Boosting alternative crops for the biodiesel of next tomorrow: has Europe lagged behind?

According to the Renewable Energy Roadmap and Biofuels Progress Report, the Commission proposes to set a binding minimum target for biofuels of 10% of transport fuel by 2020. Today, practically all biodiesel produced in Europe is obtained from only two crops, rapeseed and sunflower. The introduction of new or alternative crops could be therefore highly desirable to diversify the supply while increasing biodiversity. In Europe, a number of private initiatives or public projects are currently undertaking alternative biodiesel crops, that not necessary are novel species, adapted to European conditions. Generally, these programmes are still in their infancy that testifies a significant lag behind of Europe with respect to other industrialised countries (e.g. USA). Within the European Project “Crops2Industry” (Seventh Framework Programme), three potentially important alternative crops for biodiesel have been identified for the European conditions, namely: Cuphea viscosissima, Lunaria annua and Euphorbia lagascae. The present article aims at reporting mini-reviews on the potentialities of these species for biodiesel market in Europe. The three species show important seed oil yields and oil composition, which is rich in medium chain saturated fatty acids, and poor in long chain saturated fatty acids and in polyunsaturated fatty acids. This makes oil viscous, resistant to frost and oxidant agents. Overall, the oils of these crops for their main characteristics appear well adapted to be processed for biodiesel production, and also for alternative industrial applications (e.g. technical oils). There is evidence that these crops may have a future as biodiesel crops in the European marketplace. Therefore, there is the need to create social awareness on their potentialities as valuable alternative crops to rapeseed and sunflower in Europe.