Use of Kosteletzkya for production of seaside biodiesel fuel

Abstract

The present invention relates to the use of a halophyte, such as Kosteletzkya virginica, in producing oil for conversion to biodiesel fuel. The present invention is alternatively directed to the use of salinized land or irrigation of non-saline land with saltwater for production of biodiesel fuel, without using valuable freshwater resources.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

[0001] This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 60/670,139, filed Apr. 11, 2005, the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

[0002] The present invention relates to the use of Kosteletzkya in producing oil for use as biodiesel fuel. More specifically, the present invention relates to the use of salinized soil or non-saline soil where the prospective irrigation water is saline for production of biodiesel fuel, without using valuable freshwater resources.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0003] It is estimated that 25% of the earth's surface comprises land where rainfall is not sufficient to remove salts from the root zone of plants, thus rendering the land unusable for crop production due to the salinization and desertification of that land. In the past, when their land became salinized, farmers tended either to change their cropping plan to a more salt-tolerant traditional crop species or they used engineering solutions to remove salts from the soil and prevent future accumulation. These alternatives, however, are onerous and expensive, and in severe cases are not even effective as either the traditional crop species or varieties are not salt-tolerant enough to produce economical yields and/or the engineering solutions are not economically feasible. This loss of productivity becomes especially crucial where farms are small and land is a scarce commodity. Being able to bring these idled lands into productive culture can be a very important social and economic matter.

[0004] Many land areas are now barren because of the lack of freshwater or because the soils are naturally saline or have become so as the result of previous agricultural practices. Having an adequate freshwater supply is an increasing challenge as global population increases drive up the need for food and drinking water.

Halophytes

[0005] One viable approach to solving this problem has been to exploit the genetic resources of plants whose evolutionary history includes growth in saline soils. Halophytes are, by definition, innately salt-tolerant plants and it is seldom necessary to seek increased salt tolerance through selection. In fact, salt effects are sometimes beneficial to the agronomic qualities of the plant.

[0006] To grow and reproduce under saline conditions, halophytes are able to overcome the osmotic stress posed by low soil water potentials and at the same time avoid ion toxicity as they absorb salt-laden water. Halophytic plants such as Kosteletzkya virginica (also referred to by its common name, Seashore Mallow), which lack salt-glands to remove excess NaCl from their leaves, rely on mechanisms controlling selective ion uptake, exclusion and transport by the roots, and differential retranslocation and storage within whole plants. In the wild, Kosteletzkya virginica grows in very wet brackish marshes usually in the 0.5-1.5% salinity range of the estuary where it grows as a non-dominant species in complex plant communities. It has been shown to generally be a good halophytic species with a great potential in both agriculture and industry in countries throughout the world. Kosteletzkya virginica is native to brackish portions of coastal tidal marshes of the mid-Atlantic and southeastern United States. The natural distribution of this plant ranges along the Gulf coast from Louisiana to Florida and northward along the Atlantic Coast to New Jersey.

[0007] Based on its high quality seeds and its tolerance to salt and wet soils, this plant enables soils not suitable to traditional crops to be brought into agronomic production. It has the potential to be the key component in rapidly bringing saline soils into productivity at low costs (ecological and economic).

[0008] Kosteletzkya virginica has been studied and developed as a grain with the thought of using it for feed and food, and particularly as a grain plant that can be grown with seawater irrigation. To date, however, its oil has not been used commercially.

Biodiesel Fuel

[0009] The need for an alternative fuel source to petroleum is clear in today's market. Two other major world problems are coupled to that need. Global warming is tied to increases in carbon dioxide levels in the atmosphere. Substituting plant resources for petroleum reserves to produce fuel will result in much of the carbon dioxide released to the atmosphere in burning the fuel being cycled back into plant material through photosynthesis. The atmospheric carbon dioxide reduction will be maximized if the plant is perennial (energy is not required to plant them each year) and if the plants can grow in an area where plants are not already growing and removing carbon dioxide from the air.

[0010] Biodiesel is the name of a clean burning alternative fuel, produced from renewable resources. Specifically, biodiesel is defined as the mono-alkyl esters of fatty acids derived from vegetable oils or animal fats. Basically, biodiesel is the product that results from a catalyst driven chemical reaction of a vegetable oil or animal fat and an alcohol, generally referred to as transesterification.

[0011] Biodiesel contains no petroleum, but can be used to power a motor either in pure form or when blended with regular diesel (in any proportion). Biodiesel fuel has many attributes that make it desirable. In addition to being produced from renewable resources, biodiesel has been found to be a good lubricant, which helps engines to last longer. It also has a high cetane rating, which improves engine operation. In fact, adding just 20% biodiesel to regular diesel improves the diesel's cetane rating by 3 points, which makes it a "premium" fuel. Basically, this renewable source is as efficient as petroleum diesel in powering unmodified diesel engines.

[0012] The use of biodiesel is affected by legislation and regulations in all countries. For example, in the United States, by 1995, 10 percent of all federal vehicles were to be using alternative fuels to set an example for the private automotive and fuel industries. Several studies are now funded to promote the use of blends of biodiesel and heating oil in the USA. In the USA, soybean oil is the principal oil being utilized for biodiesel (about 80,000 tons in 2003). In Europe, the EU Council of Ministers adopted new pan-EU rules for the detaxation of biodiesel and biofuels in October of 2003. Large-volume production occurs mainly in Europe, with production there now exceeding 1.4 million tons per year. Western European biodiesel production capacity was estimated at about 2 million metric tons per year largely produced through the transesterification process, about one-half thereof in Germany (440,000 and 350,000 MT in France and Italy, respectively). And finally, in February of 2004, the Government of the Philippines directed all of its departments to incorporate one percent by volume coconut biodiesel in diesel fuel for use in government vehicles.

[0013] Present biodiesel fuels are made from seeds grown in traditional agriculture (such as soybeans and cottonseed) using valuable freshwater resources and soils free of salt. There is thus a need for a method to produce oil that can in turn be used to make biodiesel fuel without using salt-free soils and valuable fresh water resources.

[0014] A perennial plant producing renewable fuel resources on saline land with saline water results in an increase in photosynthesis on land that previously wasn't a sink for atmospheric carbon. Thus, growing the crop provides a partial solution to three of the world's major problems. Dependence on petroleum reserves, elevation of atmospheric greenhouse gases, and enslavement to freshwater for agriculture are all three relieved to a degree. The possible use of Kosteletzkya oil for conversion to biodiesel fuel has not previously been considered.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0015] The present invention is directed to a method for producing biodiesel fuel from a halophyte plant, the method comprising the steps of obtaining oil from said halophyte plant and converting said oil to biodiesel fuel.

[0016] The present invention is further directed to a biodiesel fuel produced by conversion of oil obtained from a halpophyte plant.

[0017] The present invention is also directed to a method for producing biodiesel fuel from oil obtained from plants grown on a salinized piece of land.

[0018] The present invention is further directed to a salinized piece of land comprising one or more species of Kosteletzkya comprising seeds suitable to be converted to oil to be used in the production of biodiesel fuel.

[0019] The present invention additionally is directed to a method for producing biodiesel fuel using saltwater and saline soils.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0020] The present invention is directed to the growth of oil seed halophytes, and in particular, in the genus Kosteletzkya, such as Kosteletzkya virginica (Seashore Mallow), for the purpose of extracting the plant oil, modifying it, and using it as a biodiesel fuel. Further the invention is intended to improve the oil yield and composition through plant breeding and tissue culture somaclonal selection, as well as transformation using ballistic and bacterial vectors to transfer DNA. The Kosteletzkya oil can be modified by known techniques such as, for example, transestrification, for use as a biodiesel fuel.

[0021] The process of the invention set forth herein uses saltwater and saline soils, generally considered a liability in traditional agriculture, to grow oil that can be readily converted to biodiesel fuel, thus converting traditional agricultural liabilities into assets. The concept of using sea water to irrigate "wasteland" to grow fuel will have appeal in the US as well as in countries such as China where petroleum is in short supply. Oil and freshwater are particularly limiting resources in today's world, while saltwater and dryland are abundant. As a result of this invention, abundant soils and water sources not generally useful for traditional agriculture, can now be used for producing, among other things, fuel, which would have significant economic benefit to various regions and many countries around the world.

[0022] As briefly addressed in the background portion of this document, vegetable oils have attracted attention as potential renewable resources for production of alternative fuel sources, such a biodiesel fuel. It has been determined that the use of esters obtained from the vegetable oils seem the most promising in this arena. Alcohol esters are generally best produced from vegetable oils by transesterification.

[0023] A preferred plant for use in this invention is Kosteletzkya virginica (L.) Presl., commonly known as Seashore Mallow. Throughout this document, the terms Kosteletzkya virginica, Kosteletzkya and Seashore Mallow shall be used interchangeably, and have the same meaning. Kosteletzkya virginica is a perennial dicot and halophytic species which has been suggested as a grain crop for seawater-based agricultural systems (Gallagher, J. L. 1985. Halophytic crops for cultivation at seawater salinity, Plant and Soil 89:323-336; Gallagher, J. L. 1995. Biotechnology approaches for improving halophytic crops: somaclonal variation and genetic transformation, In: Biology of Salt-Tolerant Plants, M. A. Khan and I. A. Ungar (Eds.), pp. 397-406, Department of Botany, University of Karachi, Karachi, Pakistan; Gallagher, J. L. and D. M. Seliskar, 1993, Selecting halophytes for agronomic value: Lessons from whole plants and tissue culture In: Strategies for Utilizing Salt-Affect Lands. Funny Publishing Limited Partnership, Bangkok, Thailand. pp. 415-425) (incorporated herein by reference in their entirety). It produces a relatively high yield of seeds with the hulled seeds having a protein and fat content (approximately 20-30% protein and approximately 18-25% oil composed largely of unsaturated fatty acids, high potassium and low sodium) and the oil can be used as an edible oil. Mucilage from seed is possibly suitable for industrial use as candy or gum (Somers, G. F. 1979. Natural halophytes as a potential resource for new salt tolerant crops: some progress and prospects In A. Hollaender [ed.], The Biosaline Concept, Plenum Press, New York, N.Y. Pp. 101-115.; Poljakoff-Mayber, A., G. F. Somers, E. Werker, and J. L. Gallagher. 1992. Seeds of Kosteletzkya virginica, (Malvaceae): their structure, germination, and salt tolerance In: Seed structure and germination. Amer. J. Bot. 79: 249-256.). Generally, the oil from these seeds is very similar to cottonseed oil which has been successfully converted into a biodiesel fuel by those in the art.

[0024] An advantage of the Kosteletzkya plant is that it is a perennial and develops from a single stem the first year to a multiple stem plant, e.g. producing 20 stems by the fourth year (Gallagher, J. L. 1985. Halophytic crops for cultivation at seawater salinity, Plant and Soil 89:323-336) and 44 stems by the eighth year in a selection from North Carolina (Gallagher, unpublished data). In our plots, plants live and produce for a decade. This feature reduces production costs significantly.

[0025] Kosteletzkya is an effective salt-tolerant plant for biodiesel fuel production using saline agronomy because it combines a number of important features. Initially, Kosteletzkya seeds store a high percentage of oil, in the range of about 18-20% oil. This oil level is similar to the average oil content for freshwater-requiring annual crops such as soybean, corn, and cottonseed, all of which have been used in the past for conversion to biodiesel.

[0026] Further, because the Kosteletzkya oil has a composition similar to oils that are successfully made into biodiesel, current technology is applicable. For instance, the oil is very similar in fatty acid composition to oil from cottonseed. Below, in Table 1, is set forth a comparison of cottonseed oil, soybean oil and Kosteletzkya oil. TABLE-US-00001 TABLE 1 Fatty acid Kosteletzkya Cottonseed Soybean 14:0 0.1 1.4 0.1 16:0 24.1 23.1 9.8 16:1 0.6 2.0 0.4 18:0 1.9 1.1 2.4 Malvalic 1.8 1.5 -- 18:1 13.7 22.1 28.9 18:2 55.2 47.8 50.7 18:3 0.8 -- 0.5 Sterculic 0.5 0.5 -- 20:0 0.9 1.3 0.9 22:0 0.9 -- -- 24:1 1.9 -- -- Specific gravity 0.91 0.92 0.93 Iodine value 102 105 130 Saponification number 191 194 191

[0027] Another benefit of the Kosteletzkya plant is that it is easily handled by conventional machinery. Specifically, the Kosteletzkya plant is similar in structure to conventional agricultural plants, and, as such, meets the limitations of presently existing machinery. Also, regarding the Kosteletzkya plant's salt tolerance, there exists the added benefit that this plant can be irrigated from a variety of sources, such as historic salinized aquifers, aquifers contaminated by salt-water intrusion, estuaries or the coastal ocean.

[0028] Further, the way the plant matures, as well as when and how the saleable parts can be harvested, are all important factors to producing the best product for conversion to biodiesel. Ultimately, it is the anatomy and phenological cycle of Kosteletzkya that is a key basis for why this plant is effective for use in this invention.

[0029] The phenology (when various life stages of its annual cycle occur) of the Kosteletzkya plant will vary depending on the location and the genetics of the particular strain of Kosteletzkya. A given genetic strain will respond differently depending on the degree to which the character (initiation of spring growth, time when the plant stores food in the fleshy root for the next years growth, time of flowering, etc.) is dependent on fixed genetics, inducible genetics, and/or the environment.

[0030] For example, Delaware Kosteletzkya plants grown in a saline marsh exhibit the following growth cycle: growth begins in late April, flowering in early July, seed set and maturation continues with the last maturing in early October, and leaves and stems are dead by the end of the month or early November. A description of how these Delaware plants are harvested for use in biodiesel conversion is set forth in Example 1.

[0031] In many cases, when a plant is grown in salt water, the seeds tend to be high in salt content which poses a concern that the salt will corrode the equipment. One of the reasons the Kosteletzkya seeds are attractive for oil extraction and conversion to biodiesel is that the salt from the saline irrigation water is kept out of the seeds by the natural physiological processes of the plants. These seeds have a low ash content and are also low in sodium content. Specifically, the seed ash content measures at levels between 4.7 and 4.9%, regardless of whether the salinity of the growth medium was fresh water or 150 g/l salt water or whether the soil was well drained or waterlogged (Dubinski 1987. Resource Allocation Within Kosteletzkya virginica. Doctoral Dissertation. Univ. of Del.) (incorporated herein by reference in its entirety). As a comparison, soybean seeds grown with fresh water are reported to have between 4 and 5% ash. Further, Kosteletzkya seeds are found to contain only 0.03% sodium (Ruan et al. 200.5 Jour. Plant Nutri. 28: 1191-1200) (incorporated herein by reference in its entirety).

[0032] Notably, Kosteletzkya also has a low iodine value (below 120) that is desirable for biodiesel fuel in certain instances, such as Europe where the European standard (ENH14214) requires iodine levels to be below 120.

[0033] Another common problem with plant growth in salinized soils is weed infestation. We have identified at least three effective ways to control weed growth in Kosteletzkya crop production. Cultivation is the first way, and while an obvious choice it is not an energetically sound choice because more oil ends up being used to produce the biodiesel fuel. The second way is the use of herbicides and it is a more preferred method of treatment. Certain herbicides have been found promising, such as, for example, Envoke.RTM., an herbicide used on cotton, to which Kosteletzkya seemed to have good resistance. Kosteletzkya has also shown a surprising degree of resistance to the stronger herbicide Roundup.RTM.. A third approach to weed control is the process of double cropping the Kosteletzkya in a salt tolerant forage grass. In such a process, it is preferred to time the cropping with an early growing forage and harvest a hay crop before the mallow emerges and then harvest the grain. The hay stubble and its regrowth provide living mulch, that prevents wind erosion, smothering of weeds, and protecting the fleshy roots in colder climates.

[0034] Some additional benefits of seashore mallow is that the plant is perennial (lives up to 10 years), the seeds do not shatter readily, it is not an invasive plant, it suffers little insect damage and there are no known diseases that affect this plant.

[0035] It is known in the art that yields among natural plants growing in 2.5% saltwater vary as much as eight-fold, indicating a significant potential for yield improvement through selection. As such, alternative methods for improving Kosteletzkya for conversion to biodiesel include breeding, selection, tissue culture, and genetic transformation efforts that are effective in, for example, developing plants with higher oil yields, or, alternatively, altering the oil's composition to improve the oil quality for the production of biodiesel fuel.

[0036] We have added foreign genes to Kosteletzkya virginica via ballistic and bacterial vectors and they functioned to produce biochemical products. This process demonstrated a protocol whereby genes that could result in the change in oil composition could be introduced. Specifically, we incorporated the GUS gene into Kosteletzkya using both ballistic and bacterial vectors. In the ballistic transformation, Li et al. used hygromycin resistance to select the transformed calli (Li, X. and J. L. Gallagher. 1996. Expression of foreign genes, GUS and hygromycin resistance, in the halophyte Kosteletzkya virginica in response to bombardment with the Particle Inflow Gun. J. Exp. Bot. 47:1437-1447.) (incorporated herein by reference in its entirety). Rao et al. used Agrobacterium tumefasciens as a vector and selected for kanamycin-resistant shoots and buds (Rao, J. D., D. M. Seliskar, and J. L. Gallagher, 1997, Shoot regeneration and Agrobacterium-mediated genetic transformation of seashore mallow, 1997 Congress on In Vitro Biology, Washington, D.C. June, In Vitro 33(3): Part II p. 56A) (incorporated here in by reference in its entirety). While these techniques only serve as a protocol for transformation and did not produce changes in oil modification, they do serve to demonstrate pathways for transformations using the same bacterial vector and selection method that Liu et al. published for oil modification in the close relative cotton (Liu, Q., S. P. Singh, and A. G. Green, 2002, High-stearic and high-oleic cottonseed oils produced by hairpin RNA-mediated post-transcriptional gene silencing, Plant Physiology 129: 1732-1743.). Proper constructs can accordingly be prepared, and details determined, for application to Kosteletzkya. In particular, the gene silencing ghFAD2-1 that is involved in the mediation of the conversion of 18:1 (oleic) to 18:2 (linoleic) results in the elevation of the former from 13 to 78%. Korbitz et al. state that one of the four characteristics of the fatty acid profile of an oil to be used for biodiesel is the "highest possible level of oleic acid for stability and winter operability" (Korbitz, W., St. Friedrich, E. Waginger, and M. Worgetter, 2003, Worldwide review on biodiesel production, Prepared for IEA Bioenergy Task 39, Subtask, Biodiesel). Thus, this approach offers one potential avenue for improvement of Kosteletzkya oil.

Conversion to Diesel Fuel

[0037] Similar to vegetable oils that are used for conversion to biodiesel fuel, while Kosteletzkya is a suitable source of oil for biodiesel production, as is the case for vegetable oils, the direct use of Kosteletzkya oil is generally considered unsatisfactory and impractical for both direct-injection and indirect-type diesel engines for a variety of reasons known well in the art with regard to vegetable oils already used in biodiesel production (see for example Fukuda et al., 2001. Biodiesel Fuel Production by Transesterification. J. of Bioscience and Bioengineering. Vo. 92, No. 5, 405-416) (incorporated herein by reference in its entirety). As such, the Kosteletzkya oil must be converted to oil derivatives that approximate the properties and performance of hydrocarbon-based diesel fuels.

[0038] Kosteletzkya oil is convertible by a variety of methods known in the art for converting vegetable oils to diesel fuel, such as transestrification and pyrolysis (see, for example, Demirbas, A. 2002. Diesel fuel from vegetable oil via transestrificationm and soap pyrolysis. Energy Sources 24:835-844., Bikou, E. et al. 1999. The effect of water on the transestrification kinetics of cottonseed oil with ethanol. Chem. Eng. Technol. 22:70 -75; Fukuda et al., 2001. Biodiesel Fuel Production by Transesterification. J. of Bioscience and Bioengineering. Vo.. 92, No. 5, 405-416;) (incorporated herein by reference in their entirety).

[0039] Generally, in the process of transesterification of the Kosteletzkya oil, the oil reacts with an alcohol (methanol typically) in the presence of a catalyst to convert the reactants to glycerin and methyl esters of the fatty acids. The glycerin separates to the bottom of the reaction chamber and the methyl esters of the fatty acids are used for the fuel. An alternative diesel fuel can be prepared by saponification and pyrolysis where the seed oil is reacted with sodium hydroxide giving glycerin and the sodium salts of the fatty acids. Pyrolysis (decarboxylation) of the sodium soaps yields carbon dioxide, sodium carbonate, and hydrogen-rich residues that can be used as fuel.

[0040] It is preferred that the Kosteletzkya oil be converted to diesel oil using the transesterfication with glycerin as a byproduct. The process described in Demirbus (2002), which describes a catalytic method and a supercritical transesterfication method without a catalyst, is found to be effective for use in the converting Kosteletzkya oil to biodiesel (Demirbas. A. 2002. Biodiesel from vegetable oils via transestrification in supercritical methanol. Energ. Conser. and Manage. 43:2349-576) (incorporated by reference herein in its entirety).

[0041] An alternative transesterification method applicable to the invention is disclosed by Peterson et al. (2002) wherein the use of ethanol as the estrifying alcohol is used in a continuous flow methodology that reduces time and cost of production. This makes the fuel attractive from a business point of view in addition to biodiesel's biodegradability, reduced exhaust emissions, and lower toxicity which make it attractive environmentally. (Peterson, D. L. et al. 2002. Continuous flow biodiesel production. Appl. Eng. Agricul.18:5-11) (incorporated by reference herein in its entirety). It is further contemplated that the use of methanol may considerably increase the flow rates further shortening production time.

[0042] In our tests, Kosteletzkya seeds were dried overnight at 60.degree. C. to remove the initial 3.3% moisture. The seed has a hard impervious coat that can be knocked loose when the seed is broken in a mill to pass a coarse screen. The seed coat can be separated from the remainder of the seed using a series of screens and air flow in a shaker. This produces a more pure product for extraction and a relatively large surface area for the solvent interaction without producing a fine powder that is hard to separate from the oil. An example of extraction is to soak the dehulled macerated seeds in hexane overnight and then filter the particulate material out. This solid material can be re-extracted with hexane for another period and the quantity of oil extracted compared to the initial extraction. In one test using seeds with cracked hulls but hulls not removed we found that the first overnight extraction removed 1.5 times as much oil as the second three-day extraction. In earlier tests, finer maceration (20 mesh) and multiple extractions produced higher yields as does dehulling the seed. Hexane is driven off by bubbling nitrogen through the warmed oil/solvent mixture. Hexane can be recovered for reuse by distilling and recycling the solvent. The oil is then mixed with methanol in excess and a catalyst, such as sodium methoxide, is added. The mixture is heated and refluxed with a condenser. Upon sitting the glycerin settles and can be removed. The remaining methyl esters may need to be refined to remove impurities. He et al. (2003) using the Soxtec method for extraction found that oil content in accessions of seed varied more than protein content. This demonstrates that plants in nature produce seeds containing a range of oil content and therefore plants that produce seed with a higher oil content can be selected.

[0043] The advantageous properties of this invention can be further observed by reference to the following example which illustrates one aspect of the invention.

EXAMPLES

Example 1

[0044] We planted three acres of the seashore mallow seeds using a conventional row grain planter with sorghum plates in the hoppers. Cultivators, sprayers (for weed control) were standard.

[0045] The leaves dropped off the stems when the seeds were mature, thereby simplifying harvest and leaving the highest ash content parts of the plant on the ground.

[0046] Late October or early November is the time when the seeds are ready to be harvested. Local farmers saw no difficulty of adjusting a standard combine such as a Gleaner.RTM., to do the job.

[0047] We also cut the plants with a sickle bar mower, gathered the stems by hand, ran them through a small thrasher, and subsequently a seed cleaner. Screens and chaff removal using air required no special equipment modification. Handling the stems and their adhering seed pods during mowing and gathering the plants did not cause noticeable shattering.

[0048] Although the invention is illustrated and described herein with reference to specific embodiments, the invention is not intended to be limited to the details shown. Rather, various modifications may be made in the details within the scope and range of equivalents of the claims and without departing from the invention.

Claims

1. A method for producing biodiesel fuel from a halophyte plant, the method comprising the steps of obtaining oil from said halophyte plant and converting said oil to biodiesel fuel.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein said halophyte plant comprises a Kosteletzkya virginica plant.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein said oil is obtained from a seed of said halophyte plant.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the oil of said halophyte plant is converted to biodiesel fuel by a process comprising the step of transesterification.

5. The method of claim 4 wherein the oil of said halophyte plant is converted to biodiesel fuel by a process further comprising the steps of saponification and pyrolysis.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein the oil of the halophyte plant is reacted with an alcohol in the presence of a catalyst capable of converting said oil and alcohol to glycerin and methyl esters of fatty acids.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein the oil of the halophyte plant is reacted with sodium hydroxide, and is thereafter subjected to a pyrolysis step.

8. A biodiesel fuel produced by conversion of oil obtained from a halpophyte plant.

9. The biodiesel fuel of claim 8 wherein said halophyte plant comprises a Kosteletzkya virginica plant.

10. The biodiesel fuel of claim 8 wherein said oil is obtained from a seed of said halophyte plant.

11. The biodiesel fuel of claim 8 wherein the oil of said halophyte plant is converted to biodiesel fuel by a process comprising the step of transesterification.

12. The biodiesel fuel of claim 11 wherein the oil of said halophyte plant is converted to biodiesel fuel by a process further comprising the steps of saponification and pyrolysis.

13. The biodiesel fuel of claim 8 wherein the oil of the halophyte plant is reacted with an alcohol in the presence of a catalyst capable of converting said oil and alcohol to glycerin and methyl esters of fatty acids.

14. The biodiesel fuel of claim 8 wherein the oil of the halophyte plant is reacted with sodium hydroxide, and is thereafter subjected to a pyrolysis step.

15. A method for producing biodiesel fuel from oil obtained from a plant grown on a salinized piece of land.

16. The method of claim 15 wherein said plant comprises a halophyte plant.

17. The method of claim 16 wherein said halophyte plant comprises a Kosteletzkya virginica plant.

18. The method of claim 15 wherein said plant is capable of growing in saline soils and is further capable of feeding from saltwater.