Ancient crop shows promise as sustainable jet fuel, University of Minnesota researchers say

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Could this ancient crop fuel airplanes? U of M researchers think so
Could this ancient crop fuel airplanes? U of M researchers think so
Could this ancient crop fuel airplanes? U of M researchers think so
Every time we take flight, there's an environmental cost. Now, scientists are trying to grow a solution that could also be big business for Minnesota farmers.
At the University of Minnesota research fields, the sun shines on a solution in bloom.
"This is an ancient crop," said University of Minnesota researcher Matthew Ott
It's called Camelina.
"It's similar to canola, so it produces oil, but unlike canola, it survives a Minnesota winter," said Ott.
The seeds can be refined into cooking oil and further refined into sustainable aviation fuel.
"There have been flights using camelina fuel – soul camelina fuel," said Ott.
Ott is part of the team perfecting the crop for primetime. Something to stand up to Minnesota winters that farmers will flock to.
They're tiny seeds, but they could have a huge impact. The U.S. Department of Energy says sustainable aviation fuel could cut emissions by up to 94%.
And airlines want to cut emissions.
Globally, flying accounts for nearly 3% of our air emissions, but the industry wants to get to net-zero carbon emissions by 2050, with airlines like Delta aiming to use 10% sustainable fuel by 2030. Ott says it could be a big industry for the state.
"We're kind of the leader of developing it as a winter crop," said Ott.
Farmers across the state are piloting the product right now. Some tell us they use it as a cover crop and love that they can grow a second crop on the same land during the same season.
"Soybean can be planted directly in the camelina. They grow together just for a few weeks, and the camelina pods can be harvested over the top of the soybean seedlings," said Ott.
He says it also helps prevent runoff of farming fertilizers, improving water quality.
And the early bloomer provides nourishment for critical pollinators.
"It grows fast," said Ott.
Many are hoping the industry will, too.
"We're in the early in the process, but we're scaling up," said Ott.
Burning this type of fuel still produces emissions, but experts say it significantly cuts emissions when considering the whole life cycle of the product.