What is PD100™ fuel?

PD100™ is a 100% pure plant oil fuel derived from Australian-grown Pongamia pinnata trees. It is designed as a direct, drop-in replacement for diesel engines without requiring fossil processing inputs.

Can PD100™ be used in standard diesel engines for mining?

Yes, PD100™ is designed to be compatible with standard diesel engines. It is specifically developed as a domestic, net-zero carbon fuel solution for Australia's hard-to-abate industries, including mining operations.

Australian-Grown · CI Engine Compatible · Net Zero Carbon

A domestic fuel solution for Australia's hard-to-abate industries.

Green Biofuels Australia produces PD100™ — a pure plant oil fuel from Pongamia pinnata trees grown on Australian marginal land. Designed for compression ignition engines, verified carbon-neutral, and supplied domestically without fossil processing inputs.

Understand the Fuel Mining Applications The Green Bio-Hub

~37 MJ/kg

Calorific Value

30–36 cSt

Viscosity @ 40°C (DIN)

>230°C

Flash Point (DIN 51605)

Non-Food

Feedstock

Net Zero

Lifecycle Carbon

Target Price Point

~Diesel - before US-Iran conflict!

The Operating Context

Hard-to-abate sectors need a practical fuel pathway.

Australia's heavy industry — mining, freight, remote power generation — consumes billions of litres of mineral diesel each year. These sectors face tightening Safeguard Mechanism obligations but have limited near-term options for fuel switching.

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Battery-electric haul trucks

Not yet commercially available at 300+ tonne payload class at scale. Trials are ongoing.
Available: Long Term
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Hydrogen

Requires infrastructure that does not exist at remote Australian mine sites.
Available: Long Term
🌍

Imported HVO / Renewable Diesel

Genuine drop-in but ~$0.50/L premium over mineral diesel, dependent on offshore supply chains.
~$0.50/L Premium, and double the PD100™ price.
⚗️

Biodiesel

Limited domestic availability, typically more costly than diesel. OEM warranty typically capped at B20. Often uses food grade materials as feedstock.
Limited Availability · Higher Cost

Where PD100™ fits

PD100™ is produced from Pongamia oil using a low-capital processing chain — no transesterification, no fossil methanol inputs. Designed for the Australian diesel engine market, with a target commercial price point comparable to mineral diesel. Viscosity management is required for modern common-rail engines — pre-heating is the established countermeasure.

No new engines required — existing diesel fleet compatible
Target price: comparable to mineral diesel at commercial scale
Domestically produced — no offshore supply exposure
Net zero lifecycle carbon — biogenic CO₂ cycle
Plantation generates ACCU credits as trees grow
Non-food crop on marginal land — no food-vs-fuel conflict
GBA Patents provide maximum usability and engine longevity

Key Properties

What makes PD100™ relevant to the Australian context.

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Meets Safeguard Mechanism requirements

Biogenic CO₂ from PD100™ combustion does not count against fossil Scope 1 totals under NGER reporting. The associated plantation simultaneously generates ACCU sequestration credits — two abatement levers from one supply chain.

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Works in existing diesel engine fleets

No fleet replacement required. Pre-heating for modern diesel engines is the key engineering step. Modifications are modest, well-documented, and compatible with routine fleet maintenance programmes.

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Fully domestic, traceable supply chain

Grown on Australian marginal land. Processed in Australia. Delivered in Australia. No exposure to international commodity markets or offshore refining costs. Consistent with Guarantee of Origin Scheme traceability requirements.

The Feedstock

Pongamia pinnata — agronomically significant for Australian conditions.

Young Pongamia plantation approaching first seed harvest — Young Pongamia plantation — approaching first seed harvest. Trees at approximately 3–4 years old, showing the canopy development that precedes first flowering and seed pod production.

A leguminous tree native to northern Australia with a suite of characteristics that make it uniquely suited to bioenergy production on marginal land. The tree fixes atmospheric nitrogen through root symbiosis, requires no synthetic fertiliser after establishment, and tolerates the saline, drought-stressed soils common across northern Queensland and the NT.

The oil-bearing seed pods contain karanjin and pongamol — bitter compounds that render the oil completely unfit for human consumption. There is no food-vs-fuel competition in the Pongamia supply chain.

Plantation timeline

ACCU credits begin accumulating from Year 1. First seed harvest typically at Year 3–4. Full commercial oil yield (1,000–2,500 L/ha/yr) from Year 7–10. Productive life: 40+ years.

The Green Bio-Hub Concept

A regional hub model for integrated bioenergy production.

Green Biofuels Australia is developing the Green Bio-Hub — a regionally integrated production facility that co-locates Pongamia plantation management, oil extraction, fuel processing, carbon monitoring, and community employment within a single geographic catchment.

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Feedstock Processing

Seed pod intake, mechanical pressing, oil extraction and degumming on-site.

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Fuel Production

PD100™ refining, quality testing, bulk fuel storage for regional distribution.

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Carbon Monitoring

Plantation carbon measurement, ACCU project management and CER reporting.

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Community Employment

Harvest crews, processing operators, logistics and maintenance — local jobs.

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Research Node

Data collection for university trials, agronomy research and yield monitoring.

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Indigenous Employment

Local employment priority for Indigenous workers in harvest, processing and operations roles.

The Circular Bio-Economy

A closed-loop carbon cycle — not a linear fossil one.

The fundamental distinction between mineral diesel and PD100™ is the carbon cycle. Mineral diesel releases carbon sequestered geologically for millions of years. PD100™ operates within the contemporary biological carbon cycle.

1️⃣

Photosynthesis sequesters CO₂

Pongamia trees draw atmospheric CO₂ into biomass — generating ACCU credits and building soil organic matter.

2️⃣

Seed oil is extracted as fuel

Annual seed pod harvest yields oil refined into PD100™ — the tree continues growing and sequestering carbon.

3️⃣

Combustion returns biogenic CO₂

The CO₂ released on combustion is the same carbon the tree removed — no net fossil addition to the atmosphere.

4️⃣

Residues return value to the land

Press cake from oil extraction is a protein-rich soil amendment; nitrogen fixation continuously improves land fertility.

Research Foundation

Evidence-based development — not marketing claims.

GBA's commercial programme is underpinned by active university trials in Queensland and independently verified field measurement. We publish what we find — including uncertainty where it exists.

Active

University Engine Trials (QLD)

Awarded

Research Grant Oct 2025

6–10 t

CO₂/ha/yr Sequestration Est.

DIN 51605

PPO Fuel Quality Standard

View Research Programme

Latest

News & Insights

Policy developments, research milestones, and technical analysis relevant to Pongamia biofuel development in Australia.

2 October 2025

Aussie Government Commits $1.1bn to Low Carbon Liquid Fuels

The Cleaner Fuels Program opens the largest domestic biofuel funding window in Australian history.

2 October 2025

Research Grant Awarded — QLD Coal Mine Pre-Implementation Study

GBA awarded grant for the first study assessing large-scale Pongamia development on rehabilitated coal mine land in central QLD.

New Article

The Safeguard Mechanism and Your Haul Fleet — What the Numbers Show

A data-focused analysis of Scope 1 fuel abatement options for mining operations under current and projected baselines.

Interested in trial participation or research collaboration?

GBA is currently in active discussions with mining operators, universities, land managers, and government agencies. All enquiries are treated in confidence.

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