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SG Biofuels Grows Its Staff, Expands Headquarters and Labs

SG BIOFUELS INC.

President and CEO: Kirk Haney.

Revenue: Not disclosed.

No. of employees: 70.

Investors: Thomas, McNerney & Partners, Finistere Ventures, Life Technologies Corp. and Flint Hills Resources.

Headquarters: Sorrento Mesa.

Year founded: 2007.

Company description: Energy crop company developing and delivering high performance bioenergy solutions for the renewable fuel, biomass and chemicals markets.

Critical success factors: Improving yields and reducing input costs for production of crude Jatropha oil; developing adapted hybrids for unique growing conditions; and hiring and scaling operations to meet significant growth.

SG Biofuels Inc., which genetically engineers and grows hybrid varieties of the inedible crop Jatropha to produce low-cost biofuel for airplanes and industrial use, has united its corporate and scientific staff and facilities at one location in Sorrento Mesa.

The 60,000-square-foot headquarters includes labs for plant biotechnology and genomics research, a greenhouse and offices.

Since Jatropha thrives only in subtropical environments, SGB grows the plant in India and South America, not California.

Since completing its $17 million series B financing in January, SGB, a privately held company established in 2007, has expanded its staff to 70 by hiring directors for seed supply chain, corporate development and breeding as well as a chief operating officer.

“We’re growing quickly,” said Brian Brokowski, vice president of communications at SGB, named one of San Diego’s 30 Coolest Companies by the San Diego Venture Group.

In addition to providing more space for research, the new headquarters will support SGB’s expanding research and commercial operations in India, Brazil and Guatemala, Jatropha’s country of origin.

From Jatropha to Jet Fuel

The Brazilian consortium Jetbio, which includes Airbus, Air BP Ltd., TAM Linhas Aereas and other groups, has turned to SGB to accelerate the production of crude Jatropha oil as a source for aviation fuel in Brazil, Brokowski said.

SGB is working with Bioventures Brasil, an energy crop project developer, and other consortium members on a multiphased program to plant SGB hybrid seeds adapted to a 75,000 acre area in Brazil. Air New Zealand Ltd. has positively evaluated jet fuel in which oil from Jatropha has been blended, he said.

Steven Briggs, Ph.D., professor of cell and developmental biology at UC San Diego, said, “One of the most exciting things about SGB is that they already have varieties that can produce jet fuel at commercial scale and cost.” Briggs is co-editor of the scientific journal The Plant Cell.

SGB also has established a seed production facility in Guatemala to produce large volumes of the company’s hybrid Jatropha seed for planting in that country. To domesticate Jatropha so that it can be used as a biofuel source, SGB turned to biotechnology and genomics and established the world’s largest and most diverse biobank of the plant’s DNA, Brokowski said.

To determine the DNA that promote plant growth and yield, SGB collected native Jatropha in Guatemala for genomic sequencing by the company’s San Diego-based scientists in collaboration with Carlsbad-based Life Technologies Corp., an investor in the company. By deciphering the collected plants’ DNA, scientists identified 12,000 different genotypes, or DNA blueprints.

Increasing Yield

SGB scientists have been tweaking Jatropha’s DNA to generate seeds that produce genetically hybrid plants that are hardier and yield larger amounts of fuel than do native varieties.

Jatropha grows on marginal land that is not suitable for food production, Brokowski pointed out. “India and Brazil have vast amounts of marginal land.” Since marginal land differs in soil, climate and other factors, SGB also is creating Jatropha hybrids that thrive in different environmental conditions.

“The opening of our new facility and expansion of our operations brings to reality our vision to establish a world-class global crop improvement platform supported by state-of-the-art plant biotechnology and genomics,” Kirk Haney, SGB president and CEO, commented in the announcement.

“We’re continuing to see strong market demand and are excited to have a headquarters and research center that can fully support our global operations and help customers secure large volumes of low cost plant oils, biomass and alternatives to petroleum,” Haney added.

Cathy Yarbrough is a freelance writer for the San Diego Business Journal.

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