TerViva’s Pongamia Tree Farms Popping up to Meet Hawaii’s Biofuel Needs

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August 28, 2017

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by Helena Tavares Kennedy (Biofuels Digest) In Hawaii, pongamia trees are being farmed for the first time in experimental plots in Oahu to help meet Hawaii’s biofuel needs, specifically for biodiesel and jet fuel. TerViva is heading up the plantings and is talking with Pacific Biodiesel to possibly use their processing plant, though TerViva could make biodiesel with their current equipment.

The trees spread out over 200 acres and are demonstrating that they can thrive in poor soil conditions making it appealing for farmers with land that can’t grow other products. TerViva estimates pongamia can produce more than 400 gallons of oil per acre, which can be used to produce biofuels. The residue from the pressing process is a seed cake which is high in nitrogen and protein and can be used in fertilizer or animal feed supplements, or as a feedstock for other bioenergy pathways, including biogas production.

TerViva told Hawaii Magazine that “pongamia produces 10 times the amount of oil per acre that soy does and three times the amount of plant protein,” making it quite the feedstock, even if it does take four or more years to mature.

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The pongamia tree is native to Australia and India, and yields a nut crop harvestable with conventional shakers. The seed produced by the tree has a 40% oil content that can be easily refined into a very high-grade biodiesel, bio-jet fuel, or even other high-demand bio-chemicals like oleic acid. The remaining seedcake can then be used as a high-protein animal feed or a high-nitrogen fertilizer. READ MORE

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