Sustainable Oils wins Navy camelina jet fuel contract; 40K gallons, option for 150K more
In Montana, Sustainable Oils, a producer of camelina-based fuels, announced that it has been awarded a contract by the Defense Energy Support Center for 40,000 gallons of camelina-based jet fuel.
The fuel will be delivered to the Naval Air Systems Command fuels team in 2009 and will support the Navy’s certification testing program of alternative fuels. The contract includes an option to supply up to an additional 150,000 gallons of camelina-based jet fuel.
Camelina was selected by the DESC because it does not compete with food crops, has been proven to reduce carbon emissions by more than 80 percent, and has already been successfully tested in a commercial airline test flight. In addition, camelina has naturally high oil content, is drought tolerant and requires less fertilizer and herbicides.
It is an excellent rotation crop with wheat, and it can also grow on marginal land. Camelina has also been proven to significantly reduce carbon emissions in aviation fuel. A life cycle analysis (LCA) of jet fuel created from camelina conducted at Michigan Tech University in conjunction with UOP LLC, a Honeywell Company, and Sustainable Oils found that the renewable fuel reduces carbon emissions by 80 percent compared to petroleum jet fuel.
Camelina is the most readily available renewable fuel feedstock that meets the Navy’s criteria, with the ability to scale up acreage to meet demand. The camelina for the contract was primarily grown in 2009 and harvested recently by farmers in Montana. The company also has several field trials in Washington state.
Sustainable Oils has the largest camelina research program in the nation. The company’s camelina breeding program began in 2005 and has steadily expanded to include more than 140 trials across North America from 2005-2009. The company is also evaluating more than 90 breeding populations of camelina to analyze agronomic and oil qualities and to develop new high-yielding varieties.
In January, Sustainable Oils sourced the camelina for Japan Airlines’ historic biojet demonstration flight, whose biofuel blend was comprised primarily of camelina. In August, camelina performed under high-test conditions in a 100 percent blend of fuel powering the Boeing U-787 hydroplane in a series of demonstration laps at the Seafair Cup in Seattle.
The upcoming Navy tests are part of a larger effort to test and certify promising biofuels in support of the Navy and Department of Defense’s strategy to enhance energy security and reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
Camelina as a biofuel feedstock
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.
Special Biofuels Digest report on camelina
In Pennsylvania, biodiesel producer Hero BX said it is researching a Pennsylvania-grown camelina feedstock operation to diversify its feedstocks sources while encouraging Pennsylvania based feedstocks. The company is working with Great Plains — The Camelina Company on development, and noted that Pennsylvania has 200,000 of land unusable for food production, which could be returned to production with the introduction of camelina. “Camelina is not ‘the’ answer, but it is a step in the right direction,” said Kosar.
In Wisconsin, JR Camelina Seed Company has commenced harvesting of its first camelina crop, and will use the harvested seed to plant “thousands of acres” throughout Wisconsin next year, according to local reports. The initial plot for seed harvesting is located in Calumet County.
The camelina is expected to become feedstock for a proposed biodiesel plant in Holland, and the company said that it has commitments from 15 local farmers to grow the crop, but said it is seeking other growers, with a goal of securing 500 tons of feedstock for the production of camelina oil.
In Washington, one of Sustainable Oils’ parent companies, Targeted Growth, was the subject of a “50 Hottest Companies in Bioenergy” candidate profile in Biofuels Digest.
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.
Last May, 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”.
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
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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
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