Photo/Illutration Pongamia trees, a species in the legume family, grow in Indonesia. (Asahi Shimbun file photo)

A consortium of a Japanese university and businesses will team up with a state government in Australia for a project to mass produce sustainable biofuel for airplanes.

The Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology, which has expertise in cultivating pongamia oil trees, plans to start a demonstration experiment in Australia’s northeast state of Queensland by March.

The project could receive an injection of up to 100 billion yen ($674 million) from businesses, including those outside the consortium that have shown interest, sources said.

Pongamia oil trees, which are naturally distributed in Australia and Southeast Asia, produce oil-rich seeds that can be used as sustainable aviation fuel.

Airline companies are scrambling to secure supplies of such fuel because its carbon dioxide emissions are estimated at 80 percent less than those of traditional jet fuel.

Most biofuels available today are made from used cooking oil. But supplies are limited.

Pongamia trees, which are drought resistant, have drawn attention as a possible new source for aviation fuel.

Kazuhiro Chiba, president of the university, said the project may expand in scale by covering more land and bringing in new facilities for mass production of pongamia oil.

“We will consider planting the trees in sprawling arid inland areas and abandoned mines in Queensland,” he said. “We picture a large-scale cultivation site for the trees, equipped with facilities to extract and produce oil, with Japanese businesses playing a key role.”

The Queensland state government is expected to cooperate with the university over use of land for the experiment. The state and the university have worked under a partnership agreement in the sectors of agriculture, food and energy.

Takeshi Adachi, who leads the Queensland state government’s Japan team, underlined the significance of the collaboration, which he said draws on the friendly relationship between the two countries.

“The two parties can work together to bolster production of raw materials and build an international supply chain” for sustainable aviation fuel, he said.

Pongamia oil is not suitable for cooking because it contains a slight amount of toxin.

But 5 tons of pongamia oil can be produced from trees planted on 1 hectare of land, making the output on par with palm oil.

The Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology established the Open Platform in April to develop natural resources for sustainable aviation fuel. It aims to obtain certification for carbon dioxide reduction from an international organization.

Around seven companies have joined the platform, including Eneos Corp., a major oil distributor, Sumitomo Corp., a leading trading house, and Revo International Inc., a company that collects and recycles used cooking oil.

The demonstration experiment on pongamia trees will be held on 10,000 to 100,000 hectares in Queensland.

Multiple companies are considering building facilities at the experiment site, including one estimated to cost tens of billions of yen, according to the sources.

The university also aims to develop resources other than pongamia oil for sustainable aviation fuel.

Related News