Cemelina could be used to fuel flights in the UK, according to a new evidence-based review.
The crop is already grown in a number of other countries, specifically to get planes off the ground, supply the health food market, and produce cooking oil. Thanks to the quality of its oil, the plant is considered to be one of the most viable alternatives of airlines and aircraft.
The Oil based cover crops for aviation fuel in Scotland question and answer report from The James Hutton Institute and SRUC lays out the potential of oil seed plants, and was undertaken following the UK Government’s recent Project Willow research. This looked at low-carbon industrial alternatives for Grangemouth, historically one of the UK’s major crude oil-to-fuel manufacturing centres.
‘Camelina, particularly winter grown camelina, is a relatively novel crop for Scotland. By growing over winter, we hope to fit in with the main spring cropping season,’ said Dr Tracy Valentine, senior research scientist at the Hutton. Initially we will be looking at frost tolerance, growth rates, pests and fertiliser requirements, and ease of crop agronomy for farmers.
‘This work will help to understand the potential for camelina to be grown as a biofuel crop in Scotland,’ she continued. ‘Camelina is an oil seed plant, similar to oil seed rape and is part of the Brassicaceae (commonly known as mustard) plant family. It is widely grown across north America and Europe and is used for sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) production due to its high oil content and ultra-low carbon intensity compared to other alternative crops.’
Camellia can produce between 200 and 230 litres of aviation fuel, depending on the seed oil content — enough to power a light aircraft for up to five hours. However, production in Scotland could be hamstrung by economic viability in comparison with other crops. Nevertheless, transportation sectors are facing increasing pressure to more faster with transitioning to more environmentally friendly practices, not least aviation – the highest polluting means of travel.
In May, the UK Government rolled out the Sustainable Aviation Fuel Bill, which has now reached its parliamentary report stage. The Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport UK (CILT) s now working with Downing Street to develop strategies on expediting an increase in SAF, which is already being combined with traditional fossil fuel to reduce carbon output, with a potential 80% drop. Within the next five years, airlines will be legally required to use 10% SAF – up from 2% today – with manufacturers already designing aircraft capable of flying without any conventional fuel.
Image: Victor Zhuk / Unsplash
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