Active University Trials · Carbon Quantification · Evidence-First

Pongamia PPO is an active research programme — not a concept.

GBA is building the scientific and engineering evidence base needed for commercial deployment. This page outlines the research questions, methods, and principles guiding that work.

Research Areas Collaborate With Us
Young Pongamia plantation approaching first seed harvest

Young Pongamia plantation. Trees at approximately 3–4 years old, approaching first flowering and seed pod production. At this stage the plantation is already generating ACCU sequestration credits while the fuel production capacity builds toward first harvest.

Why Research Comes First

The evidence base determines what claims can be made.

The biofuel sector has a history of overclaiming. Projects that proceeded without adequate technical foundation — particularly the first-generation Jatropha wave — damaged investor confidence and set back the broader sector for years.

GBA's approach is different. We do not make claims ahead of our evidence. Our research programme is structured to answer the specific questions that mining operators, regulators, and investors actually need answered before making commitments.

Three audiences require evidence before they can act: fleet engineers need engine performance and durability data specific to their systems; the Clean Energy Regulator needs verified sequestration data to register an ACCU methodology; and ARENA needs demonstrated technical feasibility before committing grant funding.

Research grant awarded October 2025: GBA was awarded a research grant for the pre-implementation study of a large-scale Pongamia plantation on a rehabilitated coal mine site in central Queensland — the first study of this type in Australia. Results expected mid-2026.
Active
Engine trial programme (QLD)
Active
Sequestration field measurement
Mid-2026
Coal mine pre-implementation study
In Lab
Cold flow & storage stability
Active Research Areas

The questions our research programme is designed to answer.

Each research area is linked to a specific commercial or regulatory decision point.

1. Engine Performance and Emissions — Modern CRDI Systems

Partner: Queensland university (withheld pending publication) | Status: Active trials

Research question: How does PD100™ perform in modern common-rail diesel engines under conditions representative of Australian mining fleet applications?

The published literature on Pongamia PPO engine performance is substantial but dominated by short-duration bench tests on smaller or older configurations. Long-duration data on modern CRDI systems at scale is limited. This is the gap GBA's trial programme addresses.

What we are measuring: Brake thermal efficiency, BSFC, emissions (CO₂ fossil and biogenic, NOx, PM2.5/PM10, CO, unburned hydrocarbons), injector condition, combustion chamber deposits, and lubricating oil dilution over 100+ hour test periods with and without pre-heating.

Results inform commercial trial design 2026

2. Carbon Sequestration Quantification — Queensland Field Conditions

Partner: Queensland university (withheld pending publication) | Status: Active field measurement

Research question: What are actual carbon sequestration rates of Pongamia plantations under Queensland growing conditions, and how do they vary by soil type, rainfall zone, and management regime?

Generic tropical tree growth models do not adequately capture Pongamia's growth trajectory or the impact of nitrogen fixation on local soil carbon dynamics. Site-specific Australian data is essential for CER methodology registration — required before sequestration ACCUs can be generated and verified.

Results support ACCU methodology registration

3. Pre-Implementation Study — Central Queensland Coal Mine Site

Funding: Research grant awarded October 2025 | Status: In progress — results mid-2026

Research question: Is a large-scale Pongamia plantation on rehabilitated coal mine land in central Queensland agronomically viable, and what are the projected fuel yield, carbon sequestration, and economic outcomes?

This is the first study of its kind in Australia — assessing Pongamia specifically on post-mining land. A successful outcome creates a template replicable across multiple sites.

Template for rehabilitation-to-biofuel model

4. Cold Flow and Oxidative Stability — Australian Field Conditions

Status: Laboratory characterisation underway

Research question: What are the cold flow and oxidative stability properties of PD100™ under Australian field storage conditions?

Pongamia's long-chain saturated fatty acids (behenic, lignoceric) contribute to cloud point characteristics that differ from rapeseed oil — the feedstock for which DIN 51605 was originally developed. Site-specific characterisation is needed for storage and handling protocol development.

Informs storage and handling guidance
Research Principles

How we conduct and report our research.

Independence

Engine trials and agronomic assessments are conducted by university researchers with no financial stake in the commercial outcome. GBA provides fuel and site access — we do not direct methodology or interpretation.

Publication

We commit to publishing trial results in peer-reviewed form. Science that is not published is not science the industry can build on. Commercial confidentiality periods are minimised.

Honest Uncertainty

Where results are preliminary, we say so. Where data gaps remain, we identify them. We do not overstate what the current evidence supports — particularly on sequestration rates and engine durability.

Commercial Relevance

Research questions are selected for direct relevance to decisions that operators, investors, and regulators need to make. We are generating specific data points that unlock the next stage of development.

Collaboration

Research and commercial collaboration — who we're seeking.

🔬 Universities & Research Institutes

Combustion engineering, biofuel chemistry, tropical agronomy, carbon accounting, remote sensing. Access to plantation sites, fuel samples, co-authorship on joint publications. ARC Linkage grant partner status available.

⛏️ Mining Companies

Co-designed engine trials using your specific fleet configurations and site conditions. Co-funded trial programmes may qualify for R&D tax incentives under the ATO's R&D Tax Incentive scheme.

🏛️ Government & Funding Bodies

GBA participates in DCCEEW and ARENA stakeholder consultation. Available to brief departmental staff, participate in roundtables, and provide technical input to methodology and standard development.

🌾 Land Managers

Agronomic trials in new geographic areas — particularly NT and northern WA. Long-term plantation trial sites with data sharing arrangements and plantation development partnership for carbon and fuel revenue.

💰 Capital Partners

Research co-investment aligned to plantation development timeline. Results build the evidence base for ARENA and Cleaner Fuels Program applications. IP arrangements discussed case-by-case.

👷 Indigenous Employment

Structured employment and training pathways for local Indigenous workers in plantation operations, harvest crews, and processing roles. Contact us to discuss workforce participation and community employment arrangements.

Interested in research collaboration?

Contact our research team to discuss trial access, co-authorship arrangements, or ARC Linkage partnership opportunities.

Contact Research Team Technical Reference