What Was Once a Weed Could Fuel Jet Engines
agricultural trading house Bunge. Exxon Mobil has a multiyear agreement with Global Clean Energy Holdings to purchase renewable diesel made from camelina. Growing these oilseed plants between main crop rotations on land already used for farming helps limit damage like deforestation, says Alex Clayton, global strategy and commercial lead for Nuseed Carinata.
Carinata, also known as Ethiopian Mustard, isn’t a weed like pennycress but also isn’t edible by humans. The crop, grown between November and May in the offseason for cotton and peanuts, is being tested by farmers in Alabama, Georgia and Florida, as well as in Argentina. The oilseed is crushed in Europe for use as a biofuel.
The companies behind these crops tout benefits to farmers, but convincing farmers to grow them can be a major hurdle. “Farmers are very cautious, conservative and skeptical because they have heard a lot of promises that haven’t panned out," says John Sedbrook, a professor of genetics at Illinois State University who is researching cover crops. “It has a lot of potential but there is a lot of work to be done." In most cases, farmers are contracted to grow the crops, with the companies determining when and how to use fertilizers as well as ensuring the plants are crushed and sent to the refiners.
That loss of control, as well as overlaps of up to a month with cash crops that can delay planting can make these cover crops a tough sell. How the crops have been developed also can be an issue. In the U.S.
growing GMO crops is legal, though regulated by groups like the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
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