Sustainable Oils is a

renewable fuels Renewable fuels are fuels produced from renewable resources. Examples include: biofuels (e.g. Vegetable oil used as fuel, ethanol, methanol fuel, methanol from Carbon Recycling International, clean energy and carbon dioxide or biomass, and biodie ...

company specializing in the research and production of

Camelina ''Camelina'' is a genus within the flowering plant family Brassicaceae. The ''Camelina'' species, commonly known as false flax, are native to Mediterranean regions of Europe and Asia. Most species of this genus have been little studied, with the ...

, the only advanced biofuels feedstock with

United States Department of Agriculture The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) is an executive department of the United States federal government that aims to meet the needs of commercial farming and livestock food production, promotes agricultural trade and producti ...

Environmental Protection Agency Environmental Protection Agency may refer to the following government organizations: * Environmental Protection Agency (Queensland), Australia * Environmental Protection Agency (Ghana) * Environmental Protection Agency (Ireland) * Environmenta ...

, and

Food and Drug Administration The United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA or US FDA) is a List of United States federal agencies, federal agency of the United States Department of Health and Human Services, Department of Health and Human Services. The FDA is respo ...

(FDA) regulatory approvals.Biofuels Digest
/ref> Oil extracted from Camelina seeds can be processed into a number of renewable products including renewable

jet fuel Jet fuel or aviation turbine fuel (ATF, also abbreviated avtur) is a type of aviation fuel designed for use in aircraft powered by Gas turbine, gas-turbine engines. It is colorless to straw-colored in appearance. The most commonly used fuels for ...

, green diesel,

biodiesel Biodiesel is a renewable biofuel, a form of diesel fuel, derived from biological sources like vegetable oils, animal fats, or recycled greases, and consisting of long-chain fatty acid esters. It is typically made from fats. The roots of bi ...

, green plastics and renewable

oleochemicals Oleochemistry is the study of vegetable oils and animal oils and fats, and oleochemicals derived from these fats and oils. The resulting product can be called oleochemicals (from Latin: oleum "olive oil"). The major product of this industry is soap ...

. The

biomass Biomass is a term used in several contexts: in the context of ecology it means living organisms, and in the context of bioenergy it means matter from recently living (but now dead) organisms. In the latter context, there are variations in how ...

that remains after oil extraction, generally referred to seedcake or meal, can be used as nutrient-rich animal feed. Camelina offers several advantages over traditional biofuel feedstocks like

soy The soybean, soy bean, or soya bean (''Glycine max'') is a species of legume native to East Asia, widely grown for its edible bean. Soy is a staple crop, the world's most grown legume, and an important animal feed. Soy is a key source of f ...

and

corn Maize (; ''Zea mays''), also known as corn in North American English, is a tall stout Poaceae, grass that produces cereal grain. It was domesticated by indigenous peoples of Mexico, indigenous peoples in southern Mexico about 9,000 years ago ...

, such as competitive oil yields and shorter growing seasons. Sustainable Oils has its primary operations in the state of Montana and is headquartered in Great Falls.

History

The Sustainable Oils research program began in 2005. In 2007, Targeted Growth, Inc. and Green Earth Fuels established Sustainable Oils as a Limited Liability Company in the state of Delaware. In 2008, the company was awarded a contract by the United States Department of Defense to supply the US Navy 40,000 gallons of Camelina-based jet fuel for certification testing of alternative fuels.Bloomberg
/ref> In early 2009, Sustainable Oils began field research operations in Chile. In March 2011, a

F-22 Raptor The Lockheed Martin/Boeing F-22 Raptor is an American twin-engine, jet-powered, all-weather, supersonic stealth fighter aircraft. As a product of the United States Air Force's Advanced Tactical Fighter (ATF) program, the aircraft was de ...

fighter jet completed a successful test flight running on a 50% blend of Camelina fuel and traditional jet fuel. Sustainable Oils supplied all the Camelina oil for the test.Clean Technica - Successful F-22 Flight on 50% Camelina Biofuel
/ref> In March 2013,

Global Clean Energy Holdings Global Clean Energy Holdings (OTC:GCEH) is a Southern California-based renewable energy company with interests in the production and commercialization of non-food-based feedstocks used for the production of biofuels, biomass, and renewable chemica ...

, a Torrance, California-based biofuel feedstock company, acquired Sustainable Oils.Biofuels Digest
/ref> In October 2021, Global Clean Energy Holdings announced the relocation of the Sustainable Oils headquarters to Great Falls, Montana. In November 2021, Sustainable Oils announced the purchase of 45 acres in Havre, Montana and a plan to construct a 600 thousand bushel storage and rail loading facility for its proprietary camelina grain. In November 2023, Sustainable Oils announced the advancement of camelina varieties with

herbicide resistance Herbicides (, ), also commonly known as weed killers, are substances used to control undesired plants, also known as weeds.EPA. February 201Pesticides Industry. Sales and Usage 2006 and 2007: Market Estimates. Summary in press releasMain page f ...

. The company also reported 20 patented varieties of camelina and 65,000 acres of camelina growing worldwide.

Research

Sustainable Oils has one of the largest Camelina research programs in the world, which began in 2005.PR Newswire
/ref> It has conducted over 140 field trials across 34 states in the continental US and six provinces of Canada. The company has established research nurseries in Montana, Arizona, and Chile. Global Clean Energy, Sustainable Oils' parent company, owns 20 proprietary and patented varieties of camelina that purport to have higher grain and oil yield and more beneficial agronomic characteristics than other strains.

Supply of Camelina Oil to U.S. military

In 2008, Sustainable Oils and

Honeywell Honeywell International Inc. is an American publicly traded, multinational conglomerate corporation headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina. It primarily operates in four areas of business: aerospace, building automation, industrial automa ...

signed a contract to supply the United States

Defense Logistics Agency The Defense Logistics Agency (DLA) is a combat support agency in the United States Department of Defense, United States Department of Defense (DoD). The agency is staffed by more than 26,000 civilian and military personnel throughout the world. ...

, the purchasing agency within the

Department of Defense The United States Department of Defense (DoD, USDOD, or DOD) is an executive department of the U.S. federal government charged with coordinating and supervising the six U.S. armed services: the Army, Navy, Marines, Air Force, Space Force, ...

, with 40,000 gallons of Camelina-based renewable jet fuel for test flights in jets and helicopters. Using a blend of 50% Camelina fuel and 50% traditional

, the Navy conducted performance trials in the

F/A-18 Super Hornet The Boeing F/A-18E and F/A-18F Super Hornet are a series of American supersonic twin-engine, carrier-capable, multirole fighter aircraft derived from the McDonnell Douglas F/A-18 Hornet. The Super Hornet is in service with the armed forces ...

, and an SH-60 Seahawk Helicopter. All tests were conclusively successful and each aircraft was able to perform above military standards. For example, the F-22 Raptor was able to perform a 40,000-foot

supercruise Supercruise is sustained supersonic flight of a supersonic aircraft without using afterburner. Many supersonic military aircraft are not capable of supercruise and can maintain Mach 1+ flight only in short bursts with afterburners. Aircraft s ...

and achieve speeds in excess of 1.5

Mach The Mach number (M or Ma), often only Mach, (; ) is a dimensionless quantity in fluid dynamics representing the ratio of flow velocity past a Boundary (thermodynamic), boundary to the local speed of sound. It is named after the Austrian physi ...

. Over the course of the entire testing program, Sustainable Oils supplied the military with nearly 500,000 gallons of Camelina oil.

EPA approval of Camelina

In February 2013, Camelina received approval from the United States Environmental Protection Agency, qualifying its oil as an

advanced biofuel Second-generation biofuels, also known as advanced biofuels, are fuels that can be manufactured from various types of non-food biomass. Biomass in this context means plant materials and animal waste used especially as a source of fuel. First-gener ...

feedstock or pathway under the

Renewable Fuel Standard The Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) is an American federal program that requires transportation fuel sold in the United States to contain a minimum volume of renewable fuels. It originated with the Energy Policy Act of 2005 and was expanded and ext ...

. Sustainable Oils was one of multiple organizations that participated in the conversation surrounding the approval process.EPA Camelina approval
/ref> Under the standard, every gallon of Camelina oil-based biofuel produced in the U.S. by qualified producers receives a unique

Renewable Identification Number A Renewable Identification Number (or RIN) is a serial number assigned to a batch of biofuel for the purpose of tracking its production, use, and trading as required by the United States Environmental Protection Agency's Renewable Fuel Standard (RF ...

, or RIN, certifying it as a Federally approved advanced biofuel. Only fuels produced from approved pathways can be used to meet the EPA mandated minimums for advanced biofuels blending under the Renewable Fuel Standard.

Acquisition

On March 14, 2013,

acquired Sustainable Oils from its parent company Targeted Growth Inc. in exchange for common stock in Global Clean Energy Holdings and a promissory note.

References

{{Reflist Biodiesel feedstock sources Biofuel in the United States Energy companies of the United States Renewable fuels American companies established in 2005 Energy companies established in 2005 2005 establishments in Washington (state) Companies based in Seattle