Mustard Has Biofuel Potential

SYDNEY - May 30/07 - SNS -- Mustard seed offers good potential for farmers in drier areas to produce a seedstock for the production the biodiesel on their farms.

Centre for Legumes in Mediterranean Agriculture (CLIMA) researcher, Margaret Campbell said mustards are very reasonable canola substitutes because they are more drought tolerant and could be grown in drier areas where canola didn't do well.

"In Rural Industries Research and Development Corporation supported projects, the oils from locally grown Indian and Ethiopian mustards were good feedstocks for biodiesel because they had more than 40% oil, were cheaper to grow than canola and could produce comparatively high seed yields," Campbell said.

Riverland Oilseed Processors in Pinjarra recently produced more than 20,000 liters of oil from crushed WA grown mustard, which was subsequently processed by O'Connor-based company, Bioworks.

Bioworks found mustard biodiesel easier to produce than canola biodiesel because the suspended particulate matter in canola oil needed more chemical processing.

Mustard oils also have a low melting point and the erucic acid content provides good lubricating qualities for the fuel.

Mustard seed byproducts have on-farm benefits, although mustard meal is used at a lower rate than canola meal in stock feed rations.

"Because mustard meal is typically high in glucosinolates, which gives it a 'hot' taste, only five% is used in stock feed, compared to 10% for canola meal.

"However, washing the meal removes this taste, making it more palatable to stock," Campbell said.

"Glucosinolates can also enhance mustard meal's use as a natural fertilizer, soil conditioner and biocide, which the Department of Agriculture and Food is evaluating.

"With 100 metric tons (MT) of seed producing 60 MT of meal, the nutrients in mustard meal can be recycled as fertilizer at an equivalent value of $110 MT," she said.

Some growers have bought crushing plants to produce their own biofuel. "Farm units cost between $10,000 and $50,000 and the on-farm costs of making biodiesel are around one dollar per liter," Campbell said.

"A small $10,000 plant can process up to four MT of oilseed, producing 1000 to 1400 liters of oil daily," she said.

Binnu growers, 2006 RIRDC Rural Woman of the Year, Bev Logue and husband Phil, have made their own plants to prepare for escalating fuel prices or supply limitations.

The Logues actively promoted on-farm and community biodiesel production, which could be done simply and affordably using easily obtained tanks, hoses and pipes.

"Growers interested in producing biodiesel need to do their own sums, comparing the cost of biodiesel production with the price of mineral diesel and the price offered for the seed at the time," Campbell said.

Blending biodiesel with mineral diesel will help extend mineral diesel supply and adding around five% mustard biofuel in diesel can improve fuel quality.

Campbell said broad scale mustard adoption was currently limited by available weed control options, as it was impossible to control competitive weeds such as wild radish.

"However, with the support of the Wheatbelt Regional Development Scheme, we hope to develop mustard lines tolerant to particular herbicides within three years"