Mantra Accelerates Development With New Internal Lab and Research Team

VANCOUVER, BRITISH COLUMBIA--(Marketwired - April 23, 2013) - Mantra Energy Alternatives Ltd., a wholly owned subsidiary of Mantra Venture Group Ltd. (OTCBB:MVTG)(FRANKFURT:5MV) , is pleased to announce the development of its own internal research lab and team. Mantra's new lab is located on the premises of BC Research Inc. (BCRI), a widely respected technology incubation centre. Mantra also welcomes Jianlu Zhang (Ph.D.), Mantra's new COO, and Patrick Dodd (M.Eng.), the new CTO, who will spearhead the effort.

Research at Mantra's new facility will support the ongoing engineering of Mantra's ERC (electro-reduction of carbon dioxide) pilot plant, which will be operating at the Lafarge cement plant in Richmond. Coordination of these two parallel activities will greatly accelerate the development of the technology. Further research efforts at BCRI will seek to identify processes for new ERC products. Support for these projects will come from the multitude of talented engineers and chemists who call BCRI home.

Leading this R&D will be Jianlu Zhang. Jianlu obtained his Masters degree in Applied Chemistry and a Ph.D. in Physical Chemistry, with a focus on electro-catalysis, in Dalian, China. From 2005 to 2010 he worked as a Research Associate, first with the Institute for Fuel Cell Innovation (National Research Council of Canada) leading the study of the performance and contamination of high-temperature PEM fuel cells, and then with the US DOE characterizing and diagnosing vanadium redox flow batteries. Jianlu also worked as an Associate Professor and as the head of R&D at Palcan Energy Corp. before joining Mantra. With his eleven years of experience with electrochemistry and expertise with electro-catalysis, he is an invaluable addition to the team.

Partnered with Jianlu at BCRI is Patrick Dodd, a recent graduate from the University of British Columbia's Masters of Engineering in Clean Energy program. Having previously worked at Iceland's Carbon Recycling International and done the baseline design work for the ERC pilot plant, Patrick will bring an intimate knowledge of carbon utilization to BCRI.

About ERC

ERC, or the "electro-reduction of carbon dioxide", is a form of "carbon capture and utilization" (CCU) that converts the pollutant carbon dioxide into useful, valuable products including formic acid and formate salts. By utilizing clean electricity, the process offers the potential for an industrial plant to reduce emissions while generating a salable product and a profit.

About Mantra Energy Alternatives

Mantra Energy Alternatives Ltd., a wholly owned subsidiary of Mantra Venture Group Ltd., aims to become a world leader in the production of high-value, carbon-negative chemicals and fuels. Mantra is currently developing the ERC process, which will initially produce formic acid and formate salts from carbon dioxide, and will eventually be capable of generating a wide variety of products. The company seeks to simultaneously reduce anthropogenic carbon emissions, which total over 30 billion tonnes each year from fuel combustion alone, and generate value.

Mantra Venture Group is a public company quoted on the OTC QB under the symbol MVTG and on the Berlin Stock Exchange under the symbol 5MV.

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For more information go to: http://www.mantraventuregroup.com

About BC Research Inc.

BC Research is a "Technology Commercialization and Innovation Centre" located in Vancouver, B.C., close to the Simon Fraser University Campus. Their facility houses a wet chemical laboratory, over 10,000 square feet of pilot plant space, and office space. The employees of BC Research have a proven record of innovating chemical process solutions and implementing them on a commercial scale to the international community. A few areas of technology specialization include, but are not limited to: fluidized beds, storage of energy in batteries, fuel cells, and electrochemical cells; corrosion testing and analysis; hydrogen, sulfur, chlorine, nitration, water treatment, and pulp and paper chemistry.

Forward-looking statements: Except for the historical information contained herein, the matters discussed in this press release are forward-looking statements. Actual results may differ materially from those described in forward-looking statements and are subject to risks and uncertainties. See Mantra Venture Group's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, which identify specific factors that may cause actual results or events to differ materially from those described in forward-looking statements.