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Range of Materials Can Produce Biodiesel
CANADA - The Canadian International Grains Institute says a wide range of raw materials, many that have virtually no other use, can be used to produce biodiesel, writes Bruce Cochrane.  Farm-Scape is sponsored by
Manitoba Pork Council and Sask Pork Farm-Scape is a Wonderworks Canada production and is distributed courtesy of Manitoba Pork Council and Sask Pork. |
A series workshops held across Canada by the Canadian International Grains Institute this summer looked at biodiesel, how its made and from what and demonstrated the process.
Institute director of bio-fuels and feed Dr. Rex Newkirk says a prefered raw material is canola because it provides a high volume of high quality oil and it is readily available but, because of the rising cost of canola, a lot of off grade stock has been used.
Dr. Rex Newkirk-Canadian International Grains Institute
During the Calgary Stampede we crushed a tonne of canola that was so rotton in the bin that it virtually had no value but we bought it from a farmer and crushed it.
From that material, from a number one canola, we get about 375 litres of oil which turns into 375 litres of biodiesel from each tonne.
Then we had about 650 kilograms of canola meal, or press cake we call it.
It's a protein concentrate with 10 percent left over fat in it and so that's a very popular product for us.
We've also been using things like hemp screenings, flax screenings, flax isn't the greatest, using camilina, mustard, stink weed.
If it's got oil in it we try to squish it out.
For example the stinkweed screeenings, they were coming from a seed cleaning plant and mostly stinkweed in the screenings and we got about 250 litres of biodiesel per tonne of that stuff.
So it really ranges in volume and quantity.
Dr. Newkirk notes the quality also varies from each seed crushed but blending with other oils, such as used restarant greese, will help compensate for that range in quality.
He says the cost of making the fuel can range anywhere from 40 cents to a dollar and a half per litre depending on the raw material used.
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