Not signed in (Sign In)

WorldWeird: The Diesel Tree: Grow Your Own Oil

Bottom of Page

1 to 5 of 5

  1.  
  1.  (1735.1)


    Australian farmers in the wet tropical region of North Queensland have bought over 20,000 of these so-called diesel trees. The intention is that in 15 or so years they’ll have their very own oil mine growing on their farmland.

    Because, the Brazilian Copaifera langsdorfii, to use its botanical name, can be tapped not unlike a rubber tree, but instead of yielding rubbery latex it gives up a natural diesel. According to the nurseryman selling the trees, one hectare will yield about 12,000 litres annually. *

    Once filtered—no complex refining required, apparently—it can be placed straight into a diesel tractor or truck. We read that a single Copaifera langsdorfii will continue to produce fuel oil for an impressive 70 years, with the only negative being that its particular form of diesel needs to be used within three months of extraction.

    * I used to convert metric measurements in American imperial but when I discovered that the only countries that have failed to embrace metric are the USA, Liberia and Burma I stopped. However Purdue University record that “An acre of 100 mature trees might thus be able to produce 25 barrels of fuel per year.”
  2.  (1735.2)
    ...zow. Now if only it burned cleaner.

    Was it here that I read about above-ground algae colonies to be harvested as the next biofuel?
  3.  (1735.3)
    •  
      CommentAuthorExploder
    • CommentTimeApr 9th 2008
     (1735.4)
    Can I get a link to the whole article?
    • CommentAuthorKosmopolit
    • CommentTimeApr 9th 2008 edited
     (1735.5)
    Here's the Google News search results.

    And this seems to be the story everyone else is citing.

1 to 5 of 5

  1.