Petrobras and the Federal University of Goiás (UFG) opened yesterday (10) Center of Excellence in Genetic Improvement of Sugar Cane in Cerrado, in Goiânia (GO). The technological enterprise composed of five laboratories, received investments of R$ 1.8 million, and aims to develop new varieties of sugar cane, better adapted to the soil and climate of the region, focusing also on genetic improvement aimed to cellulosic ethanol producing, the second generation of ethanol  which uses bagasse as raw material.

The Technology Manager of Petrobras Biocombustível, Norberto Noschang, said the importance of the research center in the Midwest of Brazil which is an important frontier for expansion of sugarcane cultivation in recent years. "The researches seek to build knowledge to ensure better quality in sugarcane fields, reducing costs, increasing competitiveness of ethanol produced in the region.".

The research focus will also be to the development of new varieties of sugar cane specifically for cellulosic ethanol production. The study is aligned with the company's commercial production of second generation ethanol project.

The center is part of the "Biotechnology and Applied Genomics to Improving Sugar Cane" project and will house infrastructure for the development of genomic selection tools within, Ridesa (Interuniversity Network for the Development of the sugar and alcohol sector) program conducted for ten federal universities, including the Federal University of Goiás, the building will house the following laboratories: Living and Growth Bioreactors, Living Reviews Physics and Chemistry, Laboratory of Nucleic Acid Extraction, Laboratory of Tissue Culture and Plant Genetics Laboratory and Plant genomics.