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Stinkweed to some opportunity for others
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Stan Peacock kneels in one of his fields of the stinkweed, Pennycress, north of High Prairie. Peacock has several fields of Pennycress which will be used to research its viability as an additive in biodiesel fuel production.
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Mac Olsen
South Peace News
For Stan Peacock, building a biodiesel fuel plant in the Peace District and establishing the stinkweed, Pennycress, as a high-yield, low-cost crop as part of the fuel production would be a major coup.
The plant would create 45 direct jobs and as many in-direct jobs and provide stimulus for the local economy, he says.
“We’re trying to provide a living for the people who are struggling, particularly farmers,” says Peacock. “It’s a unique, one-of-a-kind plant, it’s very environmentally friendly and is capable of utilizing a variety of oils to produce biodiesel.”
Peacock has been working his plan for the plant for four years, which includes finding the commercial/industrial land and the financial backing.
The plant would cost $50 million to build. Peacock is seeking assistance under the federal government’s Green Infrastructure Fund. He will meet with Fort McMurray-Athabasca MP Brian Jean in Fort McMurray June 26 to request money from the fund and show him the many letters of support he has for the project, including one from the M.D. of Big Lakes.
He has received financial backing from the Alberta Innovation Voucher program, the Lesser Slave Lake Economic Alliance and Peace Region Economic Development Alliance for Pennycress research. He has also received approval for funding from the federal government’s EcoABC program to construct the biodiesel plant. Additional investment is required for the biodiesel project to move forward.
Peacock has licensed the technology for the biodiesel plant from The Power Alternative, a company in Warren, Michigan.
The company would build the plant and train the staff, as well as remain a long-term partner in the plant. A seed crush plant would also be built at the same location.
Peacock owns two companies, including All Peace Industries Inc., which would control the plant. The other is The Green Fuel Company Inc., which controls the research and production of the Pennycress seed. The crush plant and biodiesel plant will begin operations using canola as feedstock and as Pennycress seed becomes available will move to utilize the seed as its main feedstock.
The ability to grow in marginal soil and extreme weather conditions, including winter, are key features of Pennycress. Peacock is partnering with the provincial government’s Agricultural and Rural Development department, Olds College and the University of Alberta to conduct research on Pennycress and its products.
“Pennycress grows very well everywhere in Canada, especially the prairies,” says Kwesi Ampong-Nyarko, a research scientist for Agriculture and Rural Development in Edmonton. Ampong-Nyarko has several objectives in his research, such as determining the crop yields on a per-acre basis and if it can be improved.
Peacock has crops growing near High Prairie, Grande Prairie and Rycroft, which Ampong-Nyarko will use for his studies. Growing canola crops next to Pennycress crops to compare their yields and soil conditions is another objective, as is improving the germination of the Pennycress seed.
“We want to study the problems on a large scale, which will be the basis for implementing improvements in crop production,” says Ampong-Nyarko. He will also study Pennycress at his research facility in Edmonton and tie it in with what he learns from Peacock’s crops.
While Ampong- Nyarko studies the crop yields, Tanya McDonald and students at Olds College will develop a best practices model for commercial production.
“Olds College wants to look at the chemical characteristics of the oil from Pennycress seed and the quality of biodiesel fuel that can be produced,” says McDonald, a bio-energy research scientist for the college’s school of innovation.
There are many possibilities for using the crushed seed after the oil is removed, such as bio-pesticides, bio-herbicides, bio-fungicides, organic fertilizers and livestock feeds. Olds College has a biodiesel pilot plant, research greenhouses and the Prairie Turf Grass Research Centre where all the research will be done.
A Pennycress-derived biodiesel fuel could serve a new market. The provincial government has implemented the Renewable Fuel Standard, mandating a five per cent renewable content in gasoline and two per cent in diesel fuel effective July 1, 2010. It will create a demand for 125 million litres of biodiesel fuel in Alberta annually.
“If we can grow a crop like Pennycress with little water, fertilizer and chemical inputs on marginal land and two crops per year, that will be a big win for us,” says McDonald, adding Olds College is pleased to be working with Peacock in the research.
The University of Alberta will be implementing a plant breeding program for Pennycress. Peacock’s plans for a biodiesel plant and Pennycress have drawn the attention of other media, including CBC. A film crew was at his farm June 11 to film a documentary to be aired on their “Green” series in the fall of 2009.
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