CANOLA Motor Oil, a crop-based engine lubricant, could soon be appearing in this country following its launch in the US. American companies Agro Management and Thumb Oilseed Producers Cooperative, have patented the product and signed a joint marketing agreement. They claim the oil, which is expected to retail at about twice the price of a petroleum-based engine oil, will reduce hydrocarbon emissions by 30% and decrease carbon dioxide emissions.

The motor oil has been developed by alternative crop specialist Duane Johnson, of the Colorado State University. Despite the extra cost Johnson says he is already in talks with state governments interested in using the oil in their vehicles. He estimates that if Canola replaced just 5% of the petroleum oil used in the US, the market for it would be around 50 million gallons per year.