History In 2003 the directors of PRE, who were the primary founders of The Australian Biodiesel Group Limited, began their search for a sustainable replacement for used cooking oil and Tallow which are currently used for biodiesel production in Australia.ABGbiodiesel.com 'How Biodiesel is Made' Their search ended on finding Pongamia pinnata and visiting the fledgling Pongamia oil industry in India.PRE overview India visit, Page 10 They followed up this with a search for viable Australian native trees and then in the formation of Pacific Renewable Energy in January 2006.ASIC Listing Pacific Renewable Energy P/L After learning the high variability of seed grown trees, they talked to Professor Peter Gresshoff of the University of Queensland's legume research division.PRE Overview History of PRE, Page 1
Research PRE has teamed up with and The ARC Centre Of Excellence For Integrative Legume Research (CILR) CILR Report, March 2008 - Pre funding CILR, Pages 1 & 8 to help identify and develop commercially viable genetic strains and develop clonal propagation methods appropriate for commercial production of Pongamia pinnata in Australia. This has involved salt tolerance tests, mapping of the Pongamia's Genome and a number of other associated projects.CILR Report, November 2007 Project Overview - page 14 According to Professor Peter Gresshoff and many who have worked with Pongamia, this research is vital for the establishment of a long-term commercial industry, particularly given the 4-6 year lead time before significant yields are realised.PRE Overview Branching out into Biodiesel - Courier Mail August 09, 2008
PRE has partnered with CILR to plant a pilot plantation at Roma with Origin Energy.Plantations to yield clean green fuel August 09, 2008 PRE also has its own trial plantation at Caboolture and trials in a number of other locations.PRE overview - Origin Energy, Roma Trails, Page 11CILR Report Aug/July 2008- Spring Gully Trail - Page 5CILR Overview December 2008 - Origin Energy Spring Gully Trail, Sunshine Coast Trial, Page 3
External links Pongamia biodiesel research starts in Queensland Sustainable Fuel Wiki
References