The agronomic potential of spring canola (Brassica napus L.) and its oil in Pennsylvania
Open Access
- Author:
- Frier, Mary Carol
- Graduate Program:
- Agronomy
- Degree:
- Master of Science
- Document Type:
- Master Thesis
- Date of Defense:
- None
- Committee Members:
- Gregory Wayne Roth, Thesis Advisor/Co-Advisor
- Keywords:
- biofuels
oilseed
biodiesel
canola - Abstract:
- Biodiesel production in Pennsylvania is increasing to over 275 million liters annually. This new industry will demand substantial amounts of vegetable oil feedstock, primarily from soybean. Spring canola could be an alternative feedstock because its oil content is double that of soybean and canola meal by-product is a high protein livestock feed, especially for dairy cows. As a new crop, the yield potential of spring canola is not well documented in Pennsylvania. To assess its performance, spring canola was evaluated in Centre, Lancaster and Tioga Counties in 2007. Spring canola yields have averaged about 40% less than winter canola, but spring canola may fit crop rotations better. In 2007, spring canola yields averaged 1,436 kg ha -1 in Lancaster County, 1,931 kg ha-1 in Centre County and 2,459 kg ha-1 in Tioga County. However, the best spring varieties in these trials yielded about 20% more than the average in Centre and Tioga Counties. Temperatures above 32o C during pod filling were an important factor in the low yields in Lancaster County. Despite climatic variation among locations, four of the 12 varieties evaluated were consistently high yielding across locations. Economic opportunity exists for on-farm, mechanical pressing of oilseed to oil and meal co-products; but the oil should meet industrial specifications for biodiesel and biofluid (biohydraulic, biolubricant) applications for the best value. In biodiesel production, the free fatty acid (FFA) and phosphorous contents are important quality indicators. In biofluid applications, the oxidative stability and viscosity are important. These characteristics result primarily from the fatty acid profile of the oil but may be affected by the oil extraction method and the quality of the oilseed growing location in some varieties. In the 2007 spring canola trial, four of the highest yielding varieties, Hyola Magnum 357, IS7145, Crosby and DKL 38-25, at each of three locations, Rock Springs, Landisville and Wellsboro, were evaluated for FFA and phosphorous contents and functionally evaluated for their viscosity and oxidative stability. Results were compared with a sample biodiesel industry specification maximum for crude, non-degummed feedstock oils and also with commercially available refined and crude oils. The average FFA content of the oils was above specification at 0.81%; however, there were significant differences by location and variety. Specimen oils from the least favorable environments are more likely to exceed the specification maximum compared to those from more favorable environments. Phosphorous content in these oils averaged lower than the industry specification maximum of 1,000 ppm, with no significant difference by location. However, the Magnum 357 variety was significantly higher than the other varieties. Viscosity averaged 35.8 Cst at 40o C, with no significant variation by either location or variety; these viscosities are typical for vegetable oils. Using the Penn State Mini-Oxidation Test to evaluate oxidative stability, the rate of volatiles driven off by hot air at 200o C averaged 14.1% of the sample weight after 60 minutes of treatment. The percentage of insoluble deposits left after 60 minutes of hot air treatment was typical for vegetable oils at an average of 82.1 % of the original sample weight over all varieties tested. Although oxidative stability by location was not significantly different, the Magnum 357 variety was significantly lower in both volatiles and insoluble deposits after 60 minutes of exposure compared to the other varieties tested. This evaluation of industrial quality in mechanically pressed spring canola suggests that the on-farm production of crude, non-degummed oil can meet industry specifications for biodiesel and biofluids, especially when grown under favorable conditions. Additional analysis is needed to determine the rate of degradation of these oilseeds from harvest to pressing, under differing growing and storage environments.