Filed under: Biodiesel, South/Latin America
New biodiesel from mustard and camelina developed in Chile
The potential to make biofuels from camelina and mustard is well known, and they might be two good choices for additional oil sources to make biodiesel besides jathropa. The University of Concepción, in Chile, along with nearby agricultural conglomerates, have funded research to discover the potential of camelina and mustard as sources of oil to produce biodiesel. Camelina proved to be a great source of oil, yielding 25 quintals per ha (about 40 bushels/acre) of which half can be extracted into oil to make biodiesel. The better news is that camelina needs little fertilization and is able to survive in harsh weather. Mustard studies were also promising, yielding 40 quintals per ha (60 bushels per acre), from which they obtained 45 to 50 percent in oil for biodiesel. Now, let's roll the puns about a mustard-powered biodiesel weinermobile![Source: Chilean Fundación para la Innovación Agraria via Econoticias]
