SG Biofuels and Bunge Form Strategic Alliance to process Jatropha crude oil sustainable

SAN DIEGO, CA (November 10, 2010) - SG Biofuels, bioenergy crop company developing and producing elite seeds of Jatropha, today announced its strategic partnership with Bunge North America, the North American operating arm of Bunge Limited (NYSE: BG), to research and develop a model to process Jatropha seeds for biofuel feedstock.

The president and CEO of SG Biofuels, Kirk Haney, made the announcement today at the Advanced Biofuels Markets Conference & Expo in San Francisco, California.

Bunge, a global leader in oilseed processing, joins the team of industry-leading partners, including Flint Hills Resources, a leading refining and petrochemical and completely owned by Koch Industries, Life Technologies Corporation, a global biotechnology tools, and others that are collaborating with SG Biofuels to develop Jatropha as a viable source of sustainable crude vegetable oil and cost-effective.

"This partnership and our ability to provide world-class processing to our customers, are essential components that ensure the success of Jatropha plantations on a large scale globally, " said Haney. "The successful development of a market for Jatropha requires that all aspects of the value chain are met, from crop science and agricultural techniques suitable to processing and refining. Bunge, together with Life Technologies and Flint Hills Resources, provide a fully integrated platform from which our customers can develop, produce and benefit from large volumes of crude Jatropha oil. "

Jatropha curcas is a non-edible shrub native to Central America. Its seeds contain high amounts of oil can be processed to produce high-energy feedstock quality, among other uses. It can be successfully grown on marginal lands considered undesirable for food production.

The integrated approach of breeding and biotechnology SG Biofuels forms the basis for JMax Optimization Platform, giving research agencies, small farmers and producers access to the germplasm collection of the company, the sequence of the genome of Jatropha curcas, molecular markers and advanced tools of biotechnology and synthetic biology to optimize elite Jatropha cultivars for unique growing conditions in the world.

SG Biofuels has introduced JMax 100 elite cultivar optimized for growing conditions in Guatemala, with projected yields 100 percent greater than existing commercial varieties. The company also recently announced it has developed the technology for hybrid seed production, resulting in greater yield, uniformity and vigor while significantly reducing operating and transportation costs for producers.

SB Biofuels is a bioenergy crop company using enhancements and fully integrated biotechnology to develop and produce elite seeds of Jatropha. With the largest and most diverse collection of world Jatropha genetic material, SG Biofuels is turning the opportunities of Jatropha into reality through a team of world-class leadership, art science and genetics and expertise in agronomy and plantation management . SG Biofuels has been named one of the Top 50 Companies in Bioenergy by Biofuels Digest and emerging cleantech companies Always On Top 100. For more information visit

Source: www.sgbiofuels.com