by Bruce Goodman

Michigan Tech University has determined that camelina, a weed from the mustard family, can be used to make a jet biofuel that produces 80 per cent less greenhouse gas emissions than petroleum jet fuel. Camelina has naturally high oil content, is drought tolerant, can be grown on marginal land, and requires less fertilizers and herbicides than food crops. It has been tested in a jet fuel blend comprised primarily of camelina by Japan Airlines. A 40,000 gallon order was recently placed on behalf of the U.S. Navy to be used in its testing program of alternative fuels to meet the goals of the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007. Now the U.S. Air Force has contracted for 100,000 gallons of HRJ-8 for 2009-2010, most of which will be produced in Montana.  If a sucessful fuel crop, and if grown on marginal land, this would be a good example of a biofuel that avoids the food or fuel question.

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 by Bruce Goodman

The increase in corn prices brought about by the rush to corn ethanol production was a valuable lesson last year. Now with gasoline prices down, and many corn ethanol plants mothballed, there is time to consider the interplay of food crops and fuel crops. Targeting research and development efforts on crops that do not have much presence on dinner tables seems like a wise policy. Using corn, soybeans and other food crops for fuel instead of food does not seem to be a good idea. The potential for partial solutions such as camelina-based jet fuel and rutabagas for biodiesel are intriguing, but even these approaches have risks. Dedicating acreage to produce fuel crops means it is unavailable for food crops. So a second imperative would be to grow fuel crops on land that is less desirable—find crops that are drought resistant and require less fertilizer/herbicides. But despite noble policy pronouncements, in the end the marketplace will dictate what growers plant each spring.

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