Concepts for the cultivation, production and use of vegetable oils

Sustainable plant oil cultivation

Regenerative instead of finite

Future ready-for-production fuels must be produced in a sustainable way: regenerative instead of finite, neutral for soil, water, air (CO2 and climate) more socially tolerable and affordable for the world's population, without posing direct competition to food production and also taking land rights into consideration.

Plant oil is accumulated energy from the sun, and in addition to petroleum, the only liquid energy source already on the earth. Oil plants grow in all parts of the earth: under the earth (peanuts), on the earth (soya, canola, sunflower), on bushes (jatropha curcas), trees (oil palm, olive etc.). Unlike industrial whole plant utilisation concepts, when it comes to oil plants VWP advocates for combined production of fuel (plant oil) and protein (oil cake), while taking top soil development into account: reintroduction of straw, biomass on the field.

Mixed crop cultivation

Field inspection of ecological mixed fruit cultivation with Camelina Sativa (Leindotter), from left: Markus Pscheidl (Kramerbräuhof), Dr. med. Georg Gruber (VWP), Hans-Josef Fell (MdB, co-author of the EEG)We research cultivation concepts with pure oil plants in crop rotation and/or multiple oil plants in a synergetic constellation on a field. Ecological "mixed crop cultivation" pertains to the combined production of energy and food production on one field: e.g. with peas and/or various types of grain with camelina sativa. VWP has developed a social-ecological concept for sustainable fuel production for over 20 years, and was distinguished in 2007 for its integrated biofuel concept with the Moppert Award from the Swiss Sarasin Bank. Future sustainability research focuses on the increasing ‘greening’ of agriculture right up to closed energy, CO2 and material/fertiliser cycles, including the preservation of soil fertility through a balanced top soil layer.

VWP sidesteps the conflict of objectives with food production in multiple ways, through

  • no usage of any edible plant oils.
  • no food cultivation areas are taken over, because soil cultures are established in arid and semi-arid wasteland areas.
  • oil plants and food cultivation being simultaneously in a mixed culture.
  • fuel and food (protein) always being produced together with each oil plant due to the physiological separation of oil and oil cake.