Camelina
Camelina, known as false flax or
gold-of-pleasure is a spring-planted crop species. Although camelina has been
cultivated in Europe since the Bronze Age (Schultze-Motel 1979), it is an
underexploited oilseed crop at present (1996). Recent interest in the species
is mainly due to the demand for alternative low-input oilseed crops with the
potential for a non-food utilization of the seed oil. Camelina oil has a unique
fatty acid pattern and is characterized by a linolenic acid content of 30% to
40% and an eicosenic acid content of around 15%, with less than 4% erucic acid,
which suggests a utilization of the seed oil as a drying oil with
environmentally safe painting and coating applications similarly to linseed
oil. Seed oil content averages at 37% by weight.
Camelina Cultivation
Cultivation of crops in UK, France,
Germany & Spain:
The following countries have
expressed scientific interest in Camelina sativa. Austria, Belgium, Denmark,
Finland, Freance, Germany, Italy, Netherlands, Spain and UK (IENICA 2000)
In recent years camelina sativa was
cultivated in Austria on about 50 ha set aside land as a raw material for
liquid biofuel production. On good soils, 2,600 kg/ha (wet weight) was
harvested. Camelina, is already grown as an oilseed to a limited extent in the
UK (e.g. In Devon, UK (south) )on 8 April 1986 yielded 1.7 tonnes of seed per
ha in August (5), and at Reading, UK yields from winter sown plots show a
30-40% yield advantage over spring sown plots .
There have been scattered
hectareages in Europe mostly in Germany, Poland and the USSR. Some attempts
were made in the 1980s at germplasm screening & plant breeding (e.g. Enge
& Olsson, 1986). Some Camelina is already being grown on set-aside in
Germany.
Yield:
Camelina has yield potential similar
to many other members of the Brassica family. While the yield of other
Brassicas has been significantly increased. In places like Montana, camelina is
expected to yield 1,800 to 2,000 lb/acre seed in areas with 16 to 18 inches of
rainfall , and 900 to 1,700 lb/acre with
13 to 15 inches of rainfall. Three years of yield trials at Moscow, Idaho show
a 2,100 to 2,400 lb/acre seed yield potential with 25 inches of rainfall
Camelina Cost:
In Montana, over 20,000 acres of
camelina were planted in 2006. Yields between 900-2,200 lbs/acre when planted
at 2.5-3 lbs/ acre were achieved. Production costs average $45�$68/acre. The break even cost for
camelina ($1.23) is lower than canola ($4.33) and spring wheat ($1.81) in
Montana. Great Northern Growers cooperative was formed to collectively market
camelina. They sell most of their camelina to the cosmetics industry.
Advantages of Camelina
·
Camelina as an ideal biodiesel
feedstock is a true sustainable crop as it is not a food crop, has a high
energy conversion ratio and can be grown on marginal land.
·
About 90% of fatty acids in camelina
oil is unsaturated.
·
Camelina requires low input costs
and no in-season maintenance. Camelina has lower fertilizer and pesticide
requirements, the production cost is substantially lower than many other oil
crops such as rapeseed, corn, and soybean
·
Adapted to a wide range of climates.
Camelina is a crop well-suited for the harsh weather conditions of the Plains.
It would be well suited to the short season growing area of the Peace River
region.
·
Camelina can reduce disease, insect
and weed pressure in wheat fields planted the following year, as it is an
excellent rotation crop.
Disadvantages of Camelina:
- The high percentage of polyunsaturated fatty acids
makes Camelina oil more susceptible to oxidation and thus is undesirable
for fuel
- The small seed size may cause handling difficulties at
sowing.
- A study showed Camelina cannot produce an economic
yield in Ireland where the use of herbicides and fungicides are excluded.
The mild, wet winters in Ireland result in very high levels of weed competition.
Use
- Camelina oil can be used in both edible and industrial
products.
- Camelina could be an ideal low-input crop suitable for
bio-diesel production, due to its lower requirements for nitrogen
fertilizer than oilseed rape
- Due to the fact that Camelina oil is rich in omega-3
fatty acids and low in saturated fatty acids, Camelina is considered
high-quality edible oil.
- Emollient used in skin care creams and moisturizers
- Excellent additional to hair care products
Camelina - Commercial &
Companies
Sustainable Oils
Sustainable Oils, Inc. is a producer and marketer of renewable, environmentally
clean, and high-value Camelina-based biodiesel fuel. A joint venture between
Targeted Growth, Inc., a renewable energy bioscience company, and Green Earth
Fuels, a vertically integrated biodiesel energy company, Sustainable Oils is
focused on the continued research and development of dedicated energy crops
such as Camelina. Sustainable Oils solidly supports both agricultural and green
energy initiatives with Camelina, which is efficiently and economically grown
on marginal lands, harvested with traditional equipment, and requires minimal
water and fertilizer.
Targeted Growth, Inc.
Targeted Growth, Inc. (TGI), an innovator in agricultural yield enhancement
technologies, announced the closing of its $10 million private financing from
new and existing investors. New investor, Investment Saskatchewan, led the
round, with a strong syndicate of new and existing investors also participating
including GrowthWorks Canadian Fund Ltd, Integra Ventures, and WRF Capital.
This brings the total capital raised to date for TGI to $17.4 million.
Green Earth Fuels, LLC
Kinder Morgan Energy Partners, L.P. (NYSE: KMP) today announced plans to invest
up to $100 million to expand its terminal facilities to help serve the growing
biodiesel market. KMP has entered into long-term agreements with Green Earth
Fuels, LLC to build up to 1.3 million barrels of tankage that will handle
approximately 8 million barrels of biodiesel production at KMP's terminals on
the Houston Ship Channel, the Port of New Orleans and in New York Harbor. Green
Earth Fuels has agreed to build biodiesel production facilities at various KMP
terminal sites in these regions and has already begun construction on an 86
million gallon facility at KMP's Galena Park Terminal on the Houston Ship
Channel
