OREANDA-NEWS. Ecopetrol S.A. (BVC: ECOPETROL; NYSE: EC; TSX: ECP) reports that the Office of the Superintendent of Industry and Commerce of Colombia granted two patents for alternative forms for producing biofuels developed by the Company.

The first patent was granted to the "Improved process for obtaining fermentable sugars using microalgae and macroalgae," developed in conjunction with the Universidad Industrial de Santander under an agreement with Colciencias. It has to do with a simple, sustainable, and high-yield alternative for producing alcohol, without any impact on food security.

The second patent is for a "Process for the production of ethers of glycerol using a current of liquid petroleum gas (LPG) of an olefinic type." This development permits processing glycerol, a sub product of biofuel production, to then add it to the biodiesel, which increases the volume available and improves some of its properties.

The patents have a time in effect of 20 years and are the first ones received by the company in 2014. These patents are in addition to the 56 Ecopetrol has already been assigned in Colombia, Venezuela, Ecuador, Brazil, the United States, Mexico, China, Peru, Nigeria and Russia.