Rathin Dutta

Dr. Rathin Datta Founder and Chief Scientific Officer
Coskata, Inc.

Dr. Rathin Datta is a renowned chemical engineer with more than 33 years experience in developing and commercializing process and product technologies for both established and emerging companies.
His career has been devoted to renewable resources for energy and chemicals – development of innovative technologies, creating organizations and companies in this field and leading them to commercialization.

Prior to founding Coskata and being its Chief Scientific Officer, Rathin founded and is the Chairman of Vertec Biosolvents a technology, manufacturing and marketing company dedicated to providing biologically-derived renewable resource alternatives to petroleum-based solvents. Rathin has also worked at the Argonne National Laboratory as an Advisor in Bioengineering. Rathin was the Vice President of Research for the Michigan Biotechnology Institute, where he led the commercial development of lactic acid/polymer technology and the commercial development and successful implementation of a fluidized bed reactor for specific waste treatment technology. His earlier industrial positions include: CPC International, Exxon Research and Engineering Company and Merck.

Rathin has received numerous awards and commendations for his work, including Discover Magazine's Environmental Technology of the Year Award in 1998; a Presidential Green Chemistry Award in 1998; an Ernst W. Thiele Award, sponsored by Amoco and the AIChE, in 1996; and a R&D 100 award in 2002 for development of an electrodeionization technology with Argonne National Laboratory.

Rathin holds more than 20 U.S. patents across bioproducts, separations and bioprocess technologies, and has published more than 40 papers in the areas of bioproducts, fermentation, separation, enzyme catalysis, energy conversion and process economics. Rathin holds a Bachelors of Technology degree in chemical engineering from IIT Kanpur in India (1965 batch and recipient of the Director’s medal), and received his Ph.D. in chemical engineering from Princeton University.

Additional Notes:
Companies that Rathin created:

1. Coskata, Inc.
Coskata is considered one of the premier emerging companies in second generation biofuels with primary initial focus on ethanol from biomass resources. This company has a unique technology platform of syngas bioconversion. Rathin cofounded the company, provided the technology direction, built the key technology team and now acts as its CSO.
The company was started in mid-2006 by funding from premier investors in the Clean Technologies field – Khosla Ventures and ATV. Since then major corporations such as General Motors and private investors have provided additional financing. The company has a very high quality technology and management team. It is building a unique demonstration plant and is rapidly moving towards commercialization of its first plant targeted for 2011.
See attached C&EN article and go to www.coskata.com

2. Vertec Biosolvents, Inc.
Vertec Biosolvents is a technology, manufacturing and marketing company dedicated to providing biologically-derived renewable resource alternatives to petroleum-based solvents. This is a unique company that makes and sells renewable resource based solvents for wide range of industrial applications. It has developed and marketed innovative products in this field for over five years and is recognized as one of the early companies that was actually providing performance products in the “Green” technology area.
Go to www.vertecbiosolvents.com

Major Awards:
1. Presidential Green Chemistry, 1998
This major award is given once a year by a special organization of the US EPA for major innovations which lead to environmentally important products and technologies. (The award is signed by the Vice President of the U.S. – Rathin is proud to say it was Al Gore).

2. Discover Magazine Environmental Technology of the Year, 1998
This “Oscar” style award is given by the Discover magazine once a year for technology innovations in specific fields.

3. Ernst W. Thiele Award, sponsored by Amoco and the AIChE, in 1996
This prestigious award is given to a chemical engineer in the US mid-west for significant innovations and contributions to the advancement of the field. Rathin was recognized for original research in metabolic engineering and membrane technologies.

4. R&D 100 Award, 2002
Every year 100 significant technology achievements are selected by this organization. Rathin received this award for development of an electrodeionization technology with Argonne National Laboratory.