Florida Grown Camelina Sativa Used to Produce ASTM Grade Biofuel and High Value Animal Feed

Nov. 3, 2011 - PRLog -- Major Milestone Accomplished

Green Oil Solutions, Inc. (GOS) is pleased to announce the successful production of ASTM D6751-11 grade Biodiesel from oil harvested from the Florida grown Camelina Sativa Oil Seed.  

The success of this study stems from a multi-year commitment on the part of Green Oil Solutions, Inc. (and partners including the Smart Fuels Florida, LLC., Wise Seed Company, Jack Melton Family Inc., and Reiter Scientific LLC) to demonstrate the economic viability of growing the Camelina Sativa variety of oilseed in areas of Florida that would otherwise lay fallow or produce unprofitable yields of established crops.

The successful production of ASTM grade fuel from the lesser know Camelina Oilseed represents the first time in history that American Grown Camelina has been proven to yield a fuel product that will meet the ASTM D6751-11 fuel quality definition.  This milestone opens the doors for further cultivation of the Camelina Sativa seed variety both in Florida and across the nation.

A little bit about Camelina Sativa

Camelina is known to yield small seeds (~500,000 per pound) containing between 28% and 40% oil by mass and can be grown in semi-arid conditions and in low-fertility or saline soils.  In addition to requiring very small amounts of water and fertilizer, previous peer-reviewed publications as well as our early in-house data indicate that Camelina has tremendous potential for use as a healthful addition to the diets of a variety of livestock.  

Summary of Results

Biodiesel fuel was produced meeting the definition set forth by the American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) in fuel standard D6751-11.  The Camelina based biodiesel was shown to possess similar physical characteristics to that of biofuel produced from premium feedstocks such as Soybean and Sunflower implying a similar market value.  Camelina press cake was shown to possess large concentration of nutritionally beneficial Omega-3 oils implying that the feed byproduct will eventually enjoy strong feed industry demand.

Summary of Green Oil Solutions Project Milestones to Date

•   Fall 2010 – Approximately 2500 Acres of Camelina Sativa planted by Central Florida farmers under a variety of climactic, geographic, and seeding conditions.
•   April 2011 – Successful harvest of Camelina Sativa via mechanized harvester.  Harvesting services provided by Wise Seed Company and Jack Melton Family, Inc.
•    April 2011 Successful cleaning, sorting, and drying of oilseeds.  Seed preparatory services provided by Wise Seed Company and Jack Melton Family, Inc.
•   April 2011 – Camelina Oil acquired from Florida Grown Camelina Sativa Oil Seed through the use of a high efficiency screw-press extruder.
•   April 2011 to Present – Crop Yield Data received from Florida based Camelina growers.  Data will be utilized to provide future growers more detailed growing recommendations.
•   September 2011 – Camelina based Methyl-Esters prepared by Reiter Scientific using proprietary super-degumming, refining, transesterification, and polishing parameters in attempt to produce Camelina based biodiesel meeting the ASTM D6751-11 fuel quality standard.
•   October 2011 – Third party lab data attained through a USDA/APHI certified laboratory confirms that Camelina Based Biodiesel prepared for Green Oil Solutions, Inc. by Reiter Scientific meets or exceeds the ASTM D6751-11 standard.