Great Plains, Agragen announce camelina GMO partnership; camelina acreage doubles

In Montana, Great Plains, The Camelina Company announced a partnership with Agragen, a Finnish biotechnology company that genetically modifies Camelina sativa to increase oil content, viability in expanded locations, and resistance to disease, weeds and pests. Camelina meal is naturally high in protein and omega-3 fatty acids.

Agragen’s portfolio includes nine major Camelina-based patents, four patents pending, and numerous additional intellectual property licenses related to the improvement of Camelina.

Great Plains recently announced that it increased its contracted acreage by more than 200 percent versus 2008. The expected yield from this acreage provides commercial scale for what has been described by a major aviation manufacturer as one of the most promising sources for renewable fuel.

Last month, a lifecycle analysis of camelina-based jet fuel confirmed an emissions reduction of more than 80 percent compared to conventional jet fuel, and Boeing biofuels chief Billy Glover said that fuels from the renewable feedstock “performed as well if not better than traditional jet fuel during our test flight with Japan Airlines earlier this year”.

The low-input, high oil content feedstock, which can be grown in rotation with wheat in a substitute for the fallow period, continues to gain traction as a renewable fuel, and joins algae, jatropha, and salicornia as the renewable jet fuel feedstocks of choice. The lifecycle analysis was conducted for UOP, which manufactures drop-in jet fuel.

Camelina is currently grown primarily in the northern plains, and especially in Montana, but is being trialed around the US and discussions have been launched to trial it in other countries, including Argentina. Studies have shown that a wheat-camelina-wheat rotation produces more wheat than a wheat-fallow-rotation, making camelina a unique candidate for contributing to high availability of both food and fuel.

More on camelina:

Camelina jet fuel has 84 percent lower carbon emissions than convention fuels: report

Jatropha, algae, camelina and halophytes are the feedstocks of choice for aviation: Boeing

13 seed companies, producers band together to form the North American Camelina Trade Association

Former Soviet republics investigating native camelina as energy source

Camelina acreage drops by half in Montana as ‘08 wheat price boom retards growth of biodiesel feedstock

U of North Dakota, Great Plains partner to produce jet fuel, gasoline and diesel from camelina

Sustainable Oils receives FDA approval for camelina as livestock feed; improves biofuel production model

Special Biofuels Digest report on camelina