Global metals and mining corporation Rio Tinto has launched a biofuels project in Australia to trial the use of pongamia seed oil as a feedstock in renewable diesel production.
At the time of its 18 September announcement, Rio Tinto said it was in the final stages of acquiring approximately 3,000 ha of cleared land near Townsville in north Queensland to set up pongamia seed farms to study growth conditions and measure seed oil yields.
A legume tree native to Australia, pongamia – Millettia pinnata – produces oil-rich seeds that can be processed into renewable diesel.
Rio Tinto has partnered with leading Australian woodfibre processor and exporter Midway, to oversee the planting and management of the pongamia seed farms.
Midway would engage with nurseries, agricultural experts and research organisations throughout the pilot, Rio Tinto said.
As part of its bid to achieve net-zero Scope 1 and 2 carbon emissions by 2050, Rio Tinto said it was actively exploring the potential of biofuels in the low-carbon energy mix.
The company said it sees biofuels as a way of reducing its reliance on fossil diesel, while fleet electrification technologies develop. Rio Tinto is also investigating the use of biofuels in scenarios where electrification may face practical limitations.
Rio Tinto chief decarbonisation officer Jonathon McCarthy said diesel accounted for around 10% of the company’s emissions footprint in Australia.
“While we continue to pursue electrification as the long-term solution for displacing the majority of our diesel use, the pongamia seed pilot is an important parallel pathway that could reduce our reliance on diesel in the mid-term,” he said.
“It also presents a[n] option for other applications that are challenging to electrify, including blasting and non-haul equipment.
“Australia does not yet have a biofuel feedstock industry sufficient to meet domestic demand. A sustainable biofuels industry here could enhance the region’s fuel security, create local economic opportunities, and contribute to emissions reductions targets.”
In 2023, Rio Tinto’s Boron open pit mine operations in California completed the full transition of its heavy machinery to renewable diesel. The company said its Kennecott copper operation in Utah was also set to replace its fossil diesel consumption with renewable diesel this year.
The pilot followed a smaller-scale trial at Rio Tinto Gove operations in the Northern Territory where pongamia saplings were planted to analyse their response to low soil quality, heat and other climatic conditions in northern Australia.
A British-Australian multinational company, Rio Tinto is one of the world’s largest metals and mining corporations.
