Turning Camelina Into a Renewable Fuel Source

Montana-based Sustainable Oils, a subsidiary of Global Clean Energy, is working with EarthDaily Agro to reintroduce camelina crops into the United States as a feedstock for sustainable renewable diesel fuel.  In addition to creating an ultra-low carbon renewable fuel, camelina provides benefits to crop input manufacturers, distributors, growers, the soil, and the environment.

To date, camelina acres are tiny compared to corn, soybeans, and wheat, but Kevin Monk, Vice President of Ag Technology for Sustainable Oils, says the company knows it’s not going to replace those row crops.  Instead, Sustainable Oils is looking for ways to partner with those crops by targeting two main growing periods: those following wheat-fallow rotations (where camelina could be planted in place of fallow) and those double crop areas that would benefit from a short-season, overwinter crop – both of which are ideal conditions for camelina.

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“Camelina has all the advantages of cover crops, including improving soil health and adding biomass into the soil,” Monk said. “At the same time, growers are able to harvest it, providing added revenue. We’re planning on scaling up quickly and working with farmers to grow more camelina in our target regions of the U.S., improving soil health while helping to generate more sustainable renewable fuel feedstocks.”

And that’s where EarthDaily Agro comes in. They are partnering with Global Clean Energy and Sustainable Oils to help position camelina as a dynamic and growing part of the renewable fuel marketplace. EarthDaily Agro, a subsidiary of EarthDaily Analytics, will provide Earth Observation services and value-added analytics to drive cultivation efficiencies, substantiate yield modeling, and effectively mitigate risks. Their crop/yield modeling services can help expand the number of acres camelina is grown on.

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“Scalability is something that we can bring to the table,” said Dave Gebhardt, Ph.D., EarthDaily Agro’s General Manager. “We’re an ag company that does technology, not a technology company trying to figure out ag. To scale the crop, genetic improvement needs to be there. It needs to have the ability to resist diseases or to produce a certain amount of yield – a certain quality profile.”

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Currently Sustainable Oils focuses on the Southern and High Plains as well as the Pacific Northwest, but Monk has heard from growers in other areas who are interested in adding more diversity to their cropping rotation, and the team is excited to expand.

Camelina is more drought tolerant and has a lower carbon intensity than other feedstocks, which makes it a good candidate for turning into renewable diesel fuel. ExxonMobil has an agreement to purchase renewable diesel fuel produced by Global Clean Energy’s Bakersfield, Calif.-based refinery.

“Biodiversity has become a big deal,” Gebhardt said. “It’s almost being used in the same breath as sustainability.”

EarthDaily Agro is working with Sustainable Oils to provide camelina crops that are more herbicide-tolerant as well as shorter season varieties to expand the double cropping opportunities.

“It’s a great opportunity,” Gebhardt said. “The challenge is going to be for us to make sure we’re gathering all the data and building the right models to help scale the adoption and production of camelina around the world.”

Camelina could offer growers interested in carbon markets additional opportunities.

“If you look at the current carbon markets, there’s a lot of confusion, there’s a lot of mistrust or skepticism,” Monk said.

Through the help from a USDA Climate-Smart Commodity program, Global Clean Energy, Sustainable Oils, and Earth Daily Agro are exploring a new way for farmers to approach GHG reductions and carbon markets. The idea is that instead of paying farmers for climate friendly practices, they can be paid for what they produce.

“EarthDaily Agro can help us understand what that yield is,” Monk said. “So, instead of paying a farmer for their performance or practice, we could pay for an outcome, and farmers relate to that better. Instead of just a commodity, we can have a differentiated crop that we can pay a premium for,” Monk said. “At the end of the day, that will lower the amount of carbon, will be better for the business, and better for farmers. This lets the market drive how they farm, instead of telling them how to farm. It’s pretty exciting and EarthDaily Agro is helping us get there with scale.”

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