There is a biofuel that could easily have a bigger impact on oilseed farmers than biodiesel, says an agriculture industry official.
“Aviation fuel development from biosources is very much a market pull versus some of the ethanol and biodiesel development,” said Mike Cey, vice-president of corporate and business development with Ag-West Bio Inc., a catalyst for Saskatchewan’s bioeconomy.
Boeing, the world’s leading aerospace company, is keenly interested in jet fuel made from renewable feedstocks like camelina and brassica carinata, two new oilseed crops being developed for the Canadian prairies.
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The U.S. military has also expressed interest in filling a substantial portion of its jet fuel needs with renewable fuels.
“There is a fair bit of work being done in Canada and the U.S. privately and by government organizations on aviation fuel,” said Cey.
ASTM International, a company that develops standards related to oil products, has provisionally approved biofuel blends to power commercial flights. Once finalized, the specification will allow blends of up to 50 percent for fuel made from feedstocks such as camelina, jatropha or algae.
Cey said the airline industry is cognizant of the food versus fuel debate so it is focusing on making fuel from strictly industrial crops that can be grown on marginal land.
That’s why he believes crops such as camelina and brassica carinata have a brighter future in the biofuel arena than canola, which is a high-value food crop.
And the fuel won’t need government mandates or subsidies to be economical because the demand is already there.
Cey believes Saskatchewan is well equipped to become a leading player in the aviation biofuel arena.
The province is home to the only camelina and carinata breeder in the country, two start-up companies that are working with the crops and Ag-West Bio, which is leading a project to explore the overall feasibility of developing a crushing, processing and refining industry for the budding aviation biofuel sector.
Cey said the market for aviation biofuel could be large even within Canada, where 60 percent of aviation fuel is imported from the United States.
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