Northwest Ohio Energy Crop Center

The mission of the Northern Ohio Energy Crop Center is the identification and evaluation of opportunities to involve regional growers, processors and other entrepreneurs in biofuel production.

This mission includes analyzing the potential role of a new crop and justifying further development. Several factors require evaluation, including the unique attributes of crop varieties, optimum growing conditions and economic returns. These factors must be investigated on test plots and production equipment in Northwest Ohio.

To this end, the Northern Ohio Energy Crop Center has identified two potential agricultural commodities, camelina and algae, that could be grown and harvested as biodiesel feed stocks in Northwest Ohio.

Camelina

Camelina Sativa, a member of the Brassicaceae family, is an oilseed crop. The plant is an annual and is grown extensively in Montana, Wyoming, and Nebraska. It is extremely cold tolerant and has the potential to generate significant amounts of oil. The oil content of the camelina seed can range from 29% to 39% providing an attractive alternative to traditional soybeans. The nutritional content of camelina meal in very favorable and high in essential nutrients and the protein content appears to be comparable to soybean meal.

Due to its short growing season (90 days) and, under favorable weather conditions, it has the potential for double-cropping . Camelina has been added, in rotation with continuous spring wheat production systems on land unsuitable for corn or soybeans.

Camelina can be grown with relatively low input costs and flourish on marginal land. The nitrogen input for camelina is as much as 50% less than canola, thereby presenting favorable economic returns.

These attributes lead many to believe that Camelina can conceivably be successfully and economically grown in Ohio in rotation with corn and soybeans.

To determine the feasibility of growing camelina in Northwest Ohio, CIFT has organized a working group that includes American Ag Fuels from Defiance, Ohio, The Ohio State University Extension Service in Defiance County, the Northwest Ohio Agricultural and Research and Development Center and several regional grower groups.

In cooperation with its partners, CIFT is growing camelina test plots throughout Ohio. CIFT has engaged processing facilities to extract oil and testing laboratories and biofuels producers to evaluate its use as a feed stock for biodiesel and as a food grade oil.

Two different camelina varieties are being evaluated to assess susceptibility to weather conditions and evaluate the shattering potential witnessed in Montana. Researching winter varieties will also be conducted for comparative analysis. Additionally, adjustable nitrogen rates, planting dates and seeding rates are being analyzed.

Harvesting, storage and transport methods are also being studied. Camelina's small seed size requires special precautions. Combines need to be adjusted and storage facilities and transport equipment will require modifications to prevent seed loss.

The research conducted by CIFT and industry partners will discover the unique agronomic traits associated with this particular oilseed crop and make significant strides in the potential identification of another crop with energy capabilities for local growers.

Additional challenges need to be met. For example, camelina meal has yet to receive USDA Generally Recognized as Safe (GRAS) certification. This limits its use as a feed stock for any livestock intended for slaughter. Further research is underway to advance the certification process.

Algae

Many experts believe that, in the future, both salt and fresh water algae will be a major source of oils for diesel fuel. Certain species of algae have long been known to be productive sources of the oils that can be converted into biofuels. Research performed by the U.S. Department of Energy several years ago demonstrated that some algal varieties contained much higher energy potential than soybeans or other crops that are commonly grown for biofuels production.The rapidly shifting energy economics may make another look at algae for energy worthwhile.

A number of entities in Northwest Ohio, including CIFT, the University of Toledo College of Engineering, Department of Plant Science, UT Lake Erie Center, Ambiol Flex Fuels LLC, and Red Lion Bio-Energy, share this belief. They have formed a group to evaluate whether the production and harvest of algae, along with the extraction and processing of the lipids it contains, can be performed economically in Northwest Ohio.

The Center for Innovative Food Technology (CIFT) and the University of Toledo have initiated a research program to determine whether algae from Lake Erie can be a technically and commercially viable energy source for Northwest Ohio. The focus is to identify areas that require additional research and development efforts. This study looks at all phases of the algae and oil production operation, including growth, harvesting, and oil extraction. This includes:

• Algal species that occur naturally in the Great Lakes region, and those that can be cultivated and harvested
• Production ponds and facility designs that promote the growth of the best candidate species
• Processing methods.

The researchers in the project include University of Toledo Chemical Engineering professors Dr. Sasidhar Varanasi and Dr. Constance Schall, as well as Dr. Scott Heckathorn, professor of Plant Science and Dr. Thomas Bridgeman, professor of Limnology at the University of Toledo Lake Erie Center in Oregon, Ohio.

The study will build on a U. S. Department of Energy's National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) program that examined using algae as a source of lipids, known as triacylglycerols, or TAGs, for biodiesel production. The project was discontinued in 1999. In its final report it was noted that, "...we project costs for biodiesel (from algae) which are two times higher than current petroleum diesel fuel costs." As noted by Dr. Schall, the cost of diesel fuel was $1.04 per gallon in the year the report was publish. Today, the cost of diesel fuel makes it attractive to investigate algae as a source for biodiesel.

Dr. Schall also notes, "Another advantage to our approach is that we will study the use of 'contaminant native' algal species. These are the species that are likely to take over any algal growth facility in Northwest Ohio. Fortunately for us, several of these native species are excellent candidates for biodiesel production".

For more information on camelina or algae as an energy feed stock, please view the resources in the right-hand column on this page.