Technical data for evaluating PD100™ as a fuel for compression ignition engines — DIN 51605 compliance, viscosity characteristics, and the engineering countermeasures available to fleet operators.
PD100™ is a pure plant oil (PPO) produced from the seed pods of Pongamia pinnata. The oil is mechanically extracted, filtered, and acid-degummed to fuel specification. It is not transesterified.
Biodiesel (FAME) requires reacting vegetable oil with methanol under heat and catalyst — capital infrastructure, ongoing fossil-derived methanol as an input. PD100™ bypasses this entirely, resulting in lower production costs, no fossil carbon in the processing chain, and a target commercial price comparable to mineral diesel.
The key trade-off is viscosity. PD100™ has a higher kinematic viscosity at ambient temperature than mineral diesel or FAME. This is well-understood and manageable — see the countermeasures section below.
Producing PD100™ requires no chemical solvents and no transesterification reactor. The core process is a direct mechanical cold-press, followed by acid degumming to reach DIN 51605 fuel specification. The extraction plant is straightforward — the same category of equipment used in cooking oil and oilseed processing facilities worldwide.
A mechanical screw press — or expeller — works exactly as it sounds. Cleaned seeds are fed into the press, a rotating screw increases pressure along the barrel, and oil is forced out through small gaps in the casing. The pressed seedcake exits the other end.
This is cold-press technology. No heat, no chemical solvents, no hexane. A rotating screw steadily increases pressure as seeds travel along the barrel, forcing oil through small gaps in the casing. The pressed seedcake — the solid protein-rich residue — exits separately and is used as cattle feed or organic fertiliser.
Following pressing, the oil is filtered and then acid-degummed — dilute phosphoric acid is added to hydrate and precipitate non-hydratable phospholipids, which are then separated. The oil is neutralised with potassium hydroxide (KOH) to bring it to the correct acid number. The process wastewater — now carrying phosphorus and potassium in plant-available form — is delivered back to the Pongamia plantation through the irrigation system as fertigation. The phosphorus and potassium taken from the soil to grow the seeds are effectively returned in the processing step. There is no effluent, no waste treatment plant, and no disposal cost. Before dispatch, standard diesel-grade detergent and decoking additive packages are blended in to protect engine components during operation.
Seed pods are harvested, shelled, and cleaned to remove debris and husks. Kernels are dried to optimal moisture content before pressing.
Seeds feed into a screw press. Increasing mechanical pressure forces oil through the barrel casing. The same process produces every bottle of cooking oil on the supermarket shelf — no chemicals, no heat.
Raw pressed oil settles to remove fine solids, then passes through basic filtration. The oil is now clean but requires one further step to reach fuel specification.
Dilute phosphoric acid precipitates phospholipids; KOH neutralises the oil to spec. The P + K-rich wastewater is pumped back to the plantation via the fertigation system — replenishing what the trees gave up in seed production. Zero effluent. Zero waste.
4 steps — press, filter, acid degum, condition. No solvent extraction. No refinery. Degumming wastewater (P + K) returns to the plantation via fertigation. A fully closed nutrient loop — no waste products.
All PD100™ supplied for engine use is blended with standard diesel-grade detergent additive packages and decoking agents before delivery. These are the same additive chemistries used in premium mineral diesel and biodiesel formulations worldwide.
The additives serve two purposes: injector detergency — keeping fuel injector nozzles free of lacquer and deposit build-up; and combustion chamber decoking — preventing carbon accumulation on pistons, valves, and exhaust systems. For mining fleets operating in high duty-cycle conditions, maintaining injector geometry is critical to combustion efficiency and engine longevity. These additives are factored into the PD100™ formulation and supply price — no additional fleet modification is required.
Rudolf Diesel designed his original engine in 1897 to run on peanut oil — a pure plant oil. The fossil fuel industry's dominance over the following century obscured this. Two television programmes independently rediscovered it.
Adam Hyneman fills a Mercedes diesel with used fryer oil — straight from a deep fryer, unprocessed — at the Port of Los Angeles. Engine runs. Power output ~90% of diesel baseline. Myth confirmed.
Watch on YouTube →
The Top Gear team run a Volvo diesel on standard cooking oil from a supermarket — noting that Diesel's original engine was designed for exactly this. The car runs normally with no modification.
Watch on YouTube →DIN 51605 is the German standard for pure plant oil fuels in vegetable-oil-compatible combustion engines — the primary international reference standard for PPO fuel quality. PD100™ is formulated to comply with or exceed these limits.
| Property | Unit | DIN 51605 Limit | PD100™ (Pongamia PPO) | Test Method |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Visual appearance | — | Clear, free of sediment and unbound water | Compliant — clear filtered oil | Visual |
| Density at 15°C | kg/m³ | 900–930 | 920–940 | ISO 3675 / 12185 |
| Flash point (Pensky-Martens) | °C | min. 101 | >150°C ✓ Exceeds minimum | EN 22719 |
| Kinematic viscosity at 40°C | mm²/s (cSt) | max. 36.0 | 30–36 (at DIN limit — countermeasures required) | ISO 3104 |
| Calorific value (LHV) | kJ/kg | min. 36,000 | ~37,000 ✓ | DIN 51900-1/-2/-3 |
| Ignitability (cetane equivalent) | — | min. 39 | ~38–45 (within range) | DIN 51605 §5.5 |
| Iodine number | g I₂/100g | max. 125 | ~90–105 ✓ | EN 14111 |
| Sulphur content | mg/kg | max. 10 | <5 ✓ | ISO 20884 / 20846 |
| Contamination / particulates | mg/kg | max. 24 | <20 after filtration ✓ | EN 12662 |
| Acid number | mg KOH/g | max. 2.0 | <2.0 after acid degumming ✓ | EN 14104 |
| Oxidation stability at 110°C | hours | min. 6.0 | ~8–12 h (high oleic profile) ✓ | EN 14112 |
| Phosphorus content | mg/kg | max. 3.0 (from 2012) | <3.0 after acid degumming ✓ | EN 14107 |
| Calcium + Magnesium | mg/kg | max. 1.0 each (from 2012) | <2.0 combined ✓ | EN 14538 (ICP OES) |
| Water content | % (m/m) | max. 0.075 | <0.05 ✓ | ISO 12937 |
Kinematic viscosity of ~30–36 cSt at 40°C is the central technical challenge of Pongamia PPO as a fuel. Mineral diesel operates at 2–4 cSt — roughly a tenfold difference. This affects atomisation quality, spray penetration, and combustion efficiency in high-pressure injection systems. It does not make PPO unsuitable; it requires engineering countermeasures that are well-established in both the literature and commercial practice.
Pre-heating to 70–80°C reduces kinematic viscosity by approximately 60–70%, enabling effective atomisation in CRDI injection systems.
The primary countermeasure for common-rail (CRDI) engines. A heat exchanger on the fuel line raises PD100™ to 70–80°C before the injection pump, reducing kinematic viscosity to ~8–12 cSt.
Indirect injection (IDI) and pre-chamber CI engines operate at lower injection pressures with larger nozzle orifices. Intrinsically more tolerant of higher-viscosity fuels — can run PD100™ without pre-heating.
Advancing injection timing compensates for the longer ignition delay associated with higher-viscosity fuels. Improves combustion efficiency and can reduce NOx to within diesel baseline levels.
Pongamia oil's fuel properties derive directly from its fatty acid composition. The dominant profile — high oleic acid with moderate long-chain saturates — produces good oxidative stability with the viscosity characteristics described above.
Tailpipe CO₂ is biogenic. Net lifecycle near-zero. Reported separately under NGER — not counted against Scope 1 fossil total.
Near-Zero NetAt or modestly above diesel baseline. Injection timing optimisation and pre-heating reduce NOx to within diesel levels in most configurations.
Comparable to DieselGenerally reduced versus mineral diesel baseline due to higher oxygen content in PPO promoting more complete combustion.
Reduced vs. DieselBiogenic CO₂ reported separately. Does not contribute to facility fossil CO₂ Safeguard baseline. Scope 1 fossil total decreases directly.
Scope 1 ReducingPD100™ is designed for compression ignition engines. The compatibility pathway differs by injection system type.
High-pressure systems require fuel viscosity close to diesel specification. Pre-heating is the primary countermeasure. All PD100™ supplied for CRDI use includes standard diesel detergent and decoking additive packages to minimise injector coking — a recognised risk with any plant-based fuel in high-pressure injection systems.
Lower injection pressures, larger nozzle orifices. Significantly more tolerant of higher-viscosity fuels. Can operate on neat PD100™ without pre-heating.
PD100™'s high flash point results in a lower dangerous goods classification than mineral diesel.
Flash point >150°C. Class C1 under the Australian Dangerous Goods Code — lower hazard than mineral diesel (Class C2, flash point 60–80°C). Less stringent storage requirements on mine sites.
Compatible with existing diesel tanks and road tanker delivery. Tank clean-out recommended before first fill. Pre-heat lines required for CRDI — installed between bulk storage and injection system.
Oxidation stability ~8–12 hours at 110°C (EN 14112) exceeds DIN 51605 minimum of 6 hours. Good for standard mine site resupply cycles. Extended storage (>6 months) in high temperatures warrants monitoring.
Full traceability from plantation to delivery supports Guarantee of Origin Scheme certification.
Pongamia grown on QLD & NT marginal land
Mechanical & manual seed pod harvesting
Mechanical expeller pressing — 25–35% oil yield
Degumming, filtration, DIN 51605 quality testing
Road tanker to mine site bulk storage
We provide a complete PD100™ Technical Data Sheet to verified industry enquirers. Contact our team to discuss engine compatibility for your specific fleet or request fuel samples for independent testing.
