions of the exercise of share-based payment arrangements totaled
approximately $280,000 and $240,000 at September 30, 2010 and December 31, 2009, respectively.
However, due to the uncertainty that the tax benefits will be realized, these potential benefits
were not recognized currently.
As of September 30, 2010, there was approximately $36,000 of unrecognized compensation cost related
to all current share-based payment arrangements, which will be recognized over a remaining period
of approximately 1.5 years. There are 713,333 options granted that are not yet vested as of
September 30, 2010. These options have a weighted average exercise price of $0.18.
Weighted | ||||||||||||
Shares Under | Average | Aggregate | ||||||||||
Option | Exercise Price | intrinsic value | ||||||||||
Options outstanding at December 31, 2009 |
6,815,000 | $ | 0.18 | (1) | ||||||||
Granted |
322,000 | 0.07 | ||||||||||
Exercised |
| |||||||||||
Forfeited |
(1,600,000 | ) | 0.26 | |||||||||
Options outstanding at September 30, 2010 |
5,537,000 | $ | 0.15 | (1) | ||||||||
Options exercisable at September 30, 2010 |
4,823,667 | $ | 0.14 | (1) | ||||||||
(1) | The weighted-average exercise price at September 30, 2010 and December 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-. |
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Note 10 Commitments and Contingencies
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 November 9, 2010, the Company has received
$1,198,500 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 to provide 100% coverage 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.
Certain promissory notes in our second offering of units comprised of a convertible promissory note
and a warrant (notes convertible at $0.08 per share) came due in April through September 2010.
These promissory notes totaling approximately $497,000 (including approximately $39,000 of accrued
interest through November 9, 2010), have not yet been repaid, refinanced or converted to shares of
our common stock. We plan to work with each noteholder to extend the terms of, or convert, these
promissory notes. There can be no assurance that we will reach agreements with any or all of these
noteholders and we may be required to repay such amounts.
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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, 2009, filed with the SEC on March
30, 2010, 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:
| our ability to raise additional capital on favorable terms to continue operating and to develop our technologies; |
| the commercial viability of our technologies, |
| our ability to maintain and enforce our exclusive rights to 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.
We are a development stage company focused on being a provider of: (i) cellulosic biomass derived
from municipal solid waste, also known as MSW, as a feedstock for producing energy and other
chemical products and (ii) recyclables (metals, plastics, glass) from the MSW.
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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.
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, Inc. was
a licensee of various technologies for the processing of waste materials into usable products.
Prior to our acquisition of SRS Energy, Supercritical Recovery Systems, Inc. distributed
approximately 80% of its ownership of SRS Energy to the stockholders of Supercritical Recovery
Systems, Inc. Since our acquisition of SRS Energy, Supercritical Recovery Systems, Inc. has ceased
its business activities with respect to licensing other technologies.
In September 2008, we acquired the exclusive rights to use the Biomass Recovery System developed by
Anthony Noll that we refer to as our Biomass Recovery Process in the United States and Canada. 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 addition, in October 2008, we acquired the patent (the PSC
Patent) for the pressurized steam classification (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.
Since early 2008, we had been in litigation against Bio-Products regarding our use of the PSC
technology. In March 2009, we entered into a Settlement Agreement with Bio-Products settling all
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 terminated our License Agreement with
Bio-Products and have no further obligations thereunder. We continue to be the licensor of the PSC
Patent to Bio-Products under the Master License Agreement and we continue to own the PSC Patent. 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 have no operating history as a producer of biomass feedstocks or any energy products and have
not constructed any operating plants to date. We have not earned any revenues to date and expect
that our current capital and other existing resources will no longer be sufficient to fund the
development of our technologies or our required working capital. We will require substantial
additional capital to implement our business plan and we may be unable to immediately obtain the
capital required to continue operating.
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 November 9, 2010, the Company has received
$1,198,500 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 $0.001 per 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 to
provide 100% coverage 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.
On May 4, 2010, we entered into a joint research agreement with Ze-Gen, Inc., a developer of
technology for converting biomass into a variety of fuel products and other chemical products,
whereby we agreed to provide biomass to Ze-Gen, Inc. for testing in their proprietary processes.
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In June 2010, we entered into an engagement agreement with Houlihan Smith & Company (now Houlihan
Capital, Houlihan) whereby Houlihan will assist the Company in exploring and evaluating a range
of strategic financing alternatives and/or other transactions.
In July 2010, we entered into an agreement with Fiberight LLC (Fiberight) to install our test
vessel (formerly in Kentucky) at Fiberights cellulosic ethanol pilot plant in Lawrenceville,
Virginia. We anticipate that our vessel will be installed and operational during the second quarter
2011. Once upgraded and installed, the vessel is expected to produce cellulosic biomass feedstock
for Fiberights Targeted Fuel Extraction process. We expect such production should further validate
our licensed Biomass Recovery Process, which we believe could then be used for on-site cellulosic
biomass feedstock production for alternative energy producers. Additionally, we will have access to
biomass produced at the Lawrenceville plant for delivery to other companies interested in testing
it as feedstock in their conversion technologies.
In July 2010, the United States Patent and Trademark Office issued US patent number 7,745,208 to
the process and apparatus for converting MSW into cellulosic biomass feedstock, which we refer to
collectively as the Biomass Recovery Process. The Company has exclusive rights to the Biomass
Recovery Process in the United States and Canada through our licensing agreement with Biomass North
America LLC.
On September 22, 2010, the Company sent a Notice of Breach to the licensee of our PSC Patent. We
received a response from the licensee on November 5, 2010 and are currently working to resolve the
issues raised by the Company and the licensee.
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 focus has shifted primarily to securing additional capital immediately. We currently do not
have sufficient capital to continue operations. All of the projects described below require a
significant amount of capital that we currently do not have. While we continue to aggressively
pursue capital, we have not had recent success securing meaningful amounts of financing. As a
result, we can provide no assurance that we will secure any capital in the immediate time frame
required and the failure to do so will likely result in an inability to continue operations.
Our company was initially conceived as a fully-integrated producer of cellulosic ethanol using the
PSC technology for cleaning and separating MSW into its component parts, 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 hydrolyze 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 was
sublicensed to us for the production of ethanol from MSW.
Based on our investigation and acquisition of new technologies and research and development of our
existing technologies in 2008, we re-focused our business to the commercialization of our Biomass
Recovery Process technology for cleaning and separating MSW into its component parts through the
acquisition of further technology to clean and separate MSW, and set about to consolidate the
ownership and/or rights to use intellectual property around this technology. The technology is
currently in use by another operator 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 are currently in the process of raising capital to design and
build a commercial biomass recovery plant to provide biomass feedstock for customer evaluation and
trial purchases. Initially, the biomass feedstock output will be sold or provided to electric
utilities, power and steam producers, and biofuel research firms for evaluation. In addition to
research and development, the Company is also working towards licensing and/or developing potential
commercial projects. These projects plan to focus on cleaning and separating MSW into its component
parts in order to obtain: (i) a homogenous feedstock of cellulosic biomass for producing energy and
other chemical products and (ii) recyclable products (metals, plastics).
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As a result of our focus on converting MSW into a biomass feedstock for energy or chemical
products, we determined that we no longer would use the Brelsford and HFTA technologies. In the
fourth quarter of 2008, Brelsford Engineering, Inc. terminated our license to the Brelsford
technology for non-payment of certain fees. We decided not to use the technology going forward in
our operations and wrote 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. Additionally, we terminated our agreement with HFTA, Inc. during the
fourth quarter of 2009 as we determined to not use the HFTA technology going forward in our
operations. We wrote off the related asset of approximately $693,000 as an impairment loss and the
loss is included in research and development expense on the statement of operations for the year
ended December 31, 2009.
Biomass Feedstock Production
The Company plans to design and build a commercial biomass recovery plant to provide biomass
feedstock for customer evaluation and trial purchases. Initially, the biomass feedstock output will
be sold or provided to electric utilities, power and steam producers, and biofuel and chemical
research firms for evaluation. In addition to research and development, the Company is also working
towards licensing and/or developing potential commercial projects.
We have completed construction of a small test vessel in Kentucky. Beginning in April 2009, this
vessel has processed approximately 12 tons of MSW into approximately 4-5 tons of biomass. We have
provided the biomass produced during this testing phase to a number of fuel producers who are
evaluating the biomass we produce from MSW as a feedstock for their technologies. In July 2010, we
entered into an agreement with Fiberight to install this test vessel at Fiberights cellulosic
ethanol pilot plant in Lawrenceville, Virginia. We anticipate our vessel to be installed and
operational during the second quarter 2011. Once upgraded and installed, the vessel is expected to
produce cellulosic biomass feedstock for Fiberights Targeted Fuel Extraction process. We expect
such production should further validate our licensed Biomass Recovery Process, which we believe
could then be used for on-site cellulosic biomass feedstock production for alternative energy
producers. Additionally, we will have access to biomass produced at the Lawrenceville plant for
delivery to other companies interested in testing it as feedstock in their conversion technologies.
We are considering the possibility of implementing our technology in Maryville, Missouri. The
biomass produced would potentially be supplied to Northwest Missouri State University for research
purposes in advanced biofuel technologies and to supply steam for the University. The University
has used biomass to produce steam for more than twenty years and has significant experience in
handling biomass feedstocks.
We are also seeking to develop a plant in a major metropolitan area. We are working to develop one
or more locations where waste collected would be processed using our technology and the biomass
produced used to create heat and/or power.
In addition to the developments we are currently contemplating, other development opportunities
have been presented to us and we are currently evaluating those potential developments. Upon
operating a plant 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 licensing of our technology and/or the development of commercial
plants 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. While we
anticipate that financing for the commercial biomass recovery plant and these other potential
projects could also be provided in part via tax exempt bond financing or through the use of loan guarantees from local, state and federal authorities, we have
not secured any such financing and there can be no assurance that we will be able to secure any
such financing.
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Diesel Fuel Production
We previously anticipated completing an agreement with Green Power, Inc. (Green Power) to provide
biomass for testing at Green Powers facility and if that proves successful, to build a 200 ton per
day MSW processing station to provide biomass for an existing 100 ton per day diesel fuel
production plant. To date we have not been able to reach an agreement as to the nature and amount
of biomass to be produced or other key terms of this relationship that are required for us to
proceed. These issues and a number of other items will be required to be resolved before we are
able to complete any agreement with Green Power. 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.
Bio-Fuel and Bio-Chemical Joint Testing/Research
As soon as we are able to process MSW into biomass through our future biomass recovery plant, our
test vessel at Fiberights facility in Virginia, and/or in future commercial vessels, we plan to
enter into joint research agreements with companies looking to process biomass in their system(s)
for various types of energy and chemical production. This testing and research will provide
possible revenue streams, projects and additional opportunities for use of our biomass.
In August 2009, we entered into a joint research agreement with GeoSyn Fuels, L.L.C. (GeoSyn)
whereby we agreed to provide GeoSyn with biomass feedstock derived from MSW from the City of
Chicago for GeoSyns testing of their proprietary process for converting biomass into ethanol and
other products.
In May 2010, we entered into a joint research agreement with Ze-Gen, Inc., a developer of
technology for converting biomass into a variety of fuel products and other chemical products,
whereby we agreed to provide biomass to Ze-Gen, Inc. for testing in their proprietary processes.
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 our technology, we intend to:
| construct and operate and/or license a commercial plant that: (i) processes
MSW into cellulosic biomass for conversion into energy or chemical products and (ii)
separates recyclables (metals, plastics, glass) for single-stream recycling; |
| 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 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 tables set forth the amounts of expenses and changes represented by certain items
reflected in our consolidated statements of operations for the three and nine months ended
September 30, 2010 and 2009:
Three months ended | ||||||||||||
Sept. 30, 2010 | Sept. 30, 2009 | Change | ||||||||||
General and administrative |
$ | 155,019 | $ | 288,740 | $ | (133,721 | ) | |||||
Professional fees |
32,988 | 64,657 | (31,669 | ) | ||||||||
Operating loss |
188,007 | 353,397 | (165,390 | ) | ||||||||
Other expense (income): |
||||||||||||
Interest expense |
101,302 | 253,657 | (152,355 | ) | ||||||||
Other expense (income) |
4,377 | (3,431 | ) | 7,808 | ||||||||
Net loss applicable to common stockholders |
$ | 293,686 | $ | 603,623 | $ | (309,937 | ) | |||||
General and administrative The decrease in expense in 2010 is due primarily to a reduction in
expense of approximately $40,000 in payroll, $60,000 in share-based compensation and $20,000 in
marketing expenses.
Professional Fees The decrease in 2010 is due primarily to a reduction in legal fees of
approximately $30,000.
Interest expense The decrease in 2010 is due primarily to a reduction in the amortization of
discounts related to various notes of approximately $160,000. These notes mature in one year and
were issued from October 2008 through September 2010 and thus some discounts have been fully
expensed.
Nine months ended | ||||||||||||
Sept. 30, 2010 | Sept. 30, 2009 | Change | ||||||||||
General and administrative |
$ | 591,770 | $ | 877,567 | $ | (285,797 | ) | |||||
Professional fees |
107,458 | 257,231 | (149,773 | ) | ||||||||
Research and development |
| 101 | (101 | ) | ||||||||
Operating loss |
699,228 | 1,134,899 | (435,671 | ) | ||||||||
Other expense (income): |
||||||||||||
Interest expense |
325,446 | 725,949 | (400,503 | ) | ||||||||
Other income |
(4,353 | ) | (39,938 | ) | 35,585 | |||||||
Net loss applicable to common stockholders |
$ | 1,020,321 | $ | 1,820,910 | $ | (800,589 | ) | |||||
General and administrative The decrease in expense in 2010 is due primarily to a reduction in
expense of approximately $210,000 in share-based compensation, $45,000 in payroll and $45,000 in
marketing expenses.
Professional Fees The decrease in 2010 is due primarily to a reduction in legal fees of
approximately $120,000 and accounting and consulting fees of approximately $30,000.
Interest expense The decrease in 2010 is due primarily to a reduction in the amortization of
discounts related to various notes of approximately $425,000 offset by an increase of approximately
$25,000 in interest expense on the convertible notes. These notes mature in one year and were
issued from October 2008 through September 2010 and thus some discounts have been fully expensed.
Other income The other income in 2009 was for a two-month lease and subsequent sale of the HFTA
equipment previously purchased.
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Liquidity and Capital Resources
As a development-stage company, we have no revenues and will be required to raise additional
capital to continue operations, execute our business plan and commercialize our products. Beginning
in September 2008 and as of November 9, 2010, we raised an aggregate of $2,015,500, 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 November 9, 2010, our current cash is not sufficient to fund
our operations. Our liabilities are substantially greater than our current available funds. We are
seeking 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. Houlihan will assist the Company in exploring and evaluating a range of strategic
financing alternatives and/or other transactions. However, we may not be successful in securing
additional capital. If we are not able to obtain additional financing in the immediate future, we
will be required to delay our development until such financing becomes available and may be
required to cease operations. 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 or to continue our operations.
Debt
Convertible Notes Payable
During September 2008, the Company commenced an offering of units comprised of a convertible
promissory note and a warrant. The Company raised a total of $642,000 of investment proceeds
through March 31, 2009 and this offering is closed. As of March 31, 2010, all of these notes have
either been converted to shares of our common stock or re-priced to our second convertible note
offering (resulting in new notes with a total face value of $539,829, which included the original
principal and interest through the date of re-pricing). Each convertible promissory note carried a
one-year term and a 6% interest rate. In addition, each note could have been 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 had been recorded as short-term debt (notes payable) in the financial statements, net of
discounts for the conversion and warrant features. The discounts were being amortized on a
straight-line basis over the term of each note and are fully expensed as of March 31, 2010. For the
nine months ended September 30, 2010 and 2009, amortization of approximately $7,000 and $457,000,
respectively, for these discounts has been recorded in interest expense. For the three months ended
September 30, 2010 and 2009, amortization of $-0- and approximately $155,000, respectively, for
these discounts has been recorded in interest expense. All outstanding warrants related to this
offering have also been re-priced into our second note offering.
During April 2009, the Company commenced a second offering of units comprised of a convertible
promissory note and a warrant. As of September 30, 2010, the Company raised a total of $1,198,500
of investment proceeds. One note was converted during the second quarter of 2009 and one note was
converted during the second quarter 2010 leaving $1,163,500 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 $0.08 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 to provide for 100% coverage of the promissory note at a price of
$0.30 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 nine months ended
September 30, 2010 and 2009, amortization of approximately $214,000 and $54,000, respectively, for
these discounts has been recorded in interest expense. For the three months ended September 30, 2010 and 2009, amortization of approximately $59,000 and $40,000, respectively, for
these discounts has been recorded in interest expense.
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During June 2010, the Company commenced another offering of units comprised of a convertible
promissory note and a warrant. As of September 30, 2010, the Company had raised a total of $75,000
of investment proceeds. Each convertible promissory note carries a one-year term, a 12% interest
rate and a payback provision of the note if $250,000 or more in the aggregate is raised by the
Company in future offerings. 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 $0.08 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 to provide for 100%
coverage of the promissory note at a price of $0.30 per share. The promissory note has 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 and nine months ended September 30, 2010, amortization of
approximately $6,000 and $7,000, respectively, for these discounts has been recorded in interest
expense.
CMS Acquisition, LLC Note Payable
In September 2010, the Company issued a note in the amount of $100,000 (interest at 6.0% per annum
and secured by a security interest in the PSC Patent) and issued warrants to purchase 2,000,000
shares of Common Stock at a price of $0.05 per share. The note is due the earlier of: (i) February
28, 2011 or (ii) the date on which $500,000 or more in the aggregate is raised by the Company in
future offerings. The warrants are exercisable at any time for five years from the date of issuance
or reissuance. The value of these warrants has been recorded as a contra-balance amount discount
with the note and is being amortized through interest expense. For the three and nine months ended
September 30, 2010, amortization of approximately $2,000 for this discount has been recorded in
interest expense.
Summary of Cash Flow Activity
Nine months ended September 30, | ||||||||
2010 | 2009 | |||||||
Net cash used by operating activities |
$ | (215,688 | ) | $ | (589,978 | ) | ||
Net cash used by investing activities |
| (20,702 | ) | |||||
Net cash provided by financing activities |
216,342 | 534,097 |
Net cash used by operating activities
During the nine months ended September 30, 2010 and 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 test vessel.
Net cash provided by financing activities
During the nine months ended September 30, 2010, the decrease in cash provided by financing
activities was primarily due to the issuance of $175,000 less in investment notes payable and an
increase of approximately $130,000 in note payments compared to the nine months ended September 30,
2009.
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Contractual Obligations and Commitments
In the table below, we set forth our obligations as of September 30, 2010. 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) |
$ | 1,890,000 | $ | 1,890,000 | $ | | $ | | $ | | ||||||||||
CMS Acquition Note (2) |
106,000 | 106,000 | | | | |||||||||||||||
Capital Lease (3) |
2,700 | 2,700 | | | | |||||||||||||||
Operating Lease (4) |
5,400 | 5,400 | | | | |||||||||||||||
Total contractual obligations |
$ | 2,004,100 | $ | 2,004,100 | $ | | $ | | $ | | ||||||||||
(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 matured in April 2010. 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 and is secured by a
security interest in the PSC Patent. Final payment on this note is due February 28, 2011. |
|
(3) | Represents lease on office furniture. |
|
(4) | Represents lease for office space. The lease is for three years from occupancy date of January
2008. |
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 long-lived assets, convertible
notes and warrants, fair-value measurement, 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, 2009, filed with the
Securities and Exchange Commission on March 30, 2010. Our critical accounting policies and estimate
assumptions have not changed during the three months ended September 30, 2010.
Item 3. | Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures About Market Risk |
Not applicable.
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, is recorded, processed, summarized and
reported within the time periods specified by the Security and Exchange Commissions 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 September 30, 2010.
Further, the design of a control system must reflect the fact that there are resource constraints,
including, but not limited to having two total employees (chief executive officer 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
September 30, 2010, 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.
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PART II. OTHER INFORMATION
Item 1. | Legal Proceedings |
Item 1A. | Risk Factors |
In addition to the other information set forth in this report and below in this Item, 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, 2009, 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.
We need to obtain financing for current operations.
We do not currently have enough cash to fund our operations. If we are not able to obtain
additional financing in the immediate future, we will be required to delay our development until
such financing becomes available and may be required to cease operations.
We may not be able to attract and retain management and other personnel we need to succeed.
With the resignation of our General Counsel/Chief Operating Officer in June 2010, we currently have
only two full-time executives, our Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer. As a
result, part of our success depends on our ability to recruit senior management and other key
technology development, construction and operations employees. We cannot be certain that we will be
able to attract, retain and motivate such employees. The inability to hire and retain one or more
of these employees could cause delays or prevent us from implementing our business strategy. The
majority of our new hires could be engineers, project managers and operations personnel. There is
intense competition from other companies and research and academic institutions for qualified
personnel in the areas of our activities. If we cannot attract and retain, on acceptable terms, the
qualified personnel necessary for the development of our business, we may not be able to commence
operations or grow at an acceptable pace.
Item 2. | Unregistered Sales of Equity Securities and Use of Proceeds |
During April 2009, the Company commenced a second offering of units comprised of a convertible
promissory note and a warrant. As of September 30, 2010, the Company raised a total of $1,198,500
of 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
$0.001 per share (the Common Stock), at $0.08 per share at the holders option. Each note was
issued with a warrant to purchase additional shares of Common Stock to provide 100% coverage of the
principal amount of the associated note at a price of $0.30 per share. One note was converted during the second quarter of 2009 and one note was converted during the second quarter
2010 leaving $1,163,500 face value of notes outstanding. The issuance of units and the issuance of
Common Stock upon conversion of notes were 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 (Rule 506) and/or Section 4(2) of the Securities Act.
In
September 2010, the Company issued a note in the amount of $100,000
(interest at 6.0% per annum and secured by a security interest in the
PSC Patent) with a warrant to purchase 2,000,000 shares of Common
Stock at a price of $0.05 per share. The issuance of Common Stock
upon conversion of the warrant was exempt from the registration
requirements of the Securities Act pursuant to Rule 506 and/or
Section 4(2) of the Securities Act.
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Item 3. Defaults Upon Senior Securities Certain promissory notes in our second offering of units
comprised of a convertible promissory note and a warrant (notes convertible at $0.08 per share)
came due in April through September 2010. These promissory notes totaling approximately $497,000
(including approximately $39,000 of accrued interest through November 9, 2010), have not yet been
repaid, refinanced or converted to shares of our common stock. We plan to work with each noteholder
to extend the terms of, or convert, these promissory notes. There can be no assurance that we will
reach agreements with any or all of these noteholders and we may be required to repay such amounts.
Item 4. | Reserved. |
Item 5. | Other Information |
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. |
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Table of Contents
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: November 11, 2010 | /s/ Edward P. Hennessey, Jr. | |||
Edward P. Hennessey, Jr. | ||||
Chief Executive Officer | ||||
Date: November 11, 2010 | /s/ Thomas Jennewein | |||
Thomas Jennewein | ||||
Chief Financial Officer and Principal Accounting Officer |
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Table of Contents
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. |
30