As the world talks about lowering greenhouse gas emissions, here in Canada there’s been a strong emphasis on converting to “green energy” – a more sustainable way to power our cars, trucks, and industries.
Canadian canola has a role to play in these discussions. It’s a domestically-sourced, sustainable biodiesel feedstock that can play a key role in reducing greenhouse gases in transportation fuel.
In many ways, canola is the ideal feedstock for biodiesel. It has high oil content and canola-based biodiesel has superior flow in cold weather (a plus for frigid Canadian winters). Canola-based biodiesel also has excellent lifecycle carbon reduction characteristics: 90% lower greenhouse gas emissions than conventional petroleum diesel.
Biodiesel made with Canadian canola is widely used in the United States and European Union, as well as here at home. New figures show that 1.815 million tonnes of Canadian canola seed was used for biodiesel in 2015.
Whether this seed was crushed here or abroad, a tonnage number like that boosts our economy, our rural communities, our environment, and our canola farmers.
Economic returns. Biodiesel creates new markets for canola, as the European Union and United States account for roughly two-thirds of those 1.815 million tonnes mentioned above.
Growing the industry is money well spent too, as every $1 invested in biodiesel infrastructure returns $2 in economic activity in construction and supporting industry. If the current federal requirement for 2% renewable content in all diesel fuel sold in Canada was upped to 4%, the economic growth would be even more, generating $600 million in capital expenditures.
Growing communities. Building crush capacity benefits the communities that farmers live in. New facilities to crush canola brings jobs to rural Canada – in construction and beyond.
A greener environment. This one is simple. Here in Canada, if we replaced just 2% of the petroleum diesel we use with canola biodiesel, greenhouse gas emissions would drop by about 1.8 million tonnes. That’s the equivalent of taking 300,000 cars off the road. In addition, canola production is currently recognized as meeting the most stringent sustainability criteria as applied by the both the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the European Union.
This doesn’t just make our environment healthier, it makes us healthier too. A study in California found that using 1.5 billion litres of biodiesel would save over $400 million in “avoided health care costs” per year. When we breathe better air, we’re living healthier lives.
Good for our farmers. The Canadian canola sector is poised for future growth, with annual production expected to increase by nearly 9 million tonnes by 2025, and sustainable canola production is a definite priority. As such, domestic biofuel production is an area of strategic market development for canola as it provides an opportunity to develop a strong domestic demand which could include off-grade seed. This is beneficial, providing an important market for future growth in crop production.
Canola biodiesel would bring more domestic processing and Canadian uses, which provides more marketing options for farmers and captures benefits for regional economies and the nation.
*Statistics provided by Canola Council of Canada