干旱区生态环境知识资源中心

This paper focuses on Canada's public sector research to develop Camelina sativa as a dedicated biorefinery feedstock for the production of aviation fuel and other high value bio-based products. Its development is supported by policies in national and international jurisdictions that promote the sustainable use of renewable energy feedstocks. Camelina's agronomic advantages favor arid and marginal agricultural regions of the Canadian prairies, thereby generating potential environmental benefits. As a non-food oilseed crop, camelina also addresses issues related to direct competition between food and non-food resources, including land-use change. However, a Canadian camelina biorefinery concept requires significant investment in agronomic adaptation, logistics, infrastructure, and value-chain integration. This paper provides a technoeconomic analysis of the configuration of a Canadian camelina-to-biorefinery system along with sustainability parameters for guiding research direction and investment, especially focusing on the establishment of oil processing facilities required to fill gaps in current value chain development. The case study and sensitivity analysis showed viability to grow camelina and exploit the derived camelina oil and coproducts for high-value applications based on a competitive market in Canadian Prairies region.