posted by Sumukee @ 1:15 AM |
Thursday, March 25, 2010
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The Malaysian government recently announced that by 2011, all vehicles in Kualampur will run on a 5% blend of palm-oil mixed with diesel. This has been delayed over the past few years due to price fluctuations.
Malaysia is the world's second-largest exporter of palm oil after Indonesia, and the two countries account for 85 percent of global production. Being the world's second-largest palm oil producer, this plan will be soon implemented in stages in several central states from June 2011 and the extra costs which incur will be borne by the petroleum companies. The fortunes of Malaysia's biofuel industry waned in late 2008 when the price of crude oil tumbled, triggering a crash in the palm oil price which made supply uncertain, jeopardizing the long-term contracts and the industry needs.
The Malaysian government is very keen on implementing this as soon as practical as they very strongly believe The policy will benefit the country as biofuel is environmentally friendly and it will reduce the country’s dependence on petroleum diesel. It will also strengthen the palm oil prices and enable the planters, especially smallholders, to benefit from the stronger palm oil price. The ministry said it will discuss the implementation mechanism with petroleum companies, while the government will set up six petroleum depots with blending facilities.
The government has said the switch to biofuel will help reduce the cost of fuel in Malaysia, where petrol is subsidised, but conservationists have criticised oil palm plantations for destroying wildlife habitats. One of the challenges is meeting the sustainability criteria that are being debated worldwide .Malaysia -- which aims to be the global leader in biodiesel -- has approved 56 licences for biodiesel production, which account for a production capacity of 6.8 million tonnes.
Full ArticleLabels: Biodiesel, Biofuels, carbon emissions, energy
posted by Mak @ 10:47 PM |
Wednesday, July 15, 2009
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Here is an article on "
Biodiesel Benefits for Cattle Producers" by Greg Lardy, Ph.D., prepared for the Western Organization of Resource Councils.He has given the list of projeted oil yields and biodiesel yields from various oilseeds.
| Oilseed | Fat content, % | Pounds of Oil per Ton | Pounds of Biodiesel 1 | Gallons of Biodiesel2 |
| Camelina | 40.4 | 808 | 808 | 110.7 |
| Canola | 40.5 | 810 | 810 | 111 |
| Mustard | 34.4 | 688 | 688 | 94.2 |
| Safflower | 32 | 640 | 640 | 87.7 |
| Sunflower | 41.9 | 838 | 838 | 114.8 |
| Soybeans | 19.2 | 384 | 384 | 52.6 |
1 all oil is extracted from the meal. 100 pounds of oil plus 10 pounds of methanol yields 100 pounds of biodiesel and 10 pounds of crude glycerol.
2 Assuming 7.3 pounds per gallon
full article hereLabels: Biodiesel, camelina, oil
posted by Mak @ 10:22 PM |
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Camelina oil has good potential for food and industrial use. The oil contains about 64 percent polyunsaturated, 30 percent monounsaturated, and 6 percent saturated fatty acids. Importantly, camelina oil is very high in alpha-linolenic acid (ALA), an omega-3 fatty acid which is essential in human and animal diets and has important implications for human health. The oil also contains high levels of gamma-tocopherol (vitamin E) which confers a reasonable shelf life without the need for special storage conditions. The unique properties of camelina oil could lead to development of a wide array of high value markets for the oil and its components in foods, feeds, cosmetics and industrial products (biolubricants). Some ideas currently being researched include:
- Nutritional: Using camelina oil to increase the nutritional value of a range of baked foods such as bread, and spreads including peanut butter.
- Health: Potential health benefits of omega-3 from camelina oil are being evaluated in a breast cancer risk study for overweight or obese postmenopausal women.
- Biodiesel: Camelina biodiesel has been produced and evaluated by commercial biodiesel manufacturers including Core IV, Wyoming Biodiesel, Peaks and Prairies and Great Northern Growers. Camelina biodiesel performance appears to be equal in value and indistinguishable from biodiesel produced from other oilseed crops such as soybean.
- Biolubricant: Camelina oil can be converted to a wax ester that will replace more expensive and less available Jojoba waxes in a range of industrial and cosmetic products.
- Soil and seed amendments: The gum layer that surrounds each camelina seed can be removed and utilized as a seed coating for other seeds to improve their germination in challenging environments. Camelina gum also has the potential to be used as a soil amendment to stabilize exposed soils for erosion control as in road construction.
see moreLabels: Biodiesel, camelina, oil
posted by Mak @ 3:03 AM |
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Here is the results of a project conducted by researchers at Crops Research Centre, Oak Park, Ireland. The aim of the project was to examine the potential of alternative vegetable oils, oil wastes or animal fats as bio-diesel feedstocks, and the performance of road vehicles using bio-diesel blends made from these materials. Three feedstock materials were considered: waste cooking oil from the catering industry, Camelina oil, and beef tallow.
They have showed that the oil yield from Camelina sativa is similar to that of rape, but it requires lower fertiliser and pesticide inputs, which leads to a lower cost and a more favourable energy ratio.
They have also provided the low-temperature properties of blends of waste cooking oil ester and mineral diesel( refer the following table).The ester yields for camelina oil were higher than for waste cooking oil. The fuel properties of the methyl ester were also within specifications with the exception of cold filter plug point (CFPP).
| Camelina
ester % | Mineral
diesel % | Cloud
point oC | CFPP
oC | Pour
point oC |
| 100 | 0 | +3 | -3 | -4 |
| 80 | 20 | +3 | -7 | -6 |
| 60 | 40 | +3 | -9 | -9 |
| 40 | 60 | +3 | -11 | -12 |
| 20 | 80 | +3 | -13 | <-18 |
| 0 | 100 | +3 | -15 | <-21 |
see moreLabels: Biodiesel, camelina, oil, research
posted by Sumukee @ 12:00 AM |
Friday, July 10, 2009
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The main problem the aviation industry is facing is the amount of carbon emissions . The only solution to curb this issue is to switch over to biofuels , specifically switching over to Camlina. I think from this moment I can be called a big –time Camelina fan.
Camelina is indeed one of the most promising sources for renewable fuels ever. The aviation industry is widely using camelina biofuels for many test flights and almost 80 % of these tests re proved successful. (
Earlier post) . If I am not wrong, I remember reading an article published by the green energy congress that the Camelina have drastically reduced the green house emissions. A life cycle analysis was performed on Camelina in April 2009 to check if it was the right choice fas a jet and aircraft fuel . And yes, It showed green signal on all the flight tests and also research reveal that Camelina is the best option and may be even a better option than what is available today.
The quickest way to reduce carbon emissions from aviation is to begin replacing petroleum fuel with fuel made from renewable and sustainable camelina oil. The acreage that have been contracted for 2009 will be used to continue to develop the promising biojet market It is very strongly beleived that no other potential feedstock can provide as much fuel in as short a horizon.
Future research might investigate camelina seed feedstock supply chain more thoroughly, and focus on a detailed investigation of farming practices to reduce N2O emissions from soils. Another important research question is to investigate camelina cultivation methods to assure that no adverse land use change impacts will result from biofuels production.—Shonnard and Koers (2009)Labels: Biodiesel, biofuel, camelina
posted by Sumukee @ 8:20 PM |
Wednesday, July 8, 2009
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I think by now most of you would have realized
Camelina is indeed a miracle crop. However, as I said there are quite a few bottlenecks we are facing to commercialize Camelina fuel. Here are the of bottlenecks we are facing to make Camelina a biodiesel plant.The most critical is the price and availability of commercial-scale quantities of second generation feedstock.” Additionally, more farmers need to be convinced to grow a new crop, and refiners must want to process it.And again there are many farmers who are really not very confident on investing in such a crop because as far as they are concerned this is a kinda weed not a crop. In my opinion,there are a few steps which should be taken to commercialize this oleaginous crop:
* The farmers should be given enough education about the long-term benefits of this miracle crop.
* Camelina can accustom to any sort of weather conditions, so why not try growing it wherever possible.I am totally ignorant if any issue will arise by doing so .
* Profits made by the grower in the long-run.
* Awareness should be created to people that these oleaginous plants can yield more than the oil yielded by rapeseed, corn or soy.
* Investment opportunities should be brought into light.
If all the above points are kept in mind, we can at least make an attempt to commercialize this crop. Hey guys!1 I would very much appreciate any inputs from your side in this context.
see more Labels: Biodiesel, biofuel, camelina
posted by Sumukee @ 7:24 PM |
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As promised, here are some more evidences as to why Camelina can be used as a biofuel crop. As I mentioned in my previous post, Camelina can be used as a rotation crop with wheat and some farmers report that the yield of the wheat crop also increases to about 15% after the Camelina rotation.
Apparently, it is even expected that this miracle crop can yield about two times motre than the soy crops. Moreover, this mustard family crop contains high quantities which make it a excellent source of food for livestock.
In my opinion, if someone could use Camelina to get oil as well as use it as a livestock feed, why not use it. Actually I think I know why?? There are quite a few bottlenecks we are facing and I am pretty much sure that all those bottlenecks can be removed if one is serious about Camelia.
Coming up next are the bottlenecks faced by the Camelina biofuel crop and a few suggestions as to how these BIG bottlenecks can be overcome.
Labels: Biodiesel, biofuel, camelina
posted by Sumukee @ 12:33 AM |
Thursday, July 2, 2009
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Sustainable Oils, Inc, a producer and marketer of renewable, environmentally clean, and high-value
camelina-based biodiesel .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 40 trials across North America in 2008. 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. Oflate they have planned to develop a Camelina industry in North America.
For those interested-
Full reportLabels: Biodiesel, camelina, sustainabile
posted by Sumukee @ 7:40 PM |
Thursday, June 18, 2009
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Farmers in the warmer countries are being asked to grow weeds such as
Camelina, penycress and other oil yielding weeds that help making biodiesel. Some farmers ,when asked to grow these "stink weeds"- that's how they call these plants,were shocked as they didn't realize its potential earlier. They were eradicating them for cultivation of other food -crops.
For those interested -
Full articleLabels: Biodiesel, camelina
posted by Mak @ 10:31 PM |
Tuesday, May 19, 2009
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A science project of Students at Stanley-Boyd High School, Stanley, Wisconsin could help a local school district to make it's own bio-fuel. The project will be run entirely by the students and the FFA (Future Farmers of America).
Last spring the district bought 80 acres next to the School for Agriculture Education. Instead of growing corn or beans, district officials decided to try something different.The
Camelina seeds have barely broken through the soil and the Canola seeds haven't even sprouted yet.
The students say they expect to produce about 450 gallons of bio-diesel next year. That's only a drop in the bucket considering the district spends about $80,000 a year to fuel its buses.They plan to start small, get through the process, learn the procedure, get the kinks out,if things go well next year they might do more.They also say they plan to blend the bio-diesel with ethanol which will be donated by Ace Ethanol in Stanley.
see more
Labels: Biodiesel, camelina, Ethanol
posted by Mak @ 9:07 PM |
Wednesday, February 18, 2009
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There's a new player fueling the alternative energy market and it's picking up speed as fossil fuels continue to fall short. Camelina, an oilseed crop in the same family as mustard, is currently being grown throughout the United States and Canada and crushed to produce biodiesel by Great Plains-The Camelina Company.
With several crushing partners in North America, Great Plains has produced more than 10 million road miles of camelina biodiesel to date, and plans to boost production to 100 million gallons by the year 2012.
Camelina offers a solution for reaching this biodiesel production goal by providing a sustainable, low-input biofuel feedstock option that does not interfere with food production. Camelina is virtually 100 percent efficient. It can be harvested and crushed for oil and the remaining parts can be used to produce high quality omega-3 rich animal feed, fiberboard and glycerin.
see moreLabels: Biodiesel, Chinese Tallow, Companies
posted by Mak @ 8:45 PM |
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In many respects, the tallow tree offers the ideal energy crop for biodiesel production along the gulf coast. It thrives in wet areas that cannot be farmed profitably with conventional crops. It has few insect pests and diseases and is tolerant of salt, prolonged flooding and occasional freezing temperatures. It has low nutrient and other management requirements. These characteristics as well as the tallow tree’s exceptional ability to produce high-quality vegetable oil underscore its commercial potential as a low-input, high-return biodiesel crop.
Tallow seeds contain 45-60 percent vegetable oil, about two to three times the amount found in an equivalent weight of soybeans. Yields average 12,500 pounds of seeds per acre containing 2,300 pounds of stillingia oil, 2,500 pounds of wax, 1,400 pounds of protein concentrate, 982 pounds of fibrous coat and 4,000 pounds of shell (endocarp). Per acre, these oil yields are 15 times more than soybeans, 10 times more than sunflower or safflower, seven times more than peanuts and five times more than rape seed. Annual commercial production averages about 645 gallons – the equivalent of 15.4 barrels of oil per acre. Some experts cite figures as high as 970 gallons or 23.1 barrels of oil per acre.
see moreLabels: Biodiesel, Chinese Tallow
posted by Mak @ 8:23 PM |
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Biodiesel Magazine reports on a new potential biodiesel feedstock, the Chinese tallow tree. It is said to be a potential algae-as-feedstock rival if yield reports of 1,000 gallons of oil per acre are true. Although it is known as an invasive nuisance tree, it does have potential for oil extraction from both its seeds and its woody biomass. The tallow tree holds great promise in its oil-for-biodiesel content, so research is underway on how to use this plant to its fullest ability. Time will tell which view wins in this debated tree’s usefulness.
Full article hereLabels: Biodiesel, Chinese Tallow
