Evogene announced that it has formed a wholly owned subsidiary, Evofuel, in order to concentrate on seed development for the second-generation biofuel feedstock.
The new company, Evofuel, will handle the expansion and commercialization of a variety of castor beans for Brazil and will also look after the research and development works for biofuel in Israel.
The biodiesel production across the globe has been significantly increasing in the past few years, although the supply of feedstock does not meet the sustainability and economic requirements. Currently, feedstock like canola and soybean represent around 80% of the biodiesel production expenditure.
The biofuel work was started by Evogene in 2007 and focuses on the second generation feedstock expansion in order to serve as a cheap and sustainable oil source for the emerging biodiesel industry. Evofuel has planned to expand the activity to more potential feedstock for the bioethanol, biojet and biodiesel markets.
Field trials have been completed by Evogene on its improved varieties of castor in Brazil. SLC Agricola assisted the company in these trails. Both companies expanded their activity to speed up the growth of agronomical practices and good varieties appropriate for large-scale production, based on results that showed enhanced yield performance and potential during rain-fed conditions in northeastern Brazil.
Source: http://www.evogene.com/