Scientific key could unlock camelina bio-jet fuel

Scientists at Canadian-based bioscience research organisation Genome Prairie has developed a full genome sequence of camelina sativa, a crop gaining prominence as a feedstock for biodiesel and jet fuel.

The study, under a public-private partnership called Prairie Gold, believes camelina could now also thrive in the Canadian prairies, offer producers another option within crop rotation and provide a valuable meal by-product.

‘The completion of this camelina genome sequence marks an important milestone that will enable local businesses to be more innovative in developing camelina-based value-added industrial bioproducts,’ says Genome Prairie CEO Reno Pontarollo.

The potential benefit to airlines is that Jet A-1 commercial biofuel derived from camelina can reduce carbon emissions by around 85%.

Genome Prairie scientists add that camelina is ‘a technically difficult species to sequence’, and the latest in next generation sequencing techniques were needed in order to assemble a complete and high quality genome sequence. 

‘One interesting feature is that the gene complement appears to be almost three times larger than that of Arabidopsis thaliana, a closely related species that is widely used as a model in laboratory settings.  This is likely the result of two genome duplication events in a common ancestor in Camelina’s evolutionary past,’ Pontarollo adds.