Great Falls Tribune

April 28, 2009

Study: Jet fuel from oilseeds emits less greenhouse gas

The Associated Press

BILLINGS (AP) — A new study says jet fuel made with the oilseed crop camelina could cut greenhouse gas emissions by 84 percent compared with jet fuel from petroleum.

The study was done by the Sustainable Futures Institute at Michigan Technological University. It was funded by the camelina industry and used jet fuel created from camelina seeds developed by Sustainable Oils of Bozeman.

The study’s finding is expected to be used by the aviation industry as it weighs a number of alternative fuels with the potential to cut costs and curb emissions. 

Camelina is considered well-suited to Montana and other arid Northern Plains states because it needs little water to grow. However, camelina companies have struggled to attract growers willing to switch to the crop.