Estimating the Carbon Intensity of ‘High Oil’ Peanut Oil Production in Texas

Biofuels can help reduce dependence on petroleum-based fuels, and peanut oil is a potentially valuable biofuel source. This study estimates the carbon intensity (CI) of peanut oil production in Texas using the Greenhouse Gases, Regulated Emissions, and Energy Use in Transportation (GREET) model. Both the Argonne National Laboratory (ANL) and California (CA) versions of GREET were employed to calculate CI values across various scenarios. Six pathways were developed considering farming, transportation, oil extraction, and land use change processes. These scenarios varied based on peanut varieties (High Oil and Conventional Oil content), irrigation methods (irrigated or dryland), and locations (Stephenville, Dilley, and Vernon): (1) Stephenville Dryland var. High Oil, (2) Stephenville Fully Irrigated var. High Oil, (3) Vernon Limited Irrigated var. High Oil/Rye cover crop, (4) Vernon Limited Irrigated var. Conventional Oil, (5) Vernon Limited Irrigated var. Conventional Oil/Rye cover crop, (6) Dilley Fully Irrigated var. High Oil. The CI values of these scenarios were compared with those of soybean oil. According to the ANL-GREET model results, the highest CI was observed in the Dryland scenario, though it remains lower than that of soybean oil. The lowest CI was found in the Vernon Span 17 Rye Irrigated scenario. The CA-GREET model results indicated the lowest CI for Dilley and the highest for Stephenville Dryland. The high oil yield in Dilley (1.25 tons/acre) significantly reduced the CI compared to the yield in Stephenville Dryland (0.25 tons/acre). These findings suggest that peanut oil is a promising addition to the currently available biofuel options.