Oil crops, including soybeans and canola, produce edible and non-edible oils, as well as biofuels. Other plants, such as avocados and almonds, also produce oil. Some crops, like cotton and corn, have other uses, but soybeans are primarily grown for oil. Biodiesel can be made from various crops, including waste cooking oil and alternative crops like Carmelina saliva.
Oil crops are plants grown primarily for the oil they produce. The main ones include popular plants such as soybeans and canola, as well as a number of other plants with other uses, such as avocados, grapes and almonds. In addition to the designated crops, non-petroleum oil also comes from animals and from corn and cotton, all of which have uses other than producing oils. While the best-known application of oil crops is in the production of edible oils, they can also produce non-edible oils and even biofuels.
Major oil crops are typically used to produce edible oils. They include soybeans, peanuts, sunflowers and canola, which is a genetically modified form of canola originally developed in Canada. Flaxseed oil, also known as linseed oil, was originally produced for industrial applications, such as paint manufacturing, but has gained prominence in the United States as a nutritional supplement is consumed in European countries.
In addition to the well-known crops, a number of other plants are grown for use in oil production. Edible oil plants include a number of nuts, gourds and fruits. Inedible oils can also come from almonds, papayas, and even tung beans, which create an oil used to seal wood. The essential oils come from crops which include wormwood, patchouli and chamomile.
Some crops have uses other than oil production. While cottonseed oil is a useful product, most people think that cotton is grown for its fibers. Corn has a myriad of uses beyond providing its oil. On the other hand, while soybeans provide useful protein for humans and animals, most of it is used for oil, making it primarily an oil crop.
At the beginning of the 21st century, oil crops begin to serve an entirely new market: cars and trucks. Many vegetable oils can easily be transformed into biodiesel fuel capable of powering most diesel engines with, at most, relatively minor modifications. In addition to traditional crops such as safflower, soybeans and rapeseed, biodiesel can also be produced from waste cooking oils or alternative crops, such as Carmelina saliva, also known as “false flax” or “pleasure gold”.
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