SG Biofuels launches technology for large-scale Jatropha hybrid seeds production

(ADPnews) - Oct 6, 2010 - US sustainable plant oil company SG Biofuels Inc today announced it had developed a technology for large-scale production of Jatropha hybrid seeds to boost yields and vigor and cut deployment and handling expenses.

"The ability to produce hybrid seeds at an industrial scale is game-changing and enables Jatropha to quickly become a major global feedstock," Kirk Haney, president and CEO of SG Biofuels, said.

The new technology will enable the company to significantly raise global Jatropha acreage and at the same time bring higher profitability for growers. SG Biofuels has already filed patent applications for it.

Jatropha curcas is a non-edible shrub that is native to Central America. Its seeds contain high amounts of oil that can be refined using existing technology to produce diesel fuel, jet fuel, and specialty chemicals. It can be effectively grown on marginal lands that are considered undesirable for other crops.

At the beginning of 2010, SG Biofuels and Life Technologies agreed to cooperate to further speed up the development of Jatropha with Life Technologies' biotechnology and synthetic biology tools. They have recently announced the completion of the sequence of the plant's genome.

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