Hard to abate sectors like heavy transport have a new certified sustainable, non-food, lower carbon option to replace fossil fuels and reduce emissions. One that doesn’t require new equipment or farmland to grow it or retrofitting and replacing entire fleets to transition.
New non-food feedstock grown using existing farmland and equipment
There’s no magic wand for carbon mitigation. However, there are an estimated 170 million hectares1 of farmland exposed to erosion and carbon loss annually between fall harvest and spring planting of main food crops like corn and soybeans. A small but increasing amount of this exposed and vulnerable farmland is being used to sustainably grow Nuseed Carinata, a non-food cover crop harvested for drop-in lower carbon oil feedstock, and for soil regeneration of existing farmland.
“Using existing equipment and without any increased land-use change, if we cover crop Nuseed Carinata on just 1.5% of the estimated 170 million hectares between existing food and feed crop rotations in the Americas and Europe, we can grow feedstock for up to 1 billion gallons of SAF,” explained Alex Clayton, Nuseed Bioenergy Global Strategy & Commercial Lead.
Soil regeneration experts have been advocating cover cropping to protect typically bare land and restore soil carbon and health between main crop rotations for decades. Growers practicing cover cropping have done so at a financial cost, for the longer-term payback of more resilient soils that can produce higher yielding main cash crops in the following years.
To gain cover crop soil regeneration benefits and help cover the expense, growers in South America and the Southern United States are contract producing Nuseed Carinata and maximizing the use of their current farmland and equipment. They are getting paid for harvested grain from this unique cover crop, plus for adopting certified sustainable practices that increase greenhouse gas savings.
It’s a non-food oilseed contract cover crop that is harvested then crushed to extract lower carbon renewable oil feedstock. The proprietary processing removes the glucosinate that makes the crop bitter and not good for grazing, to produce an ideal non-GMO high protein meal for feed.
Drop-in fossil fuel replacement lowers emissions of existing transport fleets
Surprising to some, producing this new source of renewable energy requires no new equipment on-farm or to use it in the engines that power our modern world. Simply replacing fossil fuels with certified sustainable Nuseed Carinata Oil based renewable fuels can help reduce emissions, for carbon action now that is accountable through field to oil data.
“We are working to educate downstream customers on their ability to transition now, the world can’t wait. We need to reduce carbon now in ways that work to avoid any unintended consequences and meet the most stringent environmental and social requirements,” added Clayton.
Carinata’s industry leading greenhouse gas savings are recognized by the International Civil Aviation Organization as being similar to waste and residual oils like used cooking oil.2 In addition to reduced emissions when used to replace fossil fuels, the cover crop’s ability to remove carbon from the atmosphere as it grows and restore it to the soil to improve soil health is part of the savings equation.
Each day that passes waiting for potential new innovations to reduce emissions and remove carbon the world’s carbon crisis gets bigger.3 Non-food Nuseed Carinata commercial production is being sustainably scaled globally for carbon reduction that can start today, without the need for new equipment, so hard to abate sectors can transition now.
1 approximate cover crop hectares available in Europe, Central America, North America and South America as estimate by Rabbobank
3 IPCC_AR6_WGI_TS-CO21950-2100.gif | NOAA Climate.gov
