Camelina Intermediate Crop: Saipol Continues Its Experiment

Two years of experimenting, a third one in the pipeline

In 2020 and 2021, Saipol headed experiments in the field to explore the technical feasibility of establishing camelina as an intermediate crop. Sown between 15 June and 10 July, this short cycle crucifer can under the right conditions be harvested 90 days later, i.e. 15 October at the latest, to leave the field free for sowing cereal crops.

The experiment, which will continue in 2022, primarily aims to confirm the best technical conditions and pathways for harvesting camelina and upskilling the farmers who are the ambassadors of this intermediate crop.

“in 2022 our partner farmers will again apply the keys to success identified during the first two years of the experiment. In particular, the lessons learned in the first 2 years increased our knowledge about seed care in the summer, about favouring direct sowing (without ploughing) and about the benefits of an intermediate crop after tinned peas.”

Guillaume de la Forest, project leader at Saipol

A new raw material for low-carbon energies

For Saipol, the purpose of this project is to study the technical and economic implementation of a comprehensive supply chain based on the development of a new intermediate oilseed crop.

“it is also an opportunity for farmers to boost their earnings when the intermediate crop ends its growth cycle. Such earnings, just like the logistics process with collecting organisations, are still theoretical. They will depend on the emerging outlet for renewable energies for aviation. The biojet fuel made from the intermediate crop camelina offers significant reductions in greenhouse gas and this intermediate crop has no impact on crop rotation.”

Loic Godnair, in charge of developing Saipol's value chains

The seeds of the intermediate crop camelina contain about 35% vegetable oil. To extract it, the seeds are initially flattened, gradually heated then pressed. Saipol then pre-processes the crude oil produced by this pressing process then sells it to producers of biojet fuel.

And more protein for rearing feed

The processing of camelina also generates protein-rich oil cakes. These are sold to manufacturers of rearing feed, in particular Sanders Ouest, a subsidiary of the Avril group, and other manufacturers that also recover and re-use the essential fatty acid content of camelina oil cakes.

The crude camelina oil (in the centre) is pre-processed at Saipol then sold to producers of low-carbon energies.

Camelina as an intermediate crop, Saipol continues the experiment.

Two years of experimenting, a third one in the pipeline

A new raw material for low-carbon energies

And more protein for rearing feed

Keys to the success of camelina as a intermediate crop, identified by Saipol and its partners