In the United States, for the creation of renewable diesel fuel, they wanted to use genetically modified soya beans, that produce large amounts of oil. Lenta reports according to Bloomberg.
New type with high oil content
The creation of diesel fuel from soya beans could meet the need for fuel used for passenger aircraft and long-haul trucks, the publication writes. Currently, researchers at the startup ZeaKal Inc. are studying ways to produce a new type of legume. The organization plans to introduce the first batch of seeds with high oil content for commercial use in 2024. Beans produce high amounts of oil and protein because of a gene modification that favors longer photosynthesis. The oil content of such seeds reaches 23 percent – 20 percent more than conventional seeds.
The company believes that the use of GMO soya beans could avoid planting an additional 13 million square kilometers of oilseed crops in the US. “This (modified beans – note) is the new oil,” said ZeaKal Inc. chief executive officer Han Chen. The benefit of using the new soybeans is that producing less product can produce a large amount of oil at a low cost, Chen explained.
The use of renewable diesel is often positioned as one of the best ways to reduce emissions among modes of transport that are difficult to electrify. Major companies – ABCD, Archer, Daniels-Midland, Bunge, Cargill and Louis Dreyfus – have already announced plans to get into soya beans.