BioJet Corp. and Great Plains Oil & Exploration have teamed to produce renewable jet fuels. The companies plan to jointly develop integrated Camelina cultivation and associated refinery projects in the U.S., Europe, South America, and Asia. Camelina is a an oilseed crop that can be used to make biodiesel. A non-food crop, it grows well on marginal land and uses little water and fertilizer, according to officials with Great Plains Oil & Exploration.
For the partnership, BioJet will bring its international network and management experience in developing renewable jet fuel projects. Great Plains will provide its extensive experience in Camelina growth and processing. It is estimated that within five years, Camelina production from currently planned projects will yield approximately 200 million gallons per year of renewable jet fuel, 65 million gallons per year of co-products, and 2.3 million tons per year of Camelina meal, for use as a high-quality animal feed.
Great Plains is the largest Camelina producer in the world, with officials noting the company has contracted approximately 85% of the Camelina acreage currently planted in North America and plans to rapidly expand its acreage in 2010 and beyond.
Sam Huttenbauer, CEO of Great Plains, said “Affordable feedstock is the key to all biofuels, and due to Camelina’s low inputs and high-quality meal by-product, it has tremendous potential to be competitive with petroleum jet fuel. The scale of these projects will allow this to happen quickly.”
BioJet is a leading international supply chain integrator in renewable jet fuel for the aviation sector. Its operations include feedstock generation, technology, refining, logistics, and distribution to end users in the aviation sector. In 2009, BioJet executed the world’s largest take-or-pay contracts for Jatropha feedstock and forward sale of Bio-SPK jet fuel. Most recently, BioJet was selected by the Roundtable on Sustainable Biofuels as the first implementation Pilot Company for Version 1 of the Principles of Sustainability. BioJet’s strong international networks in the field of renewable jet fuel production will allow for integrated supply chain management from the teamed projects as well as access to large-scale acreage for Camelina growth.
BioJet CEO Mitch Hawkins commented “We’re very pleased to team up with Great Plains. We already control the world’s largest quantities of Jatropha dedicated to jet fuel, and work in designer feedstocks and algae. This deal effectively triples our feedstock resources. It is a major step in the achievement of our goal of 20 million barrels per year of renewable jet fuel by 2020.”
For more information: CamelinaCompany.com or BioJetCorp.com
