vertex-s3a1.htm

0001214782-13-000260.txt : 20130628 0001214782-13-000260.hdr.sgml : 20130628 20130628144720 ACCESSION NUMBER: 0001214782-13-000260 CONFORMED SUBMISSION TYPE: S-3/A PUBLIC DOCUMENT COUNT: 4 FILED AS OF DATE: 20130628 DATE AS OF CHANGE: 20130628 FILER: COMPANY DATA: COMPANY CONFORMED NAME: Vertex Energy Inc. CENTRAL INDEX KEY: 0000890447 STANDARD INDUSTRIAL CLASSIFICATION: REFUSE SYSTEMS [4953] IRS NUMBER: 943439569 STATE OF INCORPORATION: NV FISCAL YEAR END: 1231 FILING VALUES: FORM TYPE: S-3/A SEC ACT: 1933 Act SEC FILE NUMBER: 333-189107 FILM NUMBER: 13940446 BUSINESS ADDRESS: STREET 1: 1331 GEMINI STREET STREET 2: SUITE 250 CITY: HOUSTON STATE: TX ZIP: 77058 BUSINESS PHONE: 866-660-8156 MAIL ADDRESS: STREET 1: 1331 GEMINI STREET STREET 2: SUITE 250 CITY: HOUSTON STATE: TX ZIP: 77058 FORMER COMPANY: FORMER CONFORMED NAME: WORLD WASTE TECHNOLOGIES INC DATE OF NAME CHANGE: 20040830 FORMER COMPANY: FORMER CONFORMED NAME: VOICE POWERED TECHNOLOGY INTERNATIONAL INC DATE OF NAME CHANGE: 19940831 S-3/A 1 vertex-s3a1.htm VERTEX ENERGY, INC. FORM S-3/A NO. 1 vertex-s3a1.htm

As filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on June 28, 2013

Registration No. 333-189107

_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

WASHINGTON, D.C. 20549

____________________________

Amendment No. 1 to

FORM S-3

REGISTRATION STATEMENT

UNDER THE SECURITIES ACT OF 1933

__________________________

VERTEX ENERGY, INC.

(Name of registrant in its charter)

Nevada		94-3439569
(State or jurisdiction of incorporation or organization)		(IRS Employer Identification No.)

1331 Gemini Street, Suite 250

Houston, Texas 77058

(866) 660-8156

(Address, including zip code, and telephone number,

including area code, of registrant’s principal executive offices)

____________________________

Benjamin P. Cowart

Chief Executive Officer

Vertex Energy, Inc.

1331 Gemini Street, Suite 250

Houston, Texas 77058

(866) 660-8156

(Name, address, including zip code, and telephone number,

including area code, of agent for service)

____________________________

Copies To:

David M. Loev, Esq.

John S. Gillies, Esq.

The Loev Law Firm, PC

6300 West Loop South, Suite 280

Bellaire, Texas 77401

Telephone: (713) 524-4110

Facsimile: (713) 524-4122

____________________________

Approximate date of commencement of proposed sale to the public: From time to time after this Registration Statement becomes effective.

If the only securities being registered on this Form are being offered pursuant to dividend or interest reinvestment plans, please check the following box: ¨

If any of the securities being registered on this Form are to be offered on a delayed or continuous basis pursuant to Rule 415 under the Securities Act of 1933, other than securities offered only in connection with dividend or interest reinvestment plans, check the following box: x

If this Form is filed to register additional securities for an offering pursuant to Rule 462(b) under the Securities Act, please check the following box and list the Securities Act registration statement number of the earlier effective registration statement for the same offering. ¨

If this Form is a post–effective amendment filed pursuant to Rule 462(c) under the Securities Act, check the following box and list the Securities Act registration statement number of the earlier effective registration statement for the same offering. ¨

If this Form is a registration statement pursuant to General Instruction I.D. or a post–effective amendment thereto that shall become effective upon filing with the Commission pursuant to Rule 462(e) under the Securities Act, check the following box. ¨

If this Form is a post–effective amendment to a registration statement filed pursuant to General Instruction I.D. filed to register additional securities or additional classes of securities pursuant to Rule 413(b) under the Securities Act, check the following box. ¨

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 definitions of “large accelerated filer,” “accelerated filer” and “smaller reporting company” in Rule 12b-2 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended.

	Large accelerated filer ¨	Accelerated filer ¨
	Non-accelerated filer ¨ (Do not check if a smaller reporting company)	Smaller reporting company x

CALCULATION OF REGISTRATION FEE


Title of Each Class of Securities to be Registered(1)(2)	Amount to be Registered	Proposed Maximum Offering Price per Unit	Proposed Maximum Aggregate Offering Price(3)(4)	Amount of Registration Fee(5)
Common Stock, par value $0.001 per share
Preferred Stock, par value $0.001 per share
Warrants (6)
Units (7)
Total			$25,000,000	$3,410.00

(1)	Any of the securities registered hereunder may be sold separately, or as units with other securities registered hereby. We will determine the proposed maximum offering price per unit when we issue the above listed securities. The proposed maximum per unit and aggregate offering prices per class of securities will be determined from time to time by the registrant in connection with the issuance by the registrant of the securities registered under this registration statement and is not specified as to each class of security pursuant to General Instruction II.D of Form S-3 under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”).
(2)	Pursuant to Rule 416 under the Securities Act, the shares being registered hereunder include such indeterminate number of shares of common stock, preferred stock, warrants, and units as may be issuable with respect to the shares being registered hereunder as a result of stock splits, stock dividends or similar transactions.
(3)	Not required to be included pursuant to Form S-3 General Instruction II.D.

(4)	There are being registered hereunder such indeterminate number of shares of common stock, preferred stock, and warrants to purchase common stock and preferred stock as shall have an aggregate initial offering price not to exceed $25,000,000. The securities registered also include such indeterminate amounts and numbers of common stock, and preferred stock as may be issued upon conversion of or exchange for preferred stock, that provide for conversion or exchange, upon exercise of warrants, or pursuant to the anti-dilution provisions of any such securities.
(5)	Calculated pursuant to Rule 457(o) under the Securities Act.
(6)	Includes warrants to purchase common stock and warrants to purchase preferred stock.
(7)	Any securities registered hereunder may be sold separately or as units with other securities registered hereunder.

The registrant hereby amends this Registration Statement on such date or dates as may be necessary to delay its effective date until the registrant shall file a further amendment which specifically states that this Registration Statement shall thereafter become effective in accordance with Section 8(a) of the Securities Act or until the Registration Statement shall become effective on such date as the Securities and Exchange Commission acting pursuant to said Section 8(a), may determine.

Information contained herein is not complete and may be changed. These securities may not be sold until the Registration Statement filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission is effective. This prospectus is not an offer to sell and it is not soliciting an offer to buy these securities in any jurisdiction where the offer or sale is not permitted.

SUBJECT TO COMPLETION, DATED JUNE 28, 2013

PROSPECTUS

Vertex Energy, Inc.

$25,000,000

Common Stock

Preferred Stock

Warrants

Units

We may from time to time, in one or more offerings at prices and on terms that we will determine at the time of each offering, sell common stock, preferred stock, warrants, or a combination of these securities or units (collectively referred as “securities”) for an aggregate initial offering price of up to $25 million. This prospectus describes the general manner in which our securities may be offered using this prospectus. Each time we offer and sell securities, we will provide you with a prospectus supplement that will contain specific information about the terms of that offering. We may also authorize one or more free writing prospectuses to be provided to you in connection with these offerings. Any prospectus supplement and any related free writing prospectus may also add, update, or change information contained in this prospectus. You should carefully read this prospectus, the applicable prospectus supplement and any related free writing prospectus as well as the documents incorporated or deemed to be incorporated by reference herein or therein before you purchase any of the securities offered hereby. This prospectus may not be used to offer and sell securities unless accompanied by a prospectus supplement.

Securities may be sold by us to or through underwriters or dealers, directly to purchasers or through agents designated from time to time. For additional information on the methods of sale, you should refer to the section entitled “Plan of Distribution” in this prospectus. If any underwriters are involved in the sale of any securities with respect to which this prospectus is being delivered, the names of such underwriters and any applicable discounts or commissions and over-allotment options will be set forth in a prospectus supplement. The price to the public of such securities and the net proceeds we expect to receive from such sale will also be set forth in a prospectus supplement.

Our common stock is listed on the Nasdaq Capital Market under the symbol “VTNR.” On June 27, 2013, the last reported sales price of our common stock was $3.00. There is currently no market for the other securities we may offer. The prospectus supplement will contain information, where applicable, as to any other listing of the securities on the Nasdaq Capital Market or any other securities market or exchange covered by the prospectus supplement. Pursuant to General Instruction I.B.6 of Form S-3, in no event will we sell our common stock in a public primary offering with a value exceeding more than one-third of our public float in any 12-month period so long as our public float remains below $75 million. As of the date of this prospectus, the aggregate market value of our outstanding voting and nonvoting common equity held by non-affiliates of the Company (i.e., our public float) was $25,968,616 and the total value of our entire voting and nonvoting common equity was $53,724,724, each based on the closing price of the Company’s common stock on May 21, 2013, which closing price was $3.09. We have offered and sold no securities pursuant to General Instruction I.B.6 of Form S-3 during the twelve calendar months prior to and including the date of this prospectus.

Investing in our securities involves risks. You should carefully consider the risk factors beginning on page 7 of this prospectus and set forth in the documents incorporated by reference herein before making any decision to invest in our securities.

Neither the Securities and Exchange Commission nor any state securities commission has approved or disapproved of these securities or passed upon the adequacy or accuracy of this prospectus. Any representation to the contrary is a criminal offense.

The date of this prospectus is __________, 2013.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

	Page

About This Prospectus	1

Prospectus Summary	2

Securities Registered Hereby That We May Offer	5

Risk Factors	7

Forward-Looking Statements	11

Use of Proceeds	12

Description of Capital Stock	12

Description of Preferred Stock	16

Description of Warrants	17

Description of Units	20

Plan of Distribution	22

Legal Matters	24

Experts	24

Where You Can Find More Information	25

Incorporation of Certain Documents By Reference	25

ABOUT THIS PROSPECTUS

This prospectus is a part of a registration statement that we filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission, or the Commission, utilizing a “shelf” registration process. Under this shelf registration process, we may offer to sell any combination of the securities described in this prospectus, either individually or in units, in one or more offerings up to a total dollar amount of $25,000,000. This prospectus provides you with a general description of the securities we may offer. Each time we sell securities under this shelf registration, we will provide a prospectus supplement that will contain specific information about the terms of that offering. We may also authorize one or more free writing prospectuses to be provided to you that may contain material information about the terms of that offering. The prospectus supplement and any related free writing prospectus that we may authorize to be provided to you may also add, update or change information contained in this prospectus. To the extent that any statement that we make in a prospectus supplement and any related free writing prospectus that we may authorize to be provided to you is inconsistent with statements made in this prospectus, the statements made in this prospectus will be deemed modified or superseded by those made in the prospectus supplement. You should read this prospectus and any prospectus supplement and free writing prospectus, including all documents incorporated herein or therein by reference, together with additional information described under “Where You Can Find More Information” and “Information Incorporated by Reference” before making an investment decision. We may only use this prospectus to sell the securities if it is accompanied by a prospectus supplement.

You should rely only on the information included or incorporated by reference in this prospectus and any accompanying prospectus supplement or free writing prospectus. We have not authorized any dealer, salesman or other person to provide you with additional or different information. This prospectus and any accompanying prospectus supplement and free writing prospectus are not an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy any securities other than the securities to which they relate and are not an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy securities in any jurisdiction to any person to whom it is unlawful to make an offer or solicitation in that jurisdiction. You should not assume that the information contained in this prospectus and the accompanying prospectus supplement, and any free writing prospectus, is accurate on any date subsequent to the date set forth on the front of the document or that any information we have incorporated by reference is correct on any date subsequent to the date of the document incorporated by reference, even though this prospectus and any accompanying prospectus supplement and free writing prospectus is delivered or securities are sold on a later date. We will disclose any material changes in our affairs in a post-effective amendment to the registration statement of which this prospectus is a part, a prospectus supplement, free writing prospectus or a future filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission incorporated by reference in this prospectus. We do not imply or represent by delivering this prospectus that Vertex Energy, Inc., or its business, financial condition or results of operations, are unchanged after the date on the front of this prospectus or that the information in this prospectus is correct at any time after such date.

Persons outside the United States who come into possession of this prospectus must inform themselves about, and observe any restrictions relating to, the offering of the securities and the distribution of this prospectus outside of the United States.

Unless the context otherwise requires, references in this prospectus and the accompanying prospectus supplement to “we,” “us,” “our,” the “Company,” “Vertex” and “Vertex Energy” refer to Vertex Energy, Inc. and its subsidiaries.

PROSPECTUS SUMMARY

The following summary highlights material information found in more detail elsewhere in, or incorporated by reference in, the prospectus. It does not contain all of the information you should consider. As such, before you decide to buy our securities, in addition to the following summary, we urge you to carefully read the entire prospectus and documents incorporated by reference herein, the prospectus supplement, and any free writing prospectus, especially the risks of investing in our securities as discussed under "Risk Factors" herein and therein. The following summary is qualified in its entirety by the detailed information appearing elsewhere in this prospectus.

Please see the “Glossary of Selected Terms” incorporated by reference as Exhibit 99.1 hereto, for a list of abbreviations and definitions used throughout this prospectus.

General

We are an environmental services company that recycles industrial waste streams and off-specification commercial chemical products. Our primary focus is recycling used motor oil and other petroleum by-products. We are engaged in operations across the entire petroleum recycling value chain including collection, aggregation, transportation, storage, refinement, and sales of aggregated feedstock and re-refined products to end users. We operate in two divisions- the Black Oil division and the Refining and Marketing division. Our Black Oil division collects and purchases used motor oil directly from third-party generators, aggregates used motor oil from an established network of local and regional collectors, and sells used motor oil to our customers for use as a feedstock or replacement fuel for industrial burners. Our Refining and Marketing division aggregates and manages the re-refinement of used motor oil and other petroleum by-products and sells the re-refined products to our customers. We operate a refining facility that uses our proprietary Thermal Chemical Extraction Process (“TCEP”) technology and we also utilize third-party processing facilities.

Black Oil Division

Our Black Oil division is engaged in the collection, aggregation, and sale of used motor oil, as well as related transportation and storage activities. We collect and purchase used oil directly from generators such as oil change service stations, automotive repair shops, manufacturing facilities, petroleum refineries, and petrochemical manufacturing operations. We own a fleet of 13 collection vehicles which routinely visit generators to collect and purchase used motor oil. We also aggregate used oil from a diverse network of approximately 50 suppliers who operate similar collection businesses to ours.

We manage the logistics of transport, storage and delivery of used oil to our customers. We own a fleet of seven transportation trucks and more than 90 aboveground storage tanks with over 4.5 million gallons of storage capacity. These assets are used by both the Black Oil Division and the Refining and Marketing Division. In addition, we also utilize third parties for the transportation and storage of used oil feedstocks. Typically, we sell used oil to our customers in bulk to ensure efficient delivery by truck, rail, or barge. In many cases, we have contractual purchase and sale agreements with our suppliers and customers, respectively. We believe these contracts are beneficial to all parties involved because it ensures that a minimum volume is purchased from collectors and generators, a minimum volume is sold to our customers, and we are able to minimize our inventory risk by a spread between the costs to acquire used oil and the revenues received from the sale and delivery of used oil. We also use our proprietary TCEP technology to re-refine used oil into marine fuel cutterstock and a higher-value feedstock for further processing.

Refining and Marketing Division

Our Refining and Marketing division is engaged in the aggregation of feedstock, re-refining it into higher value end products, and selling these products to our customers, as well as related transportation and storage activities. We aggregate a diverse mix of feedstocks including used motor oil, petroleum distillates, transmix and other off-specification chemical products. These feedstock streams are purchased from pipeline operators, refineries, chemical processing facilities and third-party providers, and are also transferred from our Black Oil division. We have a toll-based processing arrangement in place with KMTEX, Ltd. (“KMTEX”) to re-refine feedstock streams, under our direction, into various end products that we specify. KMTEX uses industry standard processing technologies to re-refine our feedstocks into pygas, gasoline blendstock and marine fuel cutterstock. We sell all of our re-refined products directly to end-customers or to processing facilities for further refinement.

We currently provide our services in 13 states, primarily in the Gulf Coast and Central Midwest regions of the United States. During the twelve month period ending December 31, 2012, we aggregated approximately 60 million gallons of used motor oil and other petroleum by-product feedstocks and managed the re-refining of approximately 24.2 million gallons of used motor oil with our proprietary TCEP.

Strategy and Plan of Operations

The principal elements of our strategy include:

Expand Feedstock Supply Volume. We intend to expand our feedstock supply volume by growing our collection and aggregation operations. We plan to increase the volume of feedstock we collect directly by developing new relationships with generators and working to displace incumbent collectors; increasing the number of collection personnel, vehicles, equipment, and geographical areas we serve; and acquiring collectors in new or existing territories. We intend to increase the volume of feedstock we aggregate from third-party collectors by expanding our existing relationships and developing new vendor relationships. We believe that our ability to acquire large feedstock volumes will help to cultivate new vendor relationships because collectors often prefer to work with a single, reliable customer rather than manage multiple relationships and the uncertainty of excess inventory.

Broaden Existing Customer Relationships and Secure New Large Accounts. We intend to broaden our existing customer relationships by increasing sales of used motor oil and re-refined products to these accounts. In some cases, we may also seek to serve as our customers’ primary or exclusive supplier. We also believe that as we increase our supply of feedstock and re-refined products that we will secure larger customer accounts that require a partner who can consistently deliver high volumes.

Re-Refine Higher Value End Products. We intend to develop, lease, or acquire technologies to re-refine our feedstock supply into higher-value end products, including assets or technologies which complement TCEP. Currently, we are using TCEP to re-refine used oil feedstock into cutterstock for use in the marine fuel market. We believe that the expansion of our TCEP facilities and continued improvements in our technology, and investments in additional technologies, will enable us to upgrade feedstock into end products, such as lubricating base oil, that command higher market prices than the current re-refined products we produce.

Expand TCEP Re-Refinement Capacity. We intend to expand our TCEP capacity by building additional TCEP facilities to re-refine feedstock. We believe the TCEP technology has a distinct competitive advantage over conventional re-refining technology because it produces a high-quality, fuel oil product, and the capital expenditures required to build a TCEP plant are significantly lower than a comparable conventional re-refining facility. By continuing the transition from our historical role as a value-added logistics provider to operating as a re-refiner, we believe we will be able to leverage our feedstock supply network and aggregation capabilities to upgrade a larger percentage of our feedstock inventory into higher value end products which we believe should lead to increased revenue and gross margins. We intend to build TCEP facilities near the geographic location of substantial feedstock sources that we have relationships with through our existing operations or from an acquisition. By establishing TCEP facilities near proven feedstock sources, we seek to lower our transportation costs and lower the risk of operating plants at low capacity.

Pursue Selective Strategic Relationships Or Acquisitions. We plan to grow market share by consolidating feedstock supply through partnering with or acquiring collection and aggregation assets. Such acquisitions and/or partnerships could increase our revenue and provide better control over the quality and quantity of feedstock available for resale and/or upgrading as well as providing additional locations for the implementation of TCEP. In addition, we intend to pursue further vertical integration opportunities by acquiring complementary recycling and processing technologies where we can realize synergies by leveraging our customer and vendor relationships, infrastructure, and personnel, and by eliminating duplicative overhead costs.

Alternative Energy Project Development. We will continue to evaluate and potentially pursue various alternative energy project development opportunities. These opportunities may be a continuation of the projects sourced originally by World Waste Technologies, Inc., with whom we entered into a business combination transaction in April 2009 and/or may include new projects initiated by us.

Additional information about us can be obtained from the documents incorporated by reference herein. See “Where You Can Find More Information.”

Our Contact Information

Our principal office is located at 1331 Gemini Street, Suite 250, Houston, Texas 77058. Our phone number is (866) 660-8156.

SECURITIES REGISTERED HEREBY THAT WE MAY OFFER

We may offer any of the following securities, either individually or in combination, with a total value of up to $25,000,000 from time to time under this prospectus at prices and on terms to be determined by market conditions at the time of the offering:

common stock;

preferred stock, in one or more series;

warrants to purchase shares of common stock, or shares of preferred stock; or

any combination of the foregoing securities, in units.

We refer to our common stock, preferred stock, warrants, and units collectively in this prospectus as the “securities.” This prospectus provides you with a general description of the securities we may offer. Each time we offer a type or series of securities, we will provide a prospectus supplement that will describe the specific amounts, prices and other important terms of the securities, including, to the extent applicable:

designation or classification;

aggregate offering price;

rates and times of payment of dividends, if any;

redemption, conversion or sinking fund terms, if any;

voting or other rights, if any;

conversion prices, if any; and

important federal income tax considerations.

We may sell the securities to or through underwriters or dealers, directly to purchasers or through agents designated from time to time. We and our agents, underwriters and dealers reserve the right to accept or reject all or part of any proposed purchase of securities. If we do offer securities to or through agents, underwriters or dealers, we will include in the applicable prospectus supplement:

the names of those agents, underwriters or dealers;

applicable fees, discounts and commissions to be paid to them;

details regarding over-allotment options, if any; and

the net proceeds to us.

Common Stock. We may offer shares of our common stock. Our common stock currently is listed on the Nasdaq Capital Market under the symbol “VTNR.” Shares of common stock that may be offered in this offering will, when issued and paid for, be fully paid and non-assessable.

Preferred Stock. We may offer shares of our preferred stock, in one or more series. Prior to the issuance of shares of each series, our Board of Directors will determine the rights, preferences, privileges and restrictions of such preferred stock series, and will adopt resolutions and file a certificate of designation with the Secretary of State of the State of Nevada. The certificate of designation fixes for each class or series the designations, powers, preferences, rights, qualifications, limitations and restrictions, including, but not limited to, the following: any dividend rights, conversion rights, voting rights, rights and terms of redemption, liquidation preferences, sinking fund terms and the number of shares constituting any series or the designation of any series. Convertible preferred stock will be convertible into shares of our common stock. Conversion may be mandatory or at your option and would be at prescribed conversion rates. Shares of preferred stock that may be offered in this offering will, when issued and paid for, be fully paid and non-assessable. If we elect to issue preferred stock, we will describe the specific terms of a particular series of preferred stock in the prospectus supplement relating to that series. We will file as an exhibit to the registration statement of which this prospectus is a part, or will incorporate by reference from another report that we file with the SEC, the certificate of designation that describes the terms of any series of preferred stock we offer under this prospectus before the issuance of shares of that series of preferred stock. You should read any prospectus supplement and any free writing prospectus that we may authorize to be provided to you related to the series of preferred stock being offered. We have summarized certain general features of the preferred stock under “Description of Preferred Stock.” We urge you to read the complete certificate of designations containing the terms of the applicable series of preferred stock, as well as the applicable prospectus supplement, and any related free writing prospectus that we may authorize to be provided to you, related to such series.

Warrants. We may issue warrants for the purchase of common stock or preferred stock in one or more series. We may issue warrants independently or in combination with common stock or preferred stock. In this prospectus, we have summarized certain general features of the warrants under “Description of Warrants.” We urge you, however, to read the applicable prospectus supplement, and any related free writing prospectus that we may authorize to be provided to you, related to the particular series of warrants being offered, as well as the form of warrant and/or the warrant agreement and warrant certificate, as applicable, that contain the terms of the warrants. We will file as exhibits to the registration statement of which this prospectus is a part, or will incorporate by reference from reports that we file with the SEC, the form of warrant and/or the warrant agreement and warrant certificate, as applicable, that describe the terms of the particular series of warrants we are offering, and any supplemental agreements, before the issuance of such warrants.

Warrants may be issued under a warrant agreement that we enter into with a warrant agent. We will indicate the name and address of the warrant agent, if any, in the applicable prospectus supplement relating to a particular series of warrants.

Units. We may issue units representing any combination of common stock, preferred stock, and/or warrants from time to time. The units may be issued under one or more unit agreements. In this prospectus, we have summarized certain general features of the units.

We will incorporate by reference into the registration statement, of which this prospectus is a part, the form of unit agreement under which the units are designated, if any, describing the terms of the units we are offering before the issuance of the related units. We have summarized certain general features of the units under “Description of Units.” We urge you to read the prospectus supplements related to any units being offered, as well as the complete unit agreement, if any, designating the units.

RISK FACTORS

Except for the historical information contained in this prospectus or incorporated by reference, this prospectus (and the information incorporated by reference in this prospectus) and any prospectus supplement or free writing prospectus contains forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties. Our actual results could differ materially from those discussed herein or incorporated by reference or as set forth in any prospectus supplement or free writing prospectus. Factors that could cause or contribute to such differences include, but are not limited to the following risks, as well as those discussed in the section entitled “Risk Factors” contained under Item 1A of Part I of our most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K, and under “Risk Factors” under Item 1A of Part II of our subsequent Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q, as the same may be amended, supplemented or superseded from time to time by our subsequent filings and reports under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, or the Exchange Act, each of which are incorporated by reference in this prospectus. For more information, see “Information Incorporated by Reference.”

Investing in our securities involves a high degree of risk. You should carefully review the risks and uncertainties described below and under the heading “Risk Factors” contained in the applicable prospectus supplement and any related free writing prospectus, and under similar headings in the other documents that are incorporated by reference into this prospectus, before deciding whether to purchase any of the securities being registered pursuant to the registration statement of which this prospectus is a part. Each of the risk factors could adversely affect our business, operating results and financial condition, as well as adversely affect the value of an investment in our securities, and the occurrence of any of these risks might cause you to lose all or part of your investment. Moreover, the risks described are not the only ones that we face. Additional risks not presently known to us or that we currently believe are immaterial may also significantly impair our business operations.

RISKS RELATED TO THE OFFERING AND OUR SECURITIES

Our Chief Executive Officer has significant voting control over us, including the appointment of directors.

Benjamin P. Cowart, the Company’s Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer beneficially owns approximately 46% of our common stock and 42% of our total voting stock, and therefore exercises significant control in determining the outcome of corporate transactions or other matters, including the election of directors, mergers, consolidations, the sale of all or substantially all of our assets, and also the power to prevent or cause a change in control. The interests of Mr. Cowart may differ from the interests of the other stockholders and thus result in corporate decisions that are adverse to other shareholders.

Our obligation to make earn-out payments in connection with our acquisition of Vertex Acquisition Sub, LLC in August 2012 may prevent a change of control of us.

Part of the consideration paid by us in connection with our acquisition of Vertex Merger Sub, LLC, included the right for the partners of Vertex Holdings, L.P. (which is majority owned and controlled by Mr. Cowart and is minority owned by certain other of our officers and employees and other third parties) to receive earn-out payments for each of the three one-year periods following September 11, 2012, of $2.23 million, up to $6.7 million in the aggregate, contingent on the combined company achieving adjusted EBITDA targets of $10.75 million, $12.0 million and $13.5 million, respectively, in those periods. Our obligations regarding the earn-out payments could also prevent a change of control of us since a possible buyer may not be interested in making these earn-out payments. The existence of the requirement to pay the earn-out payments could also cause the value of our common stock to decline and/or be valued at less than a similarly sized company that does not have a required earn-out payment structure in place.

Future sales of our common stock could cause our stock price to decline.

If our shareholders sell substantial amounts of our common stock in the public market, the market price of our common stock could decrease significantly. The perception in the public market that our shareholders might sell shares of our common stock could also depress the market price of our common stock. Up to $25,000,000 in total aggregate value of securities which are being registered by us in this offering will be eligible for sale in the public markets from time to time, when sold and issued by us. The market price for shares of our common stock may drop significantly when such securities are sold in the public markets. A decline in the price of shares of our common stock might impede our ability to raise capital through the issuance of additional shares of our common stock or other equity securities.

Our management has wide discretion in the use of the offering proceeds and may not apply these proceeds in a manner that will increase our revenue or market value.

Our management will have considerable discretion in the application of the proceeds of this offering, and you will not have the opportunity, as part of your investment decision, to assess whether the proceeds are being used appropriately. The proceeds may be used for corporate purposes that do not increase our revenue or our market value.

Securities analysts may not cover our common stock and this may have a negative impact on our common stock’s market price.

The trading market for our common stock will depend, in part, on the research and reports that securities or industry analysts publish about us or our business. We do not have any control over these analysts. We do not currently have and may never obtain research coverage by securities and industry analysts. If no securities or industry analysts commence coverage of us, the trading price for our common stock would be negatively impacted. If we obtain securities or industry analyst coverage and if one or more of the analysts who covers us downgrades our common stock, changes their opinion of our shares or publishes inaccurate or unfavorable research about our business, our stock price would likely decline. If one or more of these analysts ceases coverage of us or fails to publish reports on us regularly, demand for our common stock could decrease and we could lose visibility in the financial markets, which could cause our stock price and trading volume to decline.

Shareholders may be diluted significantly through our efforts to obtain financing and satisfy obligations through the issuance of securities.

Wherever possible, our Board of Directors will attempt to use non-cash consideration to satisfy obligations. In many instances, we believe that the non-cash consideration will consist of shares of our common stock, preferred stock or warrants to purchase shares of our common stock. Our Board of Directors has authority, without action or vote of the shareholders, to issue all or part of the authorized but unissued shares of common stock, preferred stock or warrants to purchase such shares of common stock. In addition, we may attempt to raise capital by selling shares of our common stock, possibly at a discount to market in the future. These actions will result in dilution of the ownership interests of existing shareholders, may further dilute common stock book value, and that dilution may be material. Such issuances may also serve to enhance existing management’s ability to maintain control of us, because the shares may be issued to parties or entities committed to supporting existing management.

We currently have a sporadic, illiquid and volatile market for our common stock, and the market for our common stock is and may remain sporadic, illiquid and volatile in the future.

We currently have a highly sporadic, illiquid and volatile market for our common stock, which market is anticipated to remain sporadic, illiquid and volatile in the future, and will likely be subject to wide fluctuations in response to several factors, including, but not limited to:

·	actual or anticipated variations in our results of operations;

·	our ability or inability to generate revenues;

·	the number of shares in our public float;

·	increased competition; and

·	conditions and trends in the market for oil refining and re-refining services, transportation services and oil feedstock.

Our common stock currently trades on the Nasdaq Capital Market under the symbol “VTNR”. Our stock price may be impacted by factors that are unrelated or disproportionate to our operating performance. These market fluctuations, as well as general economic, political and market conditions, such as recessions, interest rates or international currency fluctuations may adversely affect the market price of our common stock. Due to the limited volume of our shares which trade, we believe that our stock prices (bid, ask and closing prices) may not be related to our actual value, and not reflect the actual value of our common stock. Shareholders and potential investors in our common stock should exercise caution before making an investment in us.

The market price of our common stock historically has been volatile.

The market price of our common stock historically has fluctuated significantly based on, but not limited to, such factors as general stock market trends, announcements of developments related to our business, actual or anticipated variations in our operating results, our ability or inability to generate new revenues, and conditions and trends in the industries in which our customers are engaged.

In recent years, the stock market in general has experienced extreme price fluctuations that have oftentimes been unrelated to the operating performance of the affected companies. Similarly, the market price of our common stock may fluctuate significantly based upon factors unrelated or disproportionate to our operating performance. These market fluctuations, as well as general economic, political and market conditions, such as recessions, interest rates or international currency fluctuations may adversely affect the market price of our common stock.

We do not intend to pay cash dividends on our common stock in the foreseeable future, and therefore only appreciation of the price of our common stock will provide a return to our stockholders.

We currently anticipate that we will retain all future earnings, if any, to finance the growth and development of our business. We do not intend to pay cash dividends in the foreseeable future. Any payment of cash dividends will depend upon our financial condition, capital requirements, earnings and other factors deemed relevant by our Board of Directors. As a result, only appreciation of the price of our common stock, which may not occur, will provide a return to our stockholders.

We have established preferred stock which can be designated by the Board of Directors without shareholder approval and have established Series A preferred stock, which gives the holders a liquidation preference and the ability to convert such shares into our common stock.

We have 50,000,000 shares of preferred stock authorized, which includes 5 million shares of designated Series A preferred stock of which approximately 1.3 million shares are issued and outstanding, and 2,000,000 designated shares of Series B preferred stock, of which no shares are outstanding as of the date of this prospectus. The Series A preferred stock has a liquidation preference of $1.49 per share. As a result, if Vertex were to dissolve, liquidate or sell its assets, the holders of our Series A preferred stock would have the right to receive up to the first approximately $2 million in proceeds from any such transaction. Consequently, holders of our common stock may receive less consideration or no consideration in connection with such a transaction. Furthermore, the conversion of Series A preferred stock into common stock may cause substantial dilution to our common shareholders. Additionally, because our Board of Directors is entitled to designate the powers and preferences of the preferred stock without a vote of our shareholders, our shareholders will have no control over what designations and preferences our future preferred stock, if any, will have.

Our Common Stock may be delisted from the Nasdaq Capital Market if we cannot satisfy Nasdaq’s continued listing requirements.

Among the conditions required for continued listing on the Nasdaq Capital Market, Nasdaq requires us to maintain at least $2.5 million in stockholders’ equity or $500,000 in net income over the prior two years or two of the prior three years and to have a majority of independent directors. There can be no assurance that our stockholders’ equity will remain above Nasdaq’s $2.5 million minimum, that we will generate over $500,000 of yearly net income moving forward, or that we will be able to maintain independent directors. If we fail to timely comply with the applicable requirements, our stock may be delisted. In addition, even if we demonstrate compliance with the requirements above, we will have to continue to meet other objective and subjective listing requirements to continue to be listed on the Nasdaq Capital Market. Delisting from the Nasdaq Capital Market could make trading our common stock more difficult for investors, potentially leading to declines in our share price and liquidity. Without a Nasdaq Capital Market listing, stockholders may have a difficult time getting a quote for the sale or purchase of our stock, the sale or purchase of our stock would likely be made more difficult and the trading volume and liquidity of our stock could decline. Delisting from the Nasdaq Capital Market could also result in negative publicity and could also make it more difficult for us to raise additional capital. The absence of such a listing may adversely affect the acceptance of our common stock as currency or the value accorded by other parties. Further, if we are delisted, we would also incur additional costs under state blue sky laws in connection with any sales of our securities. These requirements could severely limit the market liquidity of our common stock and the ability of our stockholders to sell our common stock in the secondary market. If our common stock is delisted by Nasdaq, our common stock may be eligible to trade on an over-the-counter quotation system, such as the OTCQB market, where an investor may find it more difficult to sell our stock or obtain accurate quotations as to the market value of our common stock. We cannot assure you that our common stock, if delisted from the Nasdaq Capital Market, will be listed on another national securities exchange or quoted on an over-the counter quotation system.

If we are delisted from the Nasdaq Capital Market, your ability to sell your shares of our common stock would also be limited by the penny stock restrictions, which could further limit the marketability of your shares.

If our common stock is delisted, it would come within the definition of “penny stock” as defined in the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (the “Exchange Act”) and would be covered by Rule 15g-9 of the Exchange Act. That Rule imposes additional sales practice requirements on broker-dealers who sell securities to persons other than established customers and accredited investors. For transactions covered by Rule 15g-9, the broker-dealer must make a special suitability determination for the purchaser and receive the purchaser’s written agreement to the transaction prior to the sale. Consequently, Rule 15g-9, if it were to become applicable, would affect the ability or willingness of broker-dealers to sell our securities, and accordingly would affect the ability of stockholders to sell their securities in the public market. These additional procedures could also limit our ability to raise additional capital in the future.

Due to the fact that our common stock is listed on the Nasdaq Capital Market, we are subject to financial and other reporting and corporate governance requirements which increase our cost and expenses.

We are currently required to file annual and quarterly information and other reports with the Securities and Exchange Commission that are specified in Sections 13 and 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. Additionally, due to the fact that our common stock is listed on the Nasdaq Capital Market, we are also subject to the requirements to maintain independent directors, comply with other corporate governance requirements and are required to pay annual listing and stock issuance fees. These obligations require a commitment of additional resources including, but not limited, to additional expenses, and may result in the diversion of our senior management’s time and attention from our day-to-day operations. These obligations increase our expenses and may make it more complicated or time consuming for us to undertake certain corporate actions due to the fact that we may require Nasdaq approval for such transactions and/or Nasdaq rules may require us to obtain shareholder approval for such transactions.

FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS

This prospectus and the documents or information incorporated by reference herein and any prospectus supplement or free writing prospectus contain forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”), Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”), and the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, as amended. These forward-looking statements are subject to risks and uncertainties and other factors that may cause our actual results, performance or achievements to be materially different from the results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements. You should not unduly rely on these statements. Factors, risks, and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those in the forward-looking statements include, among others,

	•	risks associated with our outstanding credit facility, including amounts owed, restrictive covenants and security interests thereon;
	•	the level of competition in our industry and our ability to compete;
	•	our ability to respond to changes in our industry;
	•	the loss of key personnel or failure to attract, integrate and retain additional personnel;
	•	our ability to protect our intellectual property and not infringe on others’ intellectual property;
	•	our ability to scale our business;
	•	our ability to maintain supplier relationships and obtain adequate supplies of feedstocks;
	•	our ability to obtain and retain customers;
	•	our ability to produce our products at competitive rates;
	•	our ability to execute our business strategy in a very competitive environment;
	•	trends in, and the market for, the price of oil and gas and alternative energy sources;
	•	our ability to maintain our relationship with KMTEX, Ltd.;
	•	the impact of competitive services and products;
	•	our ability to maintain insurance;
	•	pending and potential future litigation, judgments and settlements;
	•	rules and regulations making our operations more costly or restrictive;
	•	changes in environmental and other laws and regulations and risks associated with such laws and regulations;
	•	economic downturns both in the United States and globally;
	•	risk of increased regulation of our operations and products;
	•	negative publicity and public opposition to our operations;
	•	disruptions in the infrastructure that we and our partners rely on;
	•	an inability to identify attractive acquisition opportunities, successfully negotiate acquisition terms or effectively integrate acquired companies or businesses;
	•	interruptions at our facilities;
	•	unexpected changes in our anticipated capital expenditures resulting from unforeseen required maintenance, repairs, or upgrades;
	•	our ability to effectively manage our growth; and
	•	the lack of capital available on acceptable terms to finance our continued growth.

We identify forward-looking statements by use of terms such as “may,” “will,” “expect,” “anticipate,” “estimate,” “hope,” “plan,” “believe,” “predict,” “envision,” “intend,” “will,” “continue,” “potential,” “should,” “confident,” “could” and similar words and expressions, although some forward-looking statements may be expressed differently. You should be aware that our actual results could differ materially from those contained in the forward-looking statements. You should consider carefully the statements included in and incorporated by reference in this prospectus and any prospectus supplement or free writing prospectus which describe factors that could cause our actual results to differ from those set forth in the forward-looking statements.

Forward-looking statements speak only as of the date of this prospectus or the date of any document incorporated by reference in this prospectus or any prospectus supplement or free writing prospectus, as applicable. Except to the extent required by applicable law or regulation, we do not undertake any obligation to update forward-looking statements to reflect events or circumstances after the date of this prospectus and any prospectus supplement or free writing prospectus, or to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events.

You should also consider carefully the statements under “Risk Factors” and other sections of this prospectus, and the documents we incorporate by reference and any prospectus supplement or free writing prospectus, which address additional facts that could cause our actual results to differ from those set forth in the forward-looking statements. We caution investors not to place significant reliance on the forward-looking statements contained in this prospectus, and the documents we incorporate by reference. We undertake no obligation to publicly update or review any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future developments or otherwise, except as otherwise required by law.

USE OF PROCEEDS

Unless otherwise indicated in the applicable prospectus supplement, we intend to use the net proceeds from the sale of the securities offered in the prospectus and any prospectus supplement for future development, acquisitions, facility improvements, working capital and general corporate purposes. We may also use a portion of the net proceeds to acquire or invest in businesses and assets that are complementary to our own, although we have no current plans, commitments or agreements with respect to any acquisitions as of the date of this prospectus. Pending the uses described above, we intend to invest the net proceeds in short-term, interest bearing, investment-grade securities.

DESCRIPTION OF CAPITAL STOCK

We have authorized capital stock consisting of 750,000,000 shares of common stock, $0.001 par value per share and 50,000,000 shares of preferred stock, $0.001 par value per share (“Preferred Stock”). As of the date of this prospectus we have approximately 17,438,014 shares of common stock outstanding, 5,000,000 designated shares of Series A Convertible Preferred Stock (“Series A Preferred”) and approximately 1,345,220 shares of Series A Preferred outstanding and 2,000,000 designated shares of Series B Convertible Preferred Stock (“Series B Preferred Stock”), with no shares of Series B Convertible Preferred Stock outstanding.

The following description of our capital stock is a summary only and is subject to applicable provisions of the Nevada Revised Statutes, and our Articles of Incorporation and Bylaws, each as amended and restated, from time to time. You should refer to, and read this summary together with, our Articles of Incorporation, designations of preferred stock and Bylaws, each as amended and restated from time to time, to review all of the terms of our capital stock. Our Articles of Incorporation and amendments thereto are incorporated by reference as exhibits to the registration statement of which this prospectus is a part and other reports incorporated by reference herein.

Common Stock

Each share of our common stock is entitled to equal dividends and distributions per share with respect to the common stock when, as and if declared by our Board of Directors. No holder of any shares of our common stock has a preemptive right to subscribe for any of our securities, nor are any shares of our common stock subject to redemption or convertible into other securities. Upon liquidation, dissolution or winding-up of the Company, and after payment to our creditors and preferred shareholders, if any, our assets will be divided pro rata on a share-for-share basis among the holders of our common stock. Each share of our common stock is entitled to one vote on all shareholder matters. Shares of our common stock do not possess any cumulative voting rights.

The presence of the persons entitled to vote a majority of the outstanding voting shares on a matter before the stockholders shall constitute the quorum necessary for the consideration of the matter at a stockholders’ meeting.

The vote of the holders of a majority of the shares entitled to vote on the matter and represented at a meeting at which a quorum is present shall constitute an act of the stockholders, except for the election of directors, who shall be appointed by a plurality of the shares entitled to vote at a meeting at which a quorum is present. The common stock does not have cumulative voting rights, which means that the holders of 51% of the common stock voting for election of directors can elect 100% of our directors if they choose to do so.

Our common stock is listed and traded on the Nasdaq Capital Market under the symbol “VTNR”.

Preferred Stock

Shares of Preferred Stock may be issued from time to time in one or more series, each of which shall have such distinctive designation or title as shall be determined by our Board of Directors (“Board of Directors”) prior to the issuance of any shares thereof. Preferred Stock shall have such voting powers, full or limited, or no voting powers, and such preferences and relative, participating, optional or other special rights and such qualifications, limitations or restrictions thereof, as shall be stated in such resolution or resolutions providing for the issue of such class or series of Preferred Stock as may be adopted from time to time by the Board of Directors prior to the issuance of any shares thereof. The number of authorized shares of Preferred Stock may be increased or decreased (but not below the number of shares thereof then outstanding) by the affirmative vote of the holders of a majority of the voting power of all the then outstanding shares of our capital stock entitled to vote generally in the election of the directors, voting together as a single class, without a separate vote of the holders of the Preferred Stock, or any series thereof, unless a vote of any such holders is required pursuant to any Preferred Stock Designation.

The powers, preferences and relative, participating, optional and other special rights of each class or series of Preferred Stock, and the qualifications, limitations or restrictions thereof, if any, may differ from those of any and all other series at any time outstanding.

Series A Preferred

Holders of outstanding shares of Series A Preferred are entitled to receive dividends, when, as, and if declared by our Board of Directors. No dividends or similar distributions may be made on shares of capital stock or securities junior to our Series A Preferred until dividends in the same amount per share on our Series A Preferred have been declared and paid. In connection with a liquidation, winding-up, dissolution or sale of the Company, each share of our Series A Preferred is entitled to receive $1.49 prior to similar liquidation payments due on shares of our common stock or any other class of securities junior to the Series A Preferred. Shares of Series A Preferred are not entitled to participate with the holders of our common stock with respect to the distribution of any remaining assets of the Company.

Each share of Series A Preferred is entitled to that number of votes equal to the number of whole shares of common stock into which it is convertible. Generally, holders of our common stock and Series A Preferred vote together as a single class.

Shares of Series A Preferred automatically convert into shares of our common stock on the earliest to occur of the following:

The affirmative vote or written consent of the holders of a majority of the then-outstanding shares of Series A Preferred;

If the closing market price of our common stock averages at least $15.00 per share over a period of 20 consecutive trading days and the daily trading volume averages at least 7,500 shares over such period;

If we consummate an underwritten public offering of our securities at a price per share not less than $10.00 and for a total gross offering amount of at least $10 million; or

If a sale of the Company occurs resulting in proceeds to the holders of Series A Preferred of a per share amount of at least $10.00.

Each share of Series A Preferred converts into one share of common stock, subject to adjustment.

Series B Preferred Stock

The Series B Preferred Stock has the following rights, preferences and limitations:


·	The Series B Preferred Stock includes a liquidation preference which is junior to the Company’s previously outstanding shares of preferred stock, senior securities and other security holders as provided in further detail in the Designation;

·	The Series B Preferred Stock is convertible into shares of the Company’s common stock on a one for one basis at a conversion price of $1.00 per share, provided that the Series B Preferred Stock automatically converts into shares of the Company’s common stock on a one for one basis if the Company’s common stock trades above $2.00 per share for a period of 10 consecutive trading days;

·	The Series B Preferred Stock has no voting rights (other than on matters concerning the Series B Preferred Stock as further described in the Designation); and

·	The Company is obligated to redeem any unconverted shares of Series B Preferred Stock in cash at $1.00 per share on the third anniversary date of the original issuance date of each share of Series B Preferred Stock.

From June 2nd to June 15th, 2011 (ten (10) consecutive trading days), the trading price of the Company’s common stock on the Over-The-Counter Bulletin Board closed at equal to or greater than $2.00 per share, which triggered the automatic conversion provision of the 600,000 outstanding shares of Series B Preferred Stock. As a result, effective June 15, 2011, all 600,000 previously outstanding shares of Series B Preferred Stock automatically converted, without any required action by any holder thereof, into 600,000 shares of the Company’s common stock.

Options and Warrants

We assumed (i) warrants to purchase approximately 94,084 shares of our common stock, each at a nominal exercise price; (ii) warrants to purchase an aggregate of 542,916 shares of common stock with exercise prices ranging from between $10.00 and $27.50 per share; and (iii) options to purchase 659,300 shares of common stock with exercise prices ranging from between $1.55 to $37.00 per share in connection with our April 2009 merger with World Waste Technologies, Inc. ("World Waste" and the “Merger”)(of which options to purchase 680,970 shares had expired unexercised as of the date of this filing and options to purchase an additional 113,530 shares had been exercised). We also granted warrants to purchase an aggregate of 774,478 shares of our common stock to the partners of Vertex Holdings, L.P., certain assets and operations of which we acquired in the Merger and certain other assets and operations of which we acquired in September 2012, which warrants had various exercise prices ranging from $1.55 to $37.00 per share, and had various expiration dates from between April 28, 2010 and February 26, 2018, and which warrants represented 40% of the total outstanding warrants and options of World Waste (not taking into account the warrants with a nominal exercise price, as described above) on the effective date of the Merger (of which warrants to purchase 457,778 shares had expired unexercised as of the date of this filing).

We have also granted options to purchase an aggregate of 2,326,500 shares (of which options to purchase 155,000 shares had been forfeited, options to purchase 5,000 shares have expired and options to purchase 305,000 shares have been exercised) with exercise prices ranging between $0.45 and $3.03 per share, all of which are held by our employees, directors, and consultants as of the date of this filing. Additionally, we have warrants to purchase 833 shares of our common stock outstanding, which were either assumed in connection with or issued in connection with the Merger, which have an exercise price of $10.00 per share and an expiration date of January 1, 2014 and options to purchase 817,667 shares of our common stock outstanding, which were either assumed in connection with or issued in connection with the Merger, which have exercise prices from between $11.10 and $37.00 per share and expiration dates from between May 1, 2014 and May 21, 2017 as of December 31, 2012. Finally, we have warrants to purchase 12,500 shares of our common stock outstanding at an exercise price of $1.75 per share and an expiration date of May 10, 2015 as of the date of this filing.

Anti-Takeover Provisions Under The Nevada Revised Statutes

Business Combinations

Sections 78.411 to 78.444 of the Nevada revised statues (the “NRS”) prohibit a Nevada corporation from engaging in a "combination" with an "interested stockholder" for three years following the date that such person becomes an interested shareholder and place certain restrictions on such combinations even after the expiration of the three-year period. With certain exceptions, an interested stockholder is a person or group that owns 10% or more of the corporation's outstanding voting power (including stock with respect to which the person has voting rights and any rights to acquire stock pursuant to an option, warrant, agreement, arrangement, or understanding or upon the exercise of conversion or exchange rights) or is an affiliate or associate of the corporation and was the owner of 10% or more of such voting stock at any time within the previous three years.

A Nevada corporation may elect not to be governed by Sections 78.411 to 78.444 by a provision in its articles of incorporation. We have such a provision in our articles of incorporation, as amended, pursuant to which we have elected to opt out of Sections 78.411 to 78.444; therefore, these sections do not apply to us.

Control Shares

Nevada law also seeks to impede "unfriendly" corporate takeovers by providing in Sections 78.378 to 78.3793 of the NRS that an "acquiring person" shall only obtain voting rights in the "control shares" purchased by such person to the extent approved by the other shareholders at a meeting. With certain exceptions, an acquiring person is one who acquires or offers to acquire a "controlling interest" in the corporation, defined as one-fifth or more of the voting power. Control shares include not only shares acquired or offered to be acquired in connection with the acquisition of a controlling interest, but also all shares acquired by the acquiring person within the preceding 90 days. The statute covers not only the acquiring person but also any persons acting in association with the acquiring person.

A Nevada corporation may elect to opt out of the provisions of Sections 78.378 to 78.3793 of the NRS. We have no provision in our articles of incorporation pursuant to which we have elected to opt out of Sections 78.378 to 78.3793; therefore, these sections do apply to us.

Removal of Directors

Section 78.335 of the NRS provides that 2/3rds of the voting power of the issued and outstanding shares of the Company are required to remove a Director from office. As such, it may be more difficult for shareholders to remove Directors due to the fact the NRS requires greater than majority approval of the shareholders for such removal.

Transfer Agent

The transfer agent for our common stock is Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company, 17 Battery Place, 8th Floor, New York, New York 10004.

DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED STOCK

A prospectus supplement relating to any series of preferred stock being offered will include specific terms relating to the offering. Such prospectus supplement will include:

the title and stated or par value of the preferred stock;

the number of shares of the preferred stock offered, the liquidation preference per share and the offering price of the preferred stock;

the dividend rate(s), period(s) and/or payment date(s) or method(s) of calculation thereof applicable to the preferred stock;

whether dividends shall be cumulative or non-cumulative and, if cumulative, the date from which dividends on the preferred stock shall accumulate;

the provisions for a sinking fund, if any, for the preferred stock;

any voting rights of the preferred stock;

the provisions for redemption, if applicable, of the preferred stock and any restriction on the repurchase or redemption of shares by the Company while there is any arrearage in the payment of dividends or sinking fund installments;

any listing of the preferred stock on any securities exchange;

the terms and conditions, if applicable, upon which the preferred stock will be convertible into our common stock, including the conversion price or the manner of calculating the conversion price and conversion period;

if appropriate, a discussion of Federal income tax consequences applicable to the preferred stock; and

any other specific terms, preferences, rights, limitations or restrictions of the preferred stock.

The terms, if any, on which the preferred stock may be convertible into or exchangeable for our common stock will also be stated in the preferred stock prospectus supplement. The terms will include provisions as to whether conversion or exchange is mandatory, at the option of the holder or at our option, and may include provisions pursuant to which the number of shares of our common stock to be received by the holders of preferred stock would be subject to adjustment.

When we issue shares of preferred stock, the shares will be fully paid and non-assessable, which means the full purchase price of the shares will have been paid and holders of the shares will not be assessed any additional monies for the shares. Unless the applicable prospectus supplement indicates otherwise, each series of the preferred stock will rank equally with any outstanding shares of our preferred stock and each other series of the preferred stock. Unless the applicable prospectus supplement states otherwise, the preferred stock will have no preemptive rights to subscribe for any additional securities which are issued by us, meaning, the holders of shares of preferred stock will have no right to buy any portion of the issued securities.

In addition, unless the applicable prospectus indicates otherwise, we will have the right to “reopen” a previous issue of a series of preferred stock by issuing additional preferred stock of such series.

The transfer agent, registrar, dividend disbursing agent and redemption agent for shares of each series of preferred stock will be named in the prospectus supplement relating to such series.

DESCRIPTION OF WARRANTS

General

The following description, together with the additional information we may include in any applicable prospectus supplements and free writing prospectuses, summarizes the material terms and provisions of the warrants that we may offer under this prospectus, which may consist of warrants to purchase common stock or preferred stock and may be issued in one or more series. Warrants may be offered independently or in combination with common stock or preferred stock, or as a part of units, offered by any prospectus supplement. While the terms we have summarized below will apply generally to any warrants that we may offer under this prospectus, we will describe the particular terms of any series of warrants in more detail in the applicable prospectus supplement. The following description of warrants will apply to the warrants offered by this prospectus unless we provide otherwise in the applicable prospectus supplement. The applicable prospectus supplement for a particular series of warrants may specify different or additional terms.

We will file as exhibits to the registration statement of which this prospectus is a part, or will incorporate by reference from reports that we file with the SEC, the form of warrant and/or the warrant agreement and warrant certificate, as applicable, that describe the terms of the particular series of warrants we are offering, and any supplemental agreements, before the issuance of such warrants. The following summaries of material terms and provisions of the warrants are subject to, and qualified in their entirety by reference to, all the provisions of the form of warrant and/or the warrant agreement and warrant certificate, as applicable, and any supplemental agreements applicable to a particular series of warrants that we may offer under this prospectus. We urge you to read the applicable prospectus supplement related to the particular series of warrants that we may offer under this prospectus, as well as any related free writing prospectuses, and the complete form of warrant and/or the warrant agreement and warrant certificate, as applicable, and any supplemental agreements, that contain the terms of the warrants.

The prospectus supplement relating to a particular series of warrants to purchase our common stock or preferred stock will describe the terms of the warrants, including the following:

•

the title of the warrants;

•

the offering price for the warrants, if any;

•

the aggregate number of the warrants;

•

the designation and terms of the common stock or preferred stock that may be purchased upon exercise of the warrants;

•

if applicable, the designation and terms of the securities with which the warrants are issued and the number of warrants issued with each security;

•

if applicable, the date from and after which the warrants and any securities issued with the warrants will be separately transferable;

•

the number of shares of common stock or preferred stock that may be purchased upon exercise of a warrant and the exercise price for the warrants;

•

the dates on which the right to exercise the warrants shall commence and expire;

•

if applicable, the minimum or maximum amount of the warrants that may be exercised at any one time;

•

the currency or currency units in which the offering price, if any, and the exercise price are payable;

•

if applicable, a discussion of material U.S. federal income tax considerations;

•

the anti-dilution provisions of the warrants, if any;

•

the redemption or call provisions, if any, applicable to the warrants;

•

any provisions with respect to a holder’s right to require us to repurchase the warrants upon a change in control; and

•

any additional material terms of the warrants, including terms, procedures, and limitations relating to the exchange, exercise and settlement of the warrants.

Holders of warrants will not be entitled to:

•

vote, consent or receive dividends;

•

receive notice as shareholders with respect to any meeting of shareholders for the election of our directors or any other matter; or

•

exercise any rights as shareholders of the Company.

Exercise of Warrants

Each warrant will entitle the holder to purchase the securities that we specify in the applicable prospectus supplement or free writing prospectus at the exercise price that we describe in the applicable prospectus supplement. Unless we otherwise specify in the applicable prospectus supplement, holders of the warrants may exercise the warrants at any time up to the specified time on the expiration date that we set forth in the applicable prospectus supplement. After the close of business on the expiration date, unexercised warrants will become void.

Holders of the warrants may exercise the warrants by delivering the warrant or warrant certificate representing the warrants to be exercised together with specified information, and paying the required amount to the warrant agent, if applicable, in immediately available funds, as provided in the applicable prospectus supplement. We will set forth on the reverse side of any warrant certificate and in the applicable prospectus supplement the information that the holder of the warrant will be required to deliver to any warrant agent.

Upon receipt of the required payment and any warrant certificate properly completed and duly executed at the corporate trust office of any warrant agent or any other office indicated in the applicable prospectus supplement, we will issue and deliver the securities purchasable upon such exercise. If fewer than all of the warrants represented by a warrant certificate are exercised, then we will issue a new warrant certificate for the remaining amount of warrants. If we so indicate in the applicable prospectus supplement, holders of the warrants may surrender securities as all or part of the exercise price for warrants.

Enforceability of Rights by Holders of Warrants

Each warrant agent, if any, will act solely as our agent under the applicable warrant agreement and will not assume any obligation or relationship of agency or trust with any holder of any warrant. A single bank or trust company may act as warrant agent for more than one issue of warrants. A warrant agent will have no duty or responsibility in case of any default by us under the applicable warrant agreement or warrant, including any duty or responsibility to initiate any proceedings at law or otherwise, or to make any demand upon us. Any holder of a warrant may, without the consent of the related warrant agent or the holder of any other warrant, enforce by appropriate legal action its right to exercise, and receive the securities purchasable upon exercise of, its warrants.

Amendments and Supplements to Warrant Agreements

We and the relevant warrant agent may, with the consent of the holders of at least a majority in number of the outstanding unexercised warrants affected, modify or amend the warrant agreement and the terms of the warrants. However, the warrant agreements may be amended or supplemented without the consent of the holders of the warrants issued thereunder to effect changes that are not inconsistent with the provisions of the warrants and that do not adversely affect the interests of the holders of the warrants. Notwithstanding the foregoing, no such modification or amendment may, without the consent of the holders of each warrant affected:

•

reduce the amount receivable upon exercise, cancellation or expiration;

•

shorten the period of time during which the warrants may be exercised;

•

otherwise materially and adversely affect the exercise rights of the beneficial owners of the warrants; or

•

reduce the percentage of outstanding warrants whose holders must consent to modification or amendment of the applicable warrant agreement or the terms of the warrants.

Anti-dilution and Other Adjustments

Unless otherwise indicated in the applicable prospectus supplement, the exercise price of, and the number of shares of common stock covered by a warrant, are subject to adjustment in certain events, including:

•

the issuance of common stock as a dividend or distribution on the common stock;

•

subdivisions and combinations of the common stock (or as applicable to warrants to purchase preferred stock and the preferred stock);

•

the issuance to all holders of common stock of capital stock rights entitling them to subscribe for or purchase common stock within 45 days after the date fixed for the determination of the stockholders entitled to receive such capital stock rights, at less than the current market price; and

•

the distribution to all holders of common stock of evidences of our indebtedness or assets (excluding certain cash dividends and distributions described below) or rights or warrants (excluding those referred to above).

We may, in lieu of making any adjustment in the exercise price of, and the number of shares of common stock covered by, a warrant, make proper provision so that each holder of such warrant who exercises such warrant (or any portion thereof):

•

before the record date for such distribution of separate certificates, shall be entitled to receive upon such exercise shares of common stock issued with capital stock rights; and

•

after such record date and prior to the expiration, redemption or termination of such capital stock rights, shall be entitled to receive upon such exercise, in addition to the shares of common stock issuable upon such exercise, the same number of such capital stock rights as would a holder of the number of shares of common stock that such warrants so exercised would have entitled the holder thereof to acquire in accordance with the terms and provisions applicable to the capital stock rights if such warrant was exercised immediately prior to the record date for such distribution.

Common stock owned by or held for our account or for the account of any of our majority owned subsidiaries will not be deemed outstanding for the purpose of any adjustment.

No adjustment in the exercise price of, and the number of shares of common stock covered by, a warrant will be made for regular quarterly or other periodic or recurring cash dividends or distributions of cash dividends or distributions to the extent paid from retained earnings. Except as stated above, the exercise price of, and the number of shares of common stock covered by, a warrant will not be adjusted for the issuance of common stock or any securities convertible into or exchangeable for common stock, or securities carrying the right to purchase any of the foregoing.

In the case of a reclassification or change of the common stock, a consolidation or merger involving us or sale or conveyance to another corporation of our property and assets as an entirety or substantially as an entirety, in each case as a result of which holders of our common stock shall be entitled to receive stock, securities, other property or assets (including cash) with respect to or in exchange for such common stock, the holders of the warrants then outstanding will be entitled thereafter to convert such warrants into the kind and number of shares of stock and amount of other securities or property which they would have received upon such reclassification, change, consolidation, merger, sale or conveyance had such warrants been exercised immediately prior to such reclassification, change, consolidation, merger, sale or conveyance.

Governing Law

Unless we provide otherwise in the applicable prospectus supplement, the warrants and warrant agreements will be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of the State of Texas.

DESCRIPTION OF UNITS

We may issue, in one more series, units consisting of common stock, preferred stock and/or warrants for the purchase of common stock and/or preferred stock in any combination in such amounts and in such numerous distinct series as we determine. While the terms we have summarized below will apply generally to any units that we may offer under this prospectus, we will describe the particular terms of any series of units in more detail in the applicable prospectus supplement. The terms of any units offered under a prospectus supplement may differ from the terms described below.

We will file as exhibits to the registration statement of which this prospectus is a part, or will incorporate by reference from reports that we file with the SEC, the form of unit agreement that describes the terms of the series of units we are offering, and any supplemental agreements, before the issuance of the related series of units. The following summaries of material terms and provisions of the units are subject to, and qualified in their entirety by reference to, all the provisions of the unit agreement and any supplemental agreements applicable to a particular series of units. We urge you to read the applicable prospectus supplements related to the particular series of units that we may offer under this prospectus, as well as any related free writing prospectuses and the complete unit agreement and any supplemental agreements that contain the terms of the units.

Each unit will be issued so that the holder of the unit is also the holder of each security included in the unit. Thus, the holder of a unit will have the rights and obligations of a holder of each included security. The unit agreement under which a unit is issued may provide that the securities included in the unit may not be held or transferred separately, at any time or at any time before a specified date.

We will describe in the applicable prospectus supplement the terms of the series of units being offered, including:

•

the designation and terms of the units and of the securities comprising the units, including whether and under what circumstances those securities may be held or transferred separately;

•

any provisions of the governing unit agreement that differ from those described below; and

•

any provisions for the issuance, payment, settlement, transfer or exchange of the units or of the securities comprising the units.

The provisions described in this section, as well as those described under "Description of Capital Stock," and "Description of Warrants" will apply to each unit and to any common stock, preferred stock, or warrant included in each unit, respectively.

Each unit agent will act solely as our agent under the applicable unit agreement and will not assume any obligation or relationship of agency or trust with any holder of any unit. A single bank or trust company may act as unit agent for more than one series of units. A unit agent will have no duty or responsibility in case of any default by us under the applicable unit agreement or unit, including any duty or responsibility to initiate any proceedings at law or otherwise, or to make any demand upon us. Any holder of a unit may, without the consent of the related unit agent or the holder of any other unit, enforce by appropriate legal action its rights as holder under any security included in the unit.

We, and any unit agent and any of their agents, may treat the registered holder of any unit certificate as an absolute owner of the units evidenced by that certificate for any purpose and as the person entitled to exercise the rights attaching to the units so requested, despite any notice to the contrary.

Issuance in Series

We may issue units in such amounts and in as many distinct series as we wish. This section summarizes terms of the units that apply generally to all series. Most of the financial and other specific terms of a particular series will be described in the prospectus supplement.

Governing Law

Unless we provide otherwise in the applicable prospectus supplement, the units and unit agreements will be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of the State of Texas.

PLAN OF DISTRIBUTION

We may sell the securities offered by this prospectus in any one or more of the following ways from time to time:

•	directly to investors, including through a specific bidding, auction or other process or in privately negotiated transactions;

•	to investors through agents;

•	directly to agents;

•	to or through brokers or dealers;

•	to the public through underwriting syndicates led by one or more managing underwriters;

•	to one or more underwriters acting alone for resale to investors or to the public;

•	through a block trade in which the broker or dealer engaged to handle the block trade will attempt to sell the securities as agent, but may position and resell a portion of the block as principal to facilitate the transaction;

•	through agents on a best-efforts basis; and

•	through a combination of any such methods of sale.

We may also sell the securities offered by this prospectus in "at the market offerings" within the meaning of Rule 415(a)(4) of the Securities Act, to or through a market maker or into an existing trading market, on an exchange or otherwise.

Sales may be effected in transactions:

•	on any national securities exchange or quotation service on which the securities may be listed or quoted at the time of sale, including the Nasdaq Capital Market in the case of shares of our common stock;

•	in the over-the-counter market;

•	in transactions otherwise than on such exchanges or services or in the over-the-counter market;

•	through the writing of options; or

•	through the settlement of short sales.

We will provide in the applicable prospectus supplement the terms of the offering and the method of distribution and will identify any firms acting as underwriters, dealers or agents in connection with the offering, including:

•	the name or names of any underwriters, dealers or agents;

•	the amount of securities underwritten;

•	the purchase price of the securities and the proceeds to us from the sale;

•	any over-allotment options under which underwriters may purchase additional securities from us;

•	any underwriting discounts and other items constituting compensation to underwriters, dealers or agents;

•	any public offering price;

•	any discounts or concessions allowed or reallowed or paid to dealers;

•	any material relationships between the underwriters and the Company; and

•	any securities exchange or market on which the securities offered in the prospectus supplement may be listed.

In connection with the sale of the securities, we or the purchasers of securities for whom the underwriter may act as agent, may compensate the underwriter in the form of underwriting discounts or commissions.

Any underwritten offering may be on a best efforts or a firm commitment basis. Underwriters, dealers and agents participating in the securities distribution may be deemed to be underwriters, and any discounts and commissions they receive and any profit they realize on the resale of the securities may be deemed to be underwriting discounts and commissions under the Securities Act. Underwriters and their controlling persons, dealers and agents may be entitled, under agreements entered into with us, to indemnification against and contribution toward specific civil liabilities, including liabilities under the Securities Act.

The distribution of the securities may be effected from time to time in one or more transactions at a fixed price or prices, which may be changed, at varying prices determined at the time of sale, or at prices determined as the applicable prospectus supplement specifies.

In connection with the sale of the securities, underwriters, dealers or agents may be deemed to have received compensation from us in the form of underwriting discounts or commissions and also may receive commissions from securities purchasers for whom they may act as agent. Underwriters may sell the securities to or through dealers, and the dealers may receive compensation in the form of discounts, concessions or commissions from the underwriters or commissions from the purchasers for whom they may act as agent.

Unless otherwise specified in the related prospectus supplement, each series of securities will be a new issue with no established trading market, other than shares of common stock of the Company, which are listed on the Nasdaq Capital Market. Any common stock sold pursuant to a prospectus supplement will be listed on the Nasdaq Capital Market, subject to official notice of issuance. We may elect to list any series of preferred stock , on an exchange, but we are not obligated to do so. It is possible that one or more underwriters may make a market in the securities, but such underwriters will not be obligated to do so and may discontinue any market making at any time without notice. No assurance can be given as to the liquidity of, or the trading market for, any offered securities.

In connection with an offering, the underwriters may purchase and sell securities in the open market. These transactions may include short sales, stabilizing transactions and purchases to cover positions created by short sales. Short sales involve the sale by the underwriters of a greater number of securities than they are required to purchase in an offering. Stabilizing transactions consist of bids or purchases made for the purpose of preventing or retarding a decline in the market price of the securities while an offering is in progress. The underwriters also may impose a penalty bid. This occurs when a particular underwriter repays to the underwriters a portion of the underwriting discount received by it because the underwriters have repurchased securities sold by or for the account of that underwriter in stabilizing or short-covering transactions. These activities by the underwriters may stabilize, maintain or otherwise affect the market price of the securities. As a result, the price of the securities may be higher than the price that otherwise might exist in the open market. If these activities are commenced, they may be discontinued by the underwriters at any time. Underwriters may engage in overallotment. If any underwriters create a short position in the securities in an offering in which they sell more securities than are set forth on the cover page of the applicable prospectus supplement, the underwriters may reduce that short position by purchasing the securities in the open market.

Underwriters, dealers or agents that participate in the offer of securities, or their affiliates or associates, may have engaged or engage in transactions with and perform services for, us or our affiliates in the ordinary course of business for which they may have received or receive customary fees and reimbursement of expenses.

We may enter into derivative transactions with third parties, or sell securities not covered by this prospectus to third parties in privately negotiated transactions. If the applicable prospectus supplement so indicates, in connection with any derivative transaction, the third parties may sell securities covered by this prospectus and the applicable prospectus supplement, including in short sale transactions. If so, the third party may use securities pledged by us or borrowed from us or others to settle those sales or to close out any related open borrowings of stock, and may use securities received from us in settlement of those derivatives to close out any related open borrowings of stock. The third party in such sale transactions will be an underwriter and, if not identified in this prospectus, will be identified in the applicable prospectus supplement or a post-effective amendment to the registration statement of which this prospectus is a part. In addition, we may otherwise loan or pledge securities to a financial institution or other third party that in turn may sell the securities short using this prospectus. Such financial institution or other third party may transfer its economic short position to investors in our securities or in connection with a concurrent offering of other securities.

The specific terms of any lock-up provisions in respect of any given offering will be described in the applicable prospectus supplement.

The underwriters, dealers and agents may engage in transactions with us, or perform services for us, in the ordinary course of business for which they receive compensation.

LEGAL MATTERS

The validity of the securities offered by this prospectus has been passed upon for us by The Loev Law Firm, PC. Additional legal matters may be passed upon for us, any underwriters, dealers or agents, by counsel that we will name in the applicable prospectus supplement. David M. Loev, the manager and sole owner of The Loev Law Firm, PC, beneficially owns 7,500 shares of common stock and stock options to purchase 10,000 shares of our common stock at an exercise price of $1.20 per share, of which all of such options have fully vested, and which options have a term of 10 years and expire in May 2018.

EXPERTS

The consolidated balance sheets of the Company as of December 31, 2012 and 2011, and the related consolidated statements of operations, stockholders' equity, and cash flows for each of the years then ended, appearing in the Company’s Annual Report (Form 10-K) for the year ended December 31, 2012 have been audited by LBB & Associates Ltd., LLP, as set forth in their report thereon, and incorporated herein by reference.

Such consolidated financial statements are incorporated herein by reference in reliance upon such reports given on the authority of such firms as experts in accounting and auditing.

WHERE YOU CAN FIND MORE INFORMATION

We file annual, quarterly, and current reports, proxy statements and other information with the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”). Our SEC filings are available to the public over the Internet at the SEC’s web site at www.sec.gov and on the “Investor Relations,” “SEC Filings” page of our website at www.vertexenergy.com. Information on our web site is not part of this prospectus, and we do not desire to incorporate by reference such information herein. You may also read and copy any document we file with the SEC at the SEC’s Public Reference Room at 100 F Street N.E., Washington, D.C. 20549. You can also obtain copies of the documents upon the payment of a duplicating fee to the SEC. Please call the SEC at 1-800-SEC-0330 for further information on the operation of the Public Reference Room. The SEC maintains an Internet site that contains reports, proxy and information statements, and other information regarding issuers that file electronically with the SEC like us. Our SEC filings are also available to the public from the SEC’s website at http://www.sec.gov.

This prospectus is part of the registration statement and does not contain all of the information included in the registration statement. Whenever a reference is made in this prospectus to any of our contracts or other documents, the reference may not be complete and, for a copy of the contract or document, you should refer to the exhibits that are a part of the registration statement.

This prospectus omits some information contained in the registration statement in accordance with SEC rules and regulations. You should review the information and exhibits included in the registration statement for further information about us and the securities we are offering. Statements in this prospectus concerning any document we filed as an exhibit to the registration statement or that we otherwise filed with the SEC are not intended to be comprehensive and are qualified by reference to these filings and documents. You should review the complete document to evaluate these statements.

INCORPORATION OF CERTAIN DOCUMENTS BY REFERENCE

The Securities and Exchange Commission allows us to “incorporate by reference” into this prospectus the information we file with it, which means that we can disclose important information to you by referring you to those documents. The information incorporated by reference is considered to be part of this prospectus from the date on which we file that document. Any reports filed by us with the SEC (i) on or after the date of filing of the registration statement and (ii) on or after the date of this prospectus and before the termination of the offering of the securities by means of this prospectus will automatically update and, where applicable, supersede information contained in this prospectus or incorporated by reference into this prospectus.

We incorporate by reference the documents listed below, all filings filed by us pursuant to the Exchange Act after the date of the registration statement of which this prospectus forms a part prior to effectiveness of such registration statement, and any future filings we make with the SEC under Sections 13(a), 13(c), 14 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, prior to the time that all securities covered by this prospectus have been sold; provided, however, that we are not incorporating any information furnished under either Item 2.02 or Item 7.01 of any current report on Form 8-K:

·	Our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2012, filed with the SEC on March 21, 2013;

·	Our Definitive Proxy Statement on Schedule 14A for an Annual Meeting of Shareholders, filed with the SEC on April 26, 2013;

·	Our Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarterly period ended March 31, 2013, filed with the SEC on May 7, 2013;

·	Our Current Reports on Form 8-K and Form 8-K/A (other than information furnished rather than filed) filed with the SEC on January 7, 2013; February 13, 2013; April 3, 2013; May 7, 2013; and June 10, 2013; and

·	The description of our common stock contained in our Registration Statement on Form 8-A, filed with the SEC on February 12, 2013 (File No. 001-11476) pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Exchange Act, including any amendment or report filed for the purpose of updating such description.

These documents contain important information about us, our business and our financial condition. You may request a copy of these filings, at no cost, by writing or telephoning us at:

Vertex Energy, Inc.

1331 Gemini Street, Suite 250

Houston, TX 77058

Phone: (866) 660-8156

Fax: (281)-754-4185

All documents filed by us pursuant to Sections 13(a), 13(c), 14 or 15(d) of the Securities Act or the Exchange Act, excluding any information in those documents that are deemed by the rules of the SEC to be furnished but not filed, after the date of this filing and before the termination of this offering shall be deemed to be incorporated in this prospectus and to be a part hereof from the date of the filing of such document. Any statement contained in a document incorporated by reference herein shall be deemed to be modified or superseded for all purposes to the extent that a statement contained in this prospectus, or in any other subsequently filed document which is also incorporated or deemed to be incorporated by reference, modifies or supersedes such statement. Any statement so modified or superseded shall not be deemed, except as so modified or superseded, to constitute a part of this prospectus. You will be deemed to have notice of all information incorporated by reference in this prospectus as if that information was included in this prospectus.

We maintain an Internet website at www.vertexenergy.com where the incorporated reports listed above can be accessed. Neither this website nor the information on this website is included or incorporated in, or is a part of, this prospectus.

VERTEX ENERGY, INC.

$25,000,000

___________________________________

Common Stock

Preferred Stock

Warrants

Units

___________________________________

PROSPECTUS

You should rely only on the information contained in this prospectus. No dealer, salesperson or other person is authorized to give information that is not contained in this prospectus. This prospectus is not an offer to sell nor is it seeking an offer to buy these securities in any jurisdiction where the offer or sale is not permitted. The information contained in this prospectus is correct only as of the date of this prospectus, regardless of the time of the delivery of this prospectus or the sale of these securities.

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PART II

INFORMATION NOT REQUIRED IN PROSPECTUS

ITEM 14. OTHER EXPENSES OF ISSUANCE AND DISTRIBUTION.

The following table sets forth the various expenses, all of which will be borne by us, in connection with the sale and distribution of the securities being registered, other than the underwriting discounts and commissions. All amounts shown are estimates except for the Securities and Exchange Commission registration fee.

Description	Amount to be Paid

Filing Fee - Securities and Exchange Commission	$	3,410
Attorney's fees and expenses		*
Accountant's fees and expenses		*
Stock exchange and listing fees		*
Transfer agent's and registrar fees and expenses		*
Printing and engraving expenses		*
Trustee fees and expenses		*
Miscellaneous expenses		*

Total	$	*

* Estimated expenses that are not presently known because they depend upon, among other things, the number of offerings that will be made pursuant to this registration statement, the amount and type of securities being offered and the timing of such offerings.

ITEM 15. INDEMNIFICATION OF DIRECTORS AND OFFICERS.

As authorized by Section 78.751 of the Nevada Revised Statutes, we may indemnify our officers and directors against expenses incurred by such persons in connection with any threatened, pending or completed action, suit or proceedings, whether civil, criminal, administrative or investigative, involving such persons in their capacities as officers and directors, so long as such persons acted in good faith and in a manner which they reasonably believed to be in our best interests. If the legal proceeding, however, is by or in our right, the director or officer may not be indemnified in respect of any claim, issue or matter as to which he is adjudged to be liable for negligence or misconduct in the performance of his duty to us unless a court determines otherwise.

Under Nevada law, corporations may also purchase and maintain insurance or make other financial arrangements on behalf of any person who is or was a director or officer (or is serving at our request as a director or officer of another corporation) for any liability asserted against such person and any expenses incurred by him in his capacity as a director or officer. These financial arrangements may include trust funds, self-insurance programs, guarantees and insurance policies.

Additionally, our Bylaws (“Bylaws”), state that we shall indemnify every (i) present or former director, advisory director or officer of us, (ii) any person who while serving in any of the capacities referred to in clause (i) served at our request as a director, officer, partner, venturer, proprietor, trustee, employee, agent or similar functionary of another foreign or domestic corporation, partnership, joint venture, trust, employee benefit plan or other enterprise, and (iii) any person nominated or designated by (or pursuant to authority granted by) the Board of Directors or any committee thereof to serve in any of the capacities referred to in clauses (i) or (ii) (each an “Indemnitee”).

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Our Bylaws provide that we shall indemnify an Indemnitee against all judgments, penalties (including excise and similar taxes), fines, amounts paid in settlement and reasonable expenses actually incurred by the Indemnitee in connection with any proceeding in which he was, is or is threatened to be named as a defendant or respondent, or in which he was or is a witness without being named a defendant or respondent, by reason, in whole or in part, of his serving or having served, or having been nominated or designated to serve, if it is determined that the Indemnitee (a) conducted himself in good faith, (b) reasonably believed, in the case of conduct in his official capacity, that his conduct was in our best interests and, in all other cases, that his conduct was at least not opposed to our best interests, and (c) in the case of any criminal proceeding, had no reasonable cause to believe that his conduct was unlawful; provided, however, that in the event that an Indemnitee is found liable to us or is found liable on the basis that personal benefit was improperly received by the Indemnitee, the indemnification (i) is limited to reasonable expenses actually incurred by the Indemnitee in connection with the proceeding and (ii) shall not be made in respect of any proceeding in which the Indemnitee shall have been found liable for willful or intentional misconduct in the performance of his duty to us.

Except as provided above, the Bylaws provide that no indemnification shall be made in respect to any proceeding in which such Indemnitee has been (a) found liable on the basis that personal benefit was improperly received by him, whether or not the benefit resulted from an action taken in the Indemnitee's official capacity, or (b) found liable to us. The termination of any proceeding by judgment, order, settlement or conviction, or on a plea of nolo contendere or its equivalent, is not of itself determinative that the Indemnitee did not meet the requirements set forth in clauses (a) or (b) above. An Indemnitee shall be deemed to have been found liable in respect of any claim, issue or matter only after the Indemnitee shall have been so adjudged by a court of competent jurisdiction after exhaustion of all appeals therefrom. Reasonable expenses shall include, without limitation, all court costs and all fees and disbursements of attorneys’ fees for the Indemnitee. The indemnification provided shall be applicable whether or not negligence or gross negligence of the Indemnitee is alleged or proven.

Neither our Bylaws nor our Articles of Incorporation include any specific indemnification provisions for our officers or directors against liability under the Securities Act. Additionally, insofar as indemnification for liabilities arising under the Securities Act may be permitted to directors, officers and controlling persons of the Company pursuant to the foregoing provisions, or otherwise, the Company has been advised that in the opinion of the Securities and Exchange Commission such indemnification is against public policy as expressed in the Securities Act and is, therefore, unenforceable.

ITEM 16. EXHIBITS AND FINANCIAL STATEMENT SCHEDULES

(a) Exhibits Pursuant to Item 601 of Regulation S-K:

A list of exhibits filed with this registration statement on Form S-3 is set forth on the Exhibit Index and is incorporated herein by reference.

ITEM 17. UNDERTAKINGS.

The undersigned registrant hereby undertakes:

(1) To file, during any period in which offers or sales are being made, a post-effective amendment to this registration statement to:

(i) Include any prospectus required by Section 10(a)(3) of the Securities Act;

(ii) Reflect in the prospectus any facts or events arising after the effective date of the registration statement (or the most recent post-effective amendment thereof) which, individually or in the aggregate, represent a fundamental change in the information set forth in the registration statement. Notwithstanding the foregoing, any increase or decrease in volume of securities offered (if the total dollar value of securities offered would not exceed that which was registered) and any deviation from the low or high end of the estimated maximum offering range may be reflected in the form of prospectus filed with the Commission pursuant to Rule 424(b) if, in the aggregate, the changes in volume and price represent no more than a 20% change in the maximum aggregate offering price set forth in the “Calculation of Registration Fee” table in the effective registration statement; and

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(iii) Include any material information with respect to the plan of distribution not previously disclosed in the registration statement or any material change to such information in the registration statement;

provided, however, that paragraphs (1)(i), (1)(ii) and (i)(iii) above do not apply if the information required to be included in a post-effective amendment by those paragraphs is contained in reports filed with or furnished to the Commission by the registrant pursuant to sections 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”) that are incorporated by reference in the registration statement, or is contained in a form of prospectus filed pursuant to Rule 424(b) of this chapter that is part of the registration statement.

(2) That, for the purpose of determining any liability under the Securities Act, each such post-effective amendment shall be deemed to be a new registration statement relating to the securities offered therein, and the offering of such securities at that time shall be deemed to be the initial bona fide offering thereof.

(3) To remove from registration by means of a post-effective amendment any of the securities being registered which remain unsold at the termination of the offering.

(4) That, for the purpose of determining liability under the Securities Act to any purchaser:

(A) Each prospectus filed by the registrant pursuant to Rule 424(b)(3) shall be deemed to be part of the registration statement as of the date the filed prospectus was deemed part of and included in the registration statement; and

(B) Each prospectus required to be filed pursuant to Rule 424(b)(2), (b)(5), or (b)(7) as part of a registration statement in reliance on Rule 430B relating to an offering made pursuant to Rule 415(a)(1)(i), (vii), or (x) for the purpose of providing the information required by section 10(a) of the Securities Act shall be deemed to be part of and included in the registration statement as of the earlier of the date such form of prospectus is first used after effectiveness or the date of the first contract of sale of securities in the offering described in the prospectus. As provided in Rule 430B, for liability purposes of the issuer and any person that is at that date an underwriter, such date shall be deemed to be a new effective date of the registration statement relating to the securities in the registration statement to which that prospectus relates, and the offering of such securities at that time shall be deemed to be the initial bona fide offering thereof. Provided, however, that no statement made in a registration statement or prospectus that is part of the registration statement or made in a document incorporated or deemed incorporated by reference into the registration statement or prospectus that is part of the registration statement will, as to a purchaser with a time of contract of sale prior to such effective date, supersede or modify any statement that was made in the registration statement or prospectus that was part of the registration statement or made in any such document immediately prior to such effective date.

(5) That, for the purpose of determining liability of the registrant under the Securities Act to any purchaser in the initial distribution of the securities:

The undersigned registrant undertakes that in a primary offering of securities of the undersigned registrant pursuant to this registration statement, regardless of the underwriting method used to sell the securities to the purchaser, if the securities are offered or sold to such purchaser by means of any of the following communications, the undersigned registrant will be a seller to the purchaser and will be considered to offer or sell such securities to such purchaser:

(i) Any preliminary prospectus or prospectus of the undersigned registrant relating to the offering required to be filed pursuant to Rule 424;

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(ii) Any free writing prospectus relating to the offering prepared by or on behalf of the undersigned registrant or used or referred to by the undersigned registrant;

(iii) The portion of any other free writing prospectus relating to the offering containing material information about the undersigned registrant or its securities provided by or on behalf of the undersigned registrant; and

(iv) Any other communication that is an offer in the offering made by the undersigned registrant to the purchaser.

The undersigned registrant hereby undertakes that, for purposes of determining any liability under the Securities Act, each filing of the registrant’s annual report pursuant to Section 13(a) or Section 15(d) of the Exchange Act (and, where applicable, each filing of an employee benefit plan’s annual report pursuant to Section 15(d) of the Exchange Act) that is incorporated by reference in the registration statement shall be deemed to be a new registration statement relating to the securities offered therein, and the offering of such securities at that time shall be deemed to be the initial bona fide offering thereof.

The undersigned registrant hereby undertakes to deliver or cause to be delivered with the prospectus to each person to whom the prospectus is sent or given, the latest annual report to security holders that is incorporated by reference in the prospectus and furnished pursuant to and meeting the requirements of Rule 14a-3 or Rule 14c-3 under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934; and, where interim financial information required to be presented by Article 3 of Regulation S-X is not set forth in the prospectus, to deliver, or cause to be delivered to each person to whom the prospectus is sent or given, the latest quarterly report that is specifically incorporated by reference in the prospectus to provide such interim financial information.

Insofar as indemnification for liabilities arising under the Securities Act may be permitted to directors, officers and controlling persons of the registrant pursuant to the foregoing provisions, or otherwise, the registrant has been advised that in the opinion of the Securities and Exchange Commission such indemnification is against public policy as expressed in the Act and is, therefore, unenforceable. In the event that a claim for indemnification against such liabilities (other than the payment by the registrant of expenses incurred or paid by a director, officer or controlling person of the registrant in the successful defense of any action, suit or proceeding) is asserted by such director, officer or controlling person in connection with the securities being registered, the registrant will, unless in the opinion of its counsel the matter has been settled by controlling precedent, submit to a court of appropriate jurisdiction the question whether such indemnification by it is against public policy as expressed in the Securities Act and will be governed by the final adjudication of such issue.

The undersigned registrant hereby undertakes to supplement the prospectus, after the expiration of the subscription period, to set forth the results of the subscription offer, the transactions by the underwriters during the subscription period, the amount of unsubscribed securities to be purchased by the underwriters, and the terms of any subsequent reoffering thereof. If any public offering by the underwriters is to be made on terms differing from those set forth on the cover page of the prospectus, a post-effective amendment will be filed to set forth the terms of such offering.

The undersigned registrant hereby undertakes that:

(1) For purposes of determining any liability under the Securities Act of 1933, the information omitted from the form of prospectus filed as part of this registration statement in reliance upon Rule 430A and contained in a form of prospectus filed by the registrant pursuant to Rule 424(b) (1) or (4) or 497(h) under the Securities Act shall be deemed to be part of this registration statement as of the time it was declared effective.

(2) For the purpose of determining any liability under the Securities Act of 1933, each post-effective amendment that contains a form of prospectus shall be deemed to be a new registration statement relating to the securities offered therein, and the offering of such securities at that time shall be deemed to be the initial bona fide offering thereof.

II - 5

SIGNATURES

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, the Registrant certifies that it has reasonable grounds to believe that it meets all of the requirements for filing on Form S-3 and has duly caused this Registration Statement to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned thereunto duly authorized, in the City of Houston, Texas, on June 28, 2013.


	VERTEX ENERGY, INC.

	By: /s/ Benjamin P. Cowart
	Benjamin P. Cowart
	Chief Executive Officer
	(Principal Executive Officer)

	By: /s/ Chris Carlson
	Chris Carlson
	Chief Financial Officer
	(Principal Financial and Accounting Officer)

KNOW ALL MEN BY THESE PRESENTS, that each person whose signature appears below constitutes and appoints Benjamin P. Cowart and Chris Carlson, as his true and lawful attorneys-in-fact and agents, with full power of substitution and resubstitution for him and in his name, place and stead, in any and all capacities, to sign any and all amendments (including post-effective amendments) to this Registration Statement, and any subsequent registration statements pursuant to Rule 462 of the Securities Act of 1933 and to file the same, with all exhibits thereto, and other documents in connection therewith, with the Securities and Exchange Commission, granting unto said attorneys-in-fact and agents, and each of them, full power and authority to do and perform each and every act and thing requisite and necessary to be done in and about the premises, as fully to all intents and purposes as he might or could do in person, hereby ratifying and confirming all that each of said attorney-in-fact or his substitute or substitutes, may lawfully do or cause to be done by virtue hereof.

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, this Registration Statement has been signed by the following persons in the capacities and on the dates indicated.

Signature	Title	Date

/s/ Benjamin P. Cowart Benjamin P. Cowart	Chief Executive Officer (Principal Executive Officer) and Chairman	June 28, 2013

/s/ Chris Carlson Chris Carlson	Chief Financial Officer (Principal Financial and Accounting Officer)	June 28, 2013


/s/ Dan Borgen Dan Borgen	Director	June 28, 2013

/s/ David Phillips David Phillips	Director	June 28, 2013

/s/ Timothy C. Harvey Timothy C. Harvey	Director	June 28, 2013

II - 6

EXHIBIT INDEX

Exhibit No.	Description

*1.1	Form of underwriting agreement (or other similar agreement)

3.1	Articles of Incorporation (and amendments thereto) of Vertex Energy, Inc. (Filed as Exhibit 3.1 to the Company’s Current Report on Form 8-K/A (File No. 000-53619), filed with the Commission on June 26, 2009, and incorporated herein by reference)

3.2	Amended and Restated Certificate of Designation of Rights, Preferences and Privileges of Vertex Energy, Inc.'s Series A Convertible Preferred Stock (Filed as Exhibit 3.1 to the Company’s Current Report on Form 8-K (File No. 000-53619), filed with the Commission on July 16, 2010, and incorporated herein by reference)

3.3	Bylaws of Vertex Energy, Inc. (Filed as Exhibit 3.4 to the Company’s Current Report on Form 8-K/A (File No. 000-53619), filed with the Commission on June 26, 2009, and incorporated herein by reference)

*4.1	Form of Warrant Agreement

*4.2	Form of Warrant Certificate

*4.3	Certificate of Designation of Preferred Stock

*4.4	Form of Preferred Stock Certificate

*4.5	Form of Unit Agreement

*4.6	Form of Unit Certificate

***5.1	Opinion and consent of The Loev Law Firm, PC re: the legality of the securities being registered

***23.1	Consent of LBB & Associates Ltd., LLP

***23.2	Consent of The Loev Law Firm, PC (included in Exhibit 5.1)

***24.1	Power of Attorney (included in the signature page to this registration statement).

* If applicable, to be filed by amendment or by a report filed under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, and incorporated herein by reference.

*** Filed herewith.

II - 7

EX-5.1 2 ex5-1.htm OPINION AND CONSENT OF THE LOEV LAW FIRM, PC RE: THE LEGALITY OF THE SECURITIES BEING REGISTERED ex5-1.htm

Exhibit 5.1

The Loev Law Firm, PC

6300 West Loop South, Suite 280

Bellaire, Texas 77401

Telephone (713) 524-4110

Facsimile (713) 524-4122

June 28, 2013

Vertex Energy, Inc.

1331 Gemini Street, Suite 250

Houston, Texas 77058

Ladies and Gentlemen:

We have acted as counsel for Vertex Energy, Inc., a Nevada corporation (the "Company"), in connection with the filing, with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the "Commission"), by the Company, of a Registration Statement on Form S-3 (File Number: 333-189107)(such registration statement, as amended or supplemented, is hereinafter referred to as the “Registration Statement”) filed on the date hereof under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the "Securities Act") , relating to the offer and sale, from time to time of up to $25,000,000 of (i) shares of common stock, par value $0.001 per share ("Common Stock"), of the Company, (ii) shares of preferred stock, par value $0.001 per share, of the Company (the "Preferred Stock"), (iii) warrants to purchase Preferred Stock or Common Stock, in each case as may be designated by the Company at the time of an offering (the “Warrants”); and (iv) units (the "Units") consisting of shares of Common Stock, Preferred Stock, Warrants, or any combination of the foregoing. The Common Stock, Preferred Stock, Warrants and Units are collectively referred to herein as the “Securities.” The Securities will be sold or delivered from time to time as set forth in the Registration Statement, any amendments thereof, the prospectus included in the Registration Statement (the "Prospectus") and supplements to the Prospectus (the "Prospectus Supplements").

We have examined originals or copies, certified or otherwise identified to our satisfaction, of (i) the Articles of Incorporation of the Company, as amended to date (the "Certificate of Incorporation"), (ii) the Bylaws of the Company, as amended to date (the "Bylaws"), (iii) the Registration Statement and all exhibits thereto, (iv) the minutes and records of the corporate proceedings of the Company with respect to the filing of the Registration Statement, and (v) such other certificates, statutes and other instruments and documents as we considered appropriate for purposes of the opinions hereafter expressed.

In making the foregoing examinations, we have assumed the genuineness of all signatures, the authenticity of all documents submitted to us as originals, the conformity to original documents submitted to us as certified, conformed or photostatic copies thereof and the authenticity of the originals of such latter documents.

As to various questions of fact material to the opinions expressed below, we have, without independent third party verification of their accuracy, relied in part, and to the extent we deemed reasonably necessary or appropriate, upon the representations and warranties of the Company contained in such documents, records, certificates, instruments or representations furnished or made available to us by the Company, including the Registration Statement.

The Loev Law Firm, PC

June 28, 2013

In connection with rendering the opinions set forth below, we have assumed that (i) all information contained in all documents reviewed by us is true and correct; (ii) all signatures on all documents examined by us are genuine and all natural persons signing such documents have the legal capacity to do so; (iii) all documents submitted to us as originals are authentic and all documents submitted to us as copies conform to the originals of those documents; (iv) the Registration Statement and any subsequent amendments (including additional post-effective amendments), will have become effective, shall not have been terminated or rescinded and will comply with all applicable laws (including, but not limited to Section 10(a)(3) of the Securities Act); (v) all Securities will be issued and sold in compliance with applicable federal and state securities laws and in the manner specified in the Registration Statement and the applicable Prospectus Supplement; (vi) one or more Prospectus Supplements to the Prospectus contained in the Registration Statement will have been prepared and filed with the Commission describing the Securities offered thereby; (vii) a definitive purchase, underwriting or similar agreement with respect to any Securities offered will have been duly authorized and validly executed and delivered by the Company and the other parties thereto and forms of such agreement will have been included as an exhibit to the Registration Statement or the Company’s other filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”); (viii) any securities issuable upon conversion, exchange or exercise of any Warrants, Preferred Stock or Units being offered will have been duly authorized, created and, if appropriate, reserved for issuance upon such conversion, exchange or exercise; (ix) any shares of Common Stock and Preferred Stock issued pursuant to the Registration Statement from time to time shall not exceed the maximum authorized number of shares of Common Stock and Preferred Stock, as applicable, under the Certificate of Incorporation, as amended, then in effect, less any shares of Common Stock and Preferred Stock, as applicable, that may have been issued and are outstanding, or are reserved for issuance for other purposes, at such time; (x) at the time of the issuance of the Securities, (A) the Company will validly exist and will be duly qualified and in good standing under the laws of its respective jurisdiction of incorporation, (B) the Company will have the necessary corporate power and due authorization, and (C) the charter documents of the Company will be in full force and effect and will not have been amended, restated, supplemented or otherwise altered and there will not have been any authorization of any such amendments, restatements, supplements or other alterations since the date of this letter.

Based on the foregoing, and subject to the assumptions, qualifications, limitations, and exceptions set forth herein and having due regard for such legal considerations we deem relevant, we are of the opinion that:

1. With respect to shares of Common Stock, when both (a) the board of directors (the "Board") of the Company has taken all necessary corporate action to approve the issuance of and the terms of the offering of the shares of Common Stock and related matters and (b) certificates representing the shares of Common Stock have been duly executed, countersigned, registered, and delivered (or such Common Stock has been registered by book entry registration in the name of such purchaser, if uncertificated) either (i) in accordance with the applicable definitive purchase, underwriting, or similar agreement approved by the Board or such officers upon payment of the consideration therefor (not less than the par value of the Common Stock) provided for therein or (ii) upon conversion or exercise of any other Security, in accordance with the terms of such Security or the instrument governing such Security providing for such conversion or exercise as approved by the Board, for the consideration approved by the Board (not less than the par value of the Common Stock), then the shares of Common Stock will be legally issued, fully paid, and non-assessable;

2. With respect to the Preferred Stock, (a) when the Board has taken all necessary corporate action to approve the issuance and terms of the Preferred Stock, the terms of the offering thereof and related matters, including the adoption of a Certificate of Designation relating to the Preferred Stock and the filing of the Certificate of Designation with the Secretary of State of the State of Nevada, and (b) upon payment of the consideration therefor provided for in the applicable definitive purchase, underwriting or similar agreement, the Preferred Stock will be legally issued, fully paid, and non-assessable;

The Loev Law Firm, PC

June 28, 2013

3. With respect to the Warrants, when (a) the Board has taken all necessary corporate action to approve the creation of and the issuance and terms of the Warrants, the terms of the offering thereof, and related matters, (b) the agreements relating to the Warrants (forms of which have been filed with the SEC) have been duly authorized and validly executed and delivered by the Company and the Warrant Agent appointed by the Company (if applicable), and (c) the Warrants or certificates representing the Warrants have been duly executed, countersigned, registered, and delivered in accordance with the appropriate agreements relating to the Warrants and the applicable definitive purchase, underwriting, or similar agreement approved by the Board or such officers upon payment of the consideration therefor provided for therein, the Warrants will be legally issued and will constitute valid and binding obligations of the Company, enforceable against the Company in accordance with their terms except as such enforcement is subject to any applicable bankruptcy, insolvency (including, without limitation, all laws relating to fraudulent transfers), reorganization, moratorium and similar laws relating to or affecting creditors’ rights generally and to general equitable principles (regardless of whether enforcement is sought in a proceeding in equity or at law).

4. With respect to the Units, when (a) the Board has taken all necessary corporate action to approve the creation of and the issuance and terms of the Units, the terms of the offering thereof, and related matters, (b) the agreements relating to the Units (forms of which have been filed with the SEC) have been duly authorized and validly executed and delivered by the Company and any agent appointed by the Company (if applicable), and (c) the Units or certificates representing the Units have been duly executed, countersigned, registered, and delivered in accordance with the appropriate agreements relating to the Units and the applicable definitive purchase, underwriting, or similar agreement approved by the Board or such officers upon payment of the consideration therefor provided for therein, the Units will be legally issued and will constitute valid and binding obligations of the Company, enforceable against the Company in accordance with their terms except as such enforcement is subject to any applicable bankruptcy, insolvency (including, without limitation, all laws relating to fraudulent transfers), reorganization, moratorium and similar laws relating to or affecting creditors’ rights generally and to general equitable principles (regardless of whether enforcement is sought in a proceeding in equity or at law).

We express no opinion as to the laws of any state or jurisdiction other than the laws governing corporations of the State of Nevada and Texas (including applicable provisions of the Nevada and Texas Constitutions and reported judicial decisions interpreting such Laws and such Constitutions) and the federal laws of the United States of America. No opinion is expressed herein with respect to the qualification of the Shares under the securities or blue sky laws of any state or any foreign jurisdiction. We have made such examination of Nevada and Texas law as we have deemed relevant for purposes of this opinion. We express no opinion as to any county, municipal, city, town or village ordinance, rule, regulation or administrative decision.

This opinion (i) is rendered in connection with the filing of the Registration Statement, (ii) is rendered as of the date hereof, and we undertake no, and hereby disclaim any kind of, obligation to advise you of any change or any new developments that might affect any matters or opinions set forth herein, and (iii) is limited to the matters stated herein and no opinions may be inferred or implied beyond the matters expressly stated herein.

The Loev Law Firm, PC

June 28, 2013

We hereby consent to the filing of this opinion with the Securities and Exchange Commission as an exhibit to the Registration Statement and further consent to statements made therein regarding our firm and use of our name under the heading "Legal Matters" in the Prospectus constituting a part of such Registration Statement. In giving this consent, we do not thereby admit that we are within the category of persons whose consent is required under Section 7 of the Act or the rules and regulations of the Commission promulgated thereunder.

Sincerely,

/s/ The Loev Law Firm, PC

The Loev Law Firm, PC

EX-23.1 3 ex23-1.htm CONSENT OF LBB & ASSOCIATES LTD., LLP ex23-1.htm

Exhibit 23.1

LBB & ASSOCIATES LTD., LLP

10260 Westheimer Road, Suite 310

Houston, TX 77042

Phone: (713) 800-4343 Fax: (713) 456-2408

CONSENT OF INDEPENDENT REGISTERED PUBLIC ACCOUNTING FIRM

We consent to incorporation by reference in the Amendment No. 1 to Registration Statement on Form S-3 (File Number: 333-189107) of Vertex Energy, Inc. (the “Company”) of our Report dated March 20, 2013, relating to the consolidated financial statements of the Company, included in the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for its fiscal year ended December 31, 2012.

We also consent to the reference to our firm under the heading “Experts” appearing therein.

/s/ LBB & Associates Ltd., LLP

LBB & Associates Ltd., LLP

Houston, Texas

June 28, 2013

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