‘Diesel nut’ development brings Texas A&M AgriLife, Chevron together

Peanut oil powered the world’s first diesel engine when it was premiered by Rudolf Diesel at the World Exposition in Paris in 1900. Now, a collaboration between Chevron and Texas A&M AgriLife is reviving the use of peanuts as a renewable feedstock for diesel fuel with a lower carbon intensity.

Carbon intensity is the energy expended to produce a product, including production inputs such as water, pesticide and fertilizer, and how much net carbon that process adds to the atmosphere. Lower carbon intensity is important in developing sustainable agricultural practices.

The five-year, multimillion-dollar project will be led by John Cason, Ph.D., a Texas A&M AgriLife Research peanut breeder at Stephenville. Development of the “diesel nut” will be multi-pronged and will include estimating economic feasibility, advancing existing high-oil peanut germplasm and developing new, low-input peanut lines for the renewable diesel industry.

Co-leaders on the project are Luis Ribera, Ph.D., Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service economist and director of Texas A&M’s Center for North American Studies, Bryan-College Station; Bill McCutchen, Ph.D., center director for Texas A&M AgriLife Research and Extension Center, Stephenville; and David Baltensperger, Ph.D., head of the Texas A&M Department of Soil and Crop Sciences.

Cliff Lamb, Ph.D., director of AgriLife Research, Bryan-College Station, said this collaboration with Chevron gives AgriLife Research scientists a chance to develop peanuts that have a greater oil content and are better adapted to dryer climates — ultimately creating a more resilient agricultural system.

“We hope these new peanut varieties will offer producers a profitable dryland or limited irrigation crop option,” Lamb said. “What makes this project truly exciting is that it takes the entire agricultural value chain into account, using cuttingedge research to create an abundant, affordable and high-quality product that works to protect natural resources, improve health and support economies in Texas and beyond. We appreciate the support of this work by Chevron.”

Chevron is building the capacity to produce 100,000 barrels a day of renewable fuels in its manufacturing system by 2030. Securing a reliable source of lower lifecycle carbon intensity renewable feedstocks is a priority for the company.

“Chevron is thrilled to team with Texas A&M AgriLife to work to develop the next generation of renewable fuel feedstocks,” said Michelle Young, renewables program manager for Chevron Downstream Technology and Services. “This collaboration has the potential to deliver high-quality oil to produce renewable fuels while providing peanut farmers in the U.S. with another way to maximize the value of their operations.”

“The Texas Peanut Producers Board is excited to support the ‘diesel nut’ project and views it as one more tool for farmers in Texas,” said Shelly Nutt, Texas Peanut Producers Board executive director.

“Peanut farmers have long realized the value of using peanuts not only as a cash crop, but also as a crop that adds nutrients to the soil, creating a sustainable production system,” Nutt said. “With the success of this project, farmers could add a low-input, high-yielding ‘diesel nut’ with the ability to grow on marginal land or with limited water availability, into their rotation program and would not be competing with the high-quality, edible peanut market the board has worked so hard to achieve.”

Increasing oil content in ‘diesel nut’ peanut varieties

Currently, foodgrade peanut varieties have an oil content of approximately 48%. However, several high-oil breeding lines have around 55-60% oil content. With those yields, “diesel nut” peanuts could yield as much as 350 gallons of oil per acre, compared to soybeans’ current oil yields of approximately 25 to 50 gallons per acre.

AgriLife Research peanut breeders, including Michael Baring, Bryan-College Station; Charles Simpson, Ph.D., Stephenville; and Mark Burow, Ph.D., Lubbock, began working on high-oil breeding lines 15 years ago. Cason said four of those most promising lines were selected to begin studying the agronomics and yields.

“We also are developing new crosses and screening Texas A&M AgriLife germplasm, including the wild germplasm collection maintained by Simpson,” Cason said.