13/07/2009 (Biofuel Review) - A co-operation agreement covering the sale, processing and development of a new non edible oil seed variant for biodiesel, known as Isis, has been signed by two Ukranian companies Landkom International and Sunfuel Ukraine. The two companies have jointly tested Isis in Ukraine, Europe and South Africa with leading universities and commercial fuel companies and are now, they say, moving to commercialise the seed.

Isis, explains Landkom, is similar to oil seed rape but has the potential to be considerably more cost effective for biofuel production than both OSR and palm oil. Isis can be grown on marginal quality or fallow farming land with a reduced fertiliser requirement.

Commenting on the new agreement Richard Spinks, Landkom Chief Executive Officer said: "This is a very exciting opportunity for us to use our agricultural expertise in conjunction with the Biofuel expertise of Sunfuel to jointly develop biodiesel from land otherwise unsuitable for producing food crops. This will potentially generate another significant income stream for Landkom as well as potentially reduce our own diesel costs.

"Earlier tests, which have been endorsed by a number of academic studies, have shown that this seed variant has great potential to produce higher quality biodiesel than Palm Oil based derivatives.

"There is plenty of scope for us to grow more seed for this venture, which eventually could be licensed for sale worldwide."

The initial cooperation agreement, signed by the two companies on (10th July), saw Landkom agree to contribute the land and agricultural production resources to grow and harvest the seeds while Sunfuel will invest in the fuel processing facilities at Landkom’s operations in Dobrosyn, Western Ukraine. The companies say they expect to formalise a further cooperation agreement to extend the working relationship between them. Ongoing plant breeding to improve the seed’s characteristics further is taking place at a leading Ukrainian agricultural university.

This spring, Landkom planted approximately 1,000 hectares of the seed Isis on marginal quality land not suitable for the group’s food crops to demonstrate proof of concept.  The crop planted is not included in the group’s 30,950 ha planting programme announced last autumn and does not impact on the group’s other planting or harvesting commitments.

This is the third year of cultivation of this crop under test conditions by Landkom.  On completion of this latest larger scale trial, Landkom may use some of the biodiesel produced to reduce its own fuel costs and with Sunfuel will in due course also sell product to third parties.

Landkomm says that tests show that the biodiesel produced by this seed, which has already been blended and tested with a major Ukrainian fuel retailer in blends with diesel of between 5% to 20% is usable at significantly lower temperatures than equivalent blends produced from Palm Oil and that these diesel blends have passed EU diesel specifications.

With funding from USDA's Cooperative State Research, Education, and Extension Service (CSREES), a research group in Texas, Arizona and Illinois is looking at Lesquerella, a member of the mustard family, as a potential source for energy. Lesquerella (Lesquerella fendleri) grows naturally in arid and semi-arid landscapes and is native to areas in the southwest United States and Mexico.
 
Lesquerella has several novel properties absent in other oilseeds. The oil contains natural, unique molecules (estolides), which are rare in other seed oils. These molecules promote natural ease of flow of the oil under many different conditions. Naturally occurring estolides allow lesquerella oil to flow more easily than petroleum at cold temperatures.

The seed, says the research team, provides an agricultural alternative to petroleum that can grow successfully in less productive environments and support rural economies. This project may yield new industrial products from renewable raw materials and expand on market opportunities for farmers and rural communities.

Mike Foster and colleagues at Texas A&M University, University of Arizona, USDA's Agriculture Research Service (ARS) in Maricopa, AZ, and Peoria,IL, and Terresolve Technologies Ltd have worked to develop new breeding lines to increase hydroxy fatty acids and oil content. In addition, they publicly released a salt tolerant line of lesquerella.

The Department of Energy is evaluating lesquerella oil products as biodiesel additives. In addition, studies show that the high level of hydroxy fatty acids in lesquerella increases oil lubricity as compared to other vegetable oils. A private company, Technology Crops International, plans to market lesquerella oil, which could result in a huge market for growers in the Southwestof the USA.

CSREES funded this research project through the Initiative for Future Agricultural and Food Systems (IFAFS) program.