Rapeseed

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Bioenergy > Feedstocks > Rapeseed/Canola

Rapeseed is a flowering plant in the Brassicacae family that is a major global source of vegetable oil. Rapeseed oil is the most common feedstock for biodiesel in Europe, especially in Germany. "Canola" is a common North American cultivar of rapeseed.

Flowering rape plants. Rapeseed oil (canola oil) is consumed as a common cooking oil and is used as a feedstock for biodiesel.

Biodiesel from rapeseed

• In the United States, rapeseed is a minor source of biodiesel. U.S. production of biodiesel in 2007 is estimated to have been 85% from soybeans; 5-12% from waste oil, cottonseed, canola, and palm oil; with the remaining 3-10% coming from animal fats, according to the National Biodiesel Board.[1]

Issues

• Herbicide-resistant genetically modified varieties of rapeseed were first introduced in 1995 [2]. For a summary statement of risks associated with genetically engineered crops used to produce biofuels, including rapeseed, visit the Biotechnologies page.

• While oil from rapeseed can be used for biofuels, this plant is not as productive as alternatives like oil palm, which is a much more efficient producer of oil and requires less land than any other oil-producing crop. One hectare planted with oil palm yields an average of three tonnes of oil per year. To produce that much oil from canola, sunflower or soy, up to ten times more land would be required. (However, palm oil plantations have been associated with destruction of rainforests.)

Events

• 16-17 June 2010, Barcelona, Spain: European Biodiesel 2010. (Themes: algae, biodiesel, Europe, feedstocks, rapeseed)

Organizations

• Canola Council - "represents canola growers, input suppliers, researchers, processors and marketers of canola and its products".[3]

News

2010

• Biofuels cause four times more carbon emissions, 22 April 2010 by the Telegraph (UK): A "new report commissioned in Brussels found some biofuels can lead to four times more carbon dioxide polluting the atmosphere than equivalent fossil fuels."
  • "The report for the European Commission, released under Freedom of Information rules, looked into the 'indirect emissions' from biofuels caused by land use change. The worse example is soy beans in America. Because the land that used to grow soy beans for animal feed is now being used for biofuels, it means that more soy beans must be grown in the rainforests of Brazil to make up for the loss in the domestic market."
  • "Soybeans grown in America therefore have an indirect carbon footprint of 340kg of CO2 per gigajoule, compared to just 85kg for conventional diesel or gasoline."
  • "Biodiesel from European rapeseed has an indirect carbon footprint of 150kg of CO2 per gigajoule, while bioethanol from European sugar beet is calculated at 100kg – both much higher than conventional diesel because of indirect use of land in other countries to replace the food crops that are no longer grown in Europe."
  • "By contrast, imports of bioethanol from Latin American sugar cane and palm oil from southeast Asia have relatively low indirect emissions at 82kg and 73kg per gigajoule respectively."[4]
  • Read the full report, Quantification of the effects on greenhouse gas emissions of policies and measures (PDF file)

2009

• Solix Biofuels begins production of oil made from algae, 23 July 2009 by Denver Business Journal: Solix Biofuels Inc., a Colorado State University startup company, "has started the production of oil made from algae."
  • "Experts estimate the organisms can make as much as 8,000 to 10,000 gallons of oil per year per acre, compared to 50 or 60 gallons per year using soybeans, 20 gallons using corn, and 150 gallons using canola or rapeseeds."

2007

• Camelina could lead drive for new source of biofuel 28 May 2007 from the Tri-City Herald. Camelina, "a plant that flourished in Europe roughly 3,500 years ago could become a major source of biofuel and a potentially major new crop" in the US. Camelina may be able to "grow in more arid conditions, and does not require extensive use of expensive fertilizers, herbicides and pesticides, and may produce more oil from its seeds than other crops such as canola and at, by some estimates, half the price".

• Farmers eye oilseed plants for biodiesel, 25 April 2007, by Associated Press, reports that farmers in California are investigating growing crops for biofuel, such as canola "on unproductive land that can't support higher-value produce" or "as a cover crop that might improve soil quality between more profitable plantings of berries or leafy greens."
  • Even if successful, however, the economic benefit may be limited, as the article stated: "A typical biodiesel crop could earn California growers a maximum of $200 an acre each year — far less than their current average annual yield of $2,000 an acre, said Robert Van Buskirk, a scientist with the U.S. Department of Energy."

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