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Welcome To The Global Clean Energy Holdings HUB On AGORACOM
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Message: Businessweek on jatropha
LONG BEACH, Calif., Jan. 6, 2011 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Today, Global Clean Energy
Holdings (OTCBB:
GCEH) announced the establishment of a new non-profit research
organization: The Center for Sustainable Energy Farming (
www.CfSEF.org). The Center's
mission is to perform cutting-edge plant science research in genetics, breeding and horticulture,
and further develop technologies to allow for the economic commercialization and sustainability
of energy farms globally. The Center will initially focus on
Jatropha curcas, a promising 2nd and
3
rd generation biodiesel and bio-jet fuel feedstock species.
Research at the Center will be focused on increasing agricultural production; creating a
sustainable feedstock supply; reducing inputs including the use of fossil fuel, pesticides, water
and fertilizer, and developing new and sustainable biofuels. In furtherance of the P
3 (People,
Planet, & Profit) concept, the Center's work will strive to improve the quality of life of the
farming communities, and preserve and renew the environment through the application of plant
science and biotechnology, while generating sustainable profits for the farmers and other
stakeholders.
Dr. Mark Guiltinan, Professor of Plant Molecular Biology and Director of the Plant Science
Center at the Huck Institute of Life Sciences at The Pennsylvania State University, will serve as
the Center's Chief Scientific Officer. "It is our vision that this Center will help facilitate the
development of industry and scientific partnerships, and provide a common research platform
from which a new generation of sustainable biofuels can be produced," Guiltinan remarked. "To
develop truly sustainable biofuel feedstock production systems, it will take the coordinated
efforts of scientists with expertise in a wide array of interdisciplinary fields such as plant
genetics and breeding, entomology, soil sciences, agronomy, plant pathology, environmental and
social sciences as well as agricultural technologies." Initially, the Center will focus on
Jatropha
curcas
as a feedstock species for the development of the model bioenergy farms of the
future. "Jatropha is of particular interest for its high quality oil and suitability for production of
renewable fuels, and it holds a tremendous potential for future improvements," said Dr.
Guiltinan. "This could be one of the first crops domesticated and improved using the techniques
and tools of modern genomics."
Jatropha is a non-food crop that is indigenous to Mesoamerica, and attempts have been made to
commercially propagate the species in several tropical locations. "While the plant is capable of
growing on marginal soils with minimal inputs of agrichemicals, fertilizers and water; to produce
the level of yield that is needed to make it viable and scalable, it needs to be grown in a
commercial setting and professionally managed," said Richard Palmer , CfSEF's Chief
Executive Officer. He added: "To become mainstream commodities, bio-feedstocks need to be
economically sustainable without government subsidies. This cannot be accomplished through
plant genetics alone; it requires a comprehensive, systems approach. This is not a competition
between geneticists; it is a global problem that needs a collaborative solution. We formed the
Center to provide a platform to facilitate that collaboration and to leverage on research efforts
that have already accomplished by ourselves and others."
The Center's goal is to triple Jatropha farming productivity (yield) within ten years, while
significantly reducing inputs. These improvements will be accomplished through a combination
of plant biotechnology, focused breeding, agronomic research, and improved horticultural
technologies and practices. This will result in leading-edge growing methods that are
environmentally friendly. "We feel this is an attainable goal, considering the successes with other
crops, which have achieved large production increases through genomics and structured breeding
programs," says Dr. Siela Maximova, Research Associate Professor at Penn State University and
the Center's Director of Research. "Scientists from the Horticulture Department at Penn State
have been working with this plant for a number of years and have contributed to the
establishment of a Field Research Station with Global Clean Energy Holdings on their
commercial farm in Mexico. This field station will be instrumental to the Center for the practical
application of its research work. We are very excited about the short and long-term potential of
this plant."
The Center has received initial funding through its industry partner, Global Clean Energy
Holdings, Inc. and a significant grant from a leading global industrial company. The Center will
continue to seek additional funding from new industry partnerships, and donations from private
and public agencies supporting plant science, international agricultural, energy and social
development projects.
The Center recently entered into a Master Research Agreement with The Pennsylvania State
University ("Penn State") and plans to offer grants to interdisciplinary collaborating scientists
and research institutions. Global Clean Energy Holdings, Inc. will continue to promote this
research by supporting the field research station already established in Mexico to be used by the
Center.
About The Pennsylvania State University:
Penn State is a multi-campus public research university that educates students from
Pennsylvania, the nation and the world, and improves the well-being and health of individuals
and communities through integrated programs of teaching, research, and service. Its'
instructional mission includes undergraduate, graduate, professional, and continuing education
offered through both resident instruction and online delivery. Its' research, scholarship, and
creative activity promote human and economic development, global understanding, and progress
in professional practice through the expansion of knowledge and its applications in the natural
and applied sciences, social sciences, arts, humanities, and the professions. As Pennsylvania's
land-grant university, it engages in collaborative activities with industrial, educational, and
agricultural partners here and abroad to generate, disseminate, integrate, and apply knowledge
that is valuable to society. More information regarding Penn State University can be found at
.
About Global Clean Energy Holdings:
Global Clean Energy Holdings, Inc. is an emerging renewable agri-energy company focused on
the production of non-food based feedstocks used as replacement for fossil fuels. More
information regarding Global Clean Energy Holdings, Inc. can be found at
www.gceholdings.com
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