Ancient tree from India may replace petroleum, company hopes

An ancient tree from India is now thriving in groves where citrus trees once flourished in Florida, and could help provide the nation with renewable energy as a petroleum-alternative. (AP Video: Daniel Kozin) Read more here: apne.ws/LNDHmLK
#pongamia #tree #fuel
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[@Hellsking_SriRamKaBhakt]

A well known hindi name of this tree is Karang (करंज) In our childhood my grandmom used to apply this oil on our cracked heels I don't know scientifically but karang's home-made oil has ability to heal small wounds and cracks.

[@skie6282]

Its likely just slightly antiseptic, and hydrating, which are2 things you want on a cut to heal. Thats all neosporin does.

[@RC-md2yx]

Lol what im from india this plant is literally find sometime in woods

[@Hellsking_SriRamKaBhakt]

@@RC-md2yx correct

[@Hellsking_SriRamKaBhakt]

@@skie6282 👍

[@untitled6391]

​@@RC-md2yx well yeah, what else is it going to be?

[@TheGodert123]

I don't even know how to spell the name of the tree because it is not even mentioned in the title or description.

[@brendasmart553]

Excellent point!

[@TroyEagan]

Pongamia

[@brendasmart553]

@@TroyEagan Thankyou Troy.

[@mr.factoid105]

@@TroyEagan It was also written on some bottles 0:58

[@mdp4440]

...and in the subtitles

[@vemurionetwothree]

The Telugu name of this tree is "kaanuga cheTTu". Never heard that this has the potential to produce both food and fuel!!

[@ShriNidhi-zu2im]

In Kannada : ಹೊಂಗೆ ಮರ, హొంగె మర

[@raavi005]

కానుగ చెట్టు

[@HiThisIsMine]

Corn, soybean, wheat, sugarcane.. all produce both food and fuel.

[@japanenthusiastje243]

This is BS. We don't need BS, our culture is great already.

[@perpetualprosperity2963]

It is the best & only substitute to Petrol that is the main moat to this tree

[@amarfateen]

The name of the tree is pongamia pinnata, for those having difficulty understanding

[@michaelfoxbrass]

Thank you!

[@TheBathrobeWizard]

Can we call them 'Triffids' if the oil thing works out? Cause that's basically that story start in a nutshell.

[@justinmas299]

Just need to silence the corn loby

[@asha8443]

And the sugarcane lobby also

[@teresaesquivel2040]

Corn is Mayan and native culture ur a sick sick sick man

[@gregorymalchuk272]

None of them make exonomic or thermodynamic sense except maybe sugar cane ethanol in Brazil. The one that holds promiseis gasification of crop residue, forestry waste, sewage sludge, and municipal solid waste and conversion to liquid fuels though Fischer-Tropsch catalysis or the Methanol-to-Gasoline process. And possibly the conversion of lignin in pulp mill black liquor to gasoline.

[@sdilluminatigrandfounder1813]

Do you really think this will do that? How strange.

[@carsonrush3352]

Heck, mesquite tree beans can make more ethanol per hectare than corn, and they do it while building unfarmable land into land that can support crops.

[@noclicheplease]

Pongamia tree (honge mara) is grown in every road in Bangalore. There is a song in Kannada(our native language) that speaks about the cool effect of this tree’s shade and how one can sleep blissfully under it even during scorching heat.

[@mangopudding5979]

Even in Maharashtra

[@mangopudding5979]

Maharashtra and Karnataka have countless cultural similarities

[@dhruvakumar7187]

@@mangopudding5979 true, we are more close to Andhra and Mahrashtra than TN and Kerala which many like to push for some political agenda

[@gregorymalchuk272]

Are the nuts edible? Why are they grown in india?

[@webdevelopmeny8999]

@@gregorymalchuk272 These are Nitrogen fixing. They make soil fertile.

[@muralidharan3003]

In Tamil Nadu state India this is called Pungai maram, it's very common in the streets and forests, gald to see them as the alternative fuel product❤🎉

[@srikrishna2561]

Yep.

[@JaleelBeig]

And you'll never hear about this tree again!

[@lanaistheneworange3013]

At least the tree made it to news headline. The guy who invented car with water fuel was just unlucky.

[@potatocatstar]

​@@lanaistheneworange3013a shame, I love hydrogen engines!

[@Distress.]

Yeah because it'll never be better than oil.

[@WeighedWilson]

How much will a barrel of this oil cost? In dollars, water, and labor.

[@williammorgan7769]

There’s not enough land on Earth to supply enough oil for just America.

[@RedFlyRuledByTheRiff]

I really hope this works out!

[@teresaesquivel2040]

Wen Europe stole America it worked out so don't worry it will

[@SohamGreens]

The Indian Government tried their best to implement a mass plantation drive for Jatropha two decades ago but failed badly due to lack of processing, lack of awareness of farmers about the tree, etc Now no one talks of it in India Best luck

[@thewhatorwhy]

For fuel?

[@retroman5383]

​@@thewhatorwhyyes, biodiesel

[@prashanthb6521]

In my local language from South India this tree is called 'HONGE' tree. ~20 years back I had heard about it being used to produce biodiesel fuel. I hope the US can make it succeed.

[@pawankumarupadhyay2164]

As an Indian, I really hope you guys succeed in your initiative. Hope this will bring new energy to mother earth. ❤

[@Mady-lo6qb]

If they succeed, then you guys will start to complain about neo-colonialism even though you have this plant for thousands of years and didn't do any research yourself. lol.

[@airplanedude3103]

​@@Mady-lo6qb I like how you talk like you've personally helped humanity with your research, when in reality there's a high chance you haven't left your mum's basement yet.

[@marjanperveinis8355]

It may be succesful, but there are so many cars in the world that you would need to cover huge territories of farmland with these trees, and this maybe main obscticle

[@getmaza]

​@@Mady-lo6qbIt's already been done in India from like 10+years ago. Please do some research first

[@MeenPo786]

@@Mady-lo6qb All our research was burned down by invaders! Try to think positive for a second! Yes, we can do more research on our indigenous alternatives and we should...

[@sarabpreetkaur3360]

You will find these along the roads in Delhi and Bangalore. The sidewalks fill with dried fruit capsules in the ripening season.

[@mistervo8185]

Scale it up and make it cheaper than crude oil....then you got yourself a deal.

[@TGill22]

This tree was in hour home we cut it down when we were expending our house. Wow. One thing is certain it have great shade so you can relax and sleep under a t without any fan.

[@dontwannadisclosename3850]

In kannada it's called " honge mara" Next to the baniyan tree this has the best shade and really keeps the surrounding cool

[@DA_0000]

India.....you beauty 🙏🙏🙏

[@TaLeng2023]

Let's see how this works. I remember news about Jatropha a few years back. Haven't heard from those again.

[@amarsinghhembram4379]

Yeah what happened to Jatropha?

[@TaLeng2023]

@@amarsinghhembram4379 I dunno. They were tauting it as a new biofuel source. I guess it didn't took off else we'd hear about it. Ma still planted some tho. Apparently they use it for herbal stuff around here.

[@gabbar51ngh]

Any plant oil as energy source simply doesn't work. Won't beat oil or nuclear ever.

[@gabbar51ngh]

Biofuels aren't economical.

[@kotabenade4206]

Jatropha crashed , 2000 ha in Mozambique, never produced a litre ofbiofuel but used 100's of thousands of litres of diesel establishing.

[@er.analysisfacts2998]

North india hindi name of this tree is karanj , my village have hundreds of this tree

[@kiedraana5625]

Where's your village. Thks

[@krobbins8395]

Oh I like multi use resources that are green and regenerative. Didn't mention if it's drought/flood resistance being as the climate is changing with the weather patterns. Hate to see the oranges and grapefruit gone but the bees are happy it appears and that is a multi use industry in itself. Might be some interesting honey . Wow I looked for more information about the tree and it is a medicinal tree and the castings from the seed can be used as a organic fertilizer and natural pesticides.

[@sdilluminatigrandfounder1813]

It is not native to the US, and bringing in invasive species is dangerous.

[@raclark2730]

In the wild it is a riparian tree that likes water, however it can go into dormancy during dry seasons and times of drought.

[@Kathakathan11]

They are drought resistant..

[@melvyncalderon5606]

This will not due. You need millions of gallons and you have to wait for trees to mature, land . Maybe cooking oil sure. But transportation? Very doubtful.

[@TheChupacabra]

Have a glass of orange juice and consider your remarks

[@edmer68]

@@TheChupacabra some people really have no sense of scale.

[@ekkabipin2993]

This tree grows in wild in Jharkhand, India. We call it Karanj or Koronjo. It's seed paste was used as lubricant in wheels of wooden Bullock-Cart.

[@AtheismScientism]

Cool, but monocultures are very bad for the land. You need diversification to make healthy soil, or else this land will die and the trees cannot grow…

[@mangopudding5979]

How, please explain

[@teejayman215]

Monoculture is bad because a certain type of tree requires specific nutrients from the soil. When you only plant the same crops, they'll take the same nutrients every year eventually depleating the soil and making the trees compete. Mixing other plants, for example beans, that actually have short lives would help bring more nitrogen into the soil when they die@mangopudding5979

[@christophern762]

​@@teejayman215The tree mentioned in the video is a nitrogen fixator,belongs to the legume family

[@teejayman215]

@@christophern762 fair, but I was just giving an example of why monoculture is bad. Planting only legumes would be bad too because they require the same nutrients overtime.

[@christophern762]

@@teejayman215yeah agree

[@OmarAsghar-fn4kr]

I always knew this tree has something special in it. Born and raised in Punjab, had these trees in my garden.

[@premnarayan6650]

In India JATROPA is the tree from which Bio Diesel is made . There is a farm near Kakinada . Research by DRDO .

[@zibbitybibbitybop]

Would honestly rather the feds subsidize efforts like this than subsidize yet more wind and solar. We need a variety of approaches, not just one big one, and this one doesn't involve insane amounts of additional mining that we aren't currently doing.

[@KeikoMushi]

Pongamia is listed as an invasive species in the state of Queensland in Australia and is likely considered an invasive species in other parts of the country as well.

[@raclark2730]

Only outside of its natural range. It is native to North Queensland and the Northern Territory.

[@lynndonharnell422]

Despite that, CSG companies planted a bunch of them in the Maranoa about 10 yr ago. Haven't heard about harvesting and processing though.

[@RyanJohnson-pz4tb]

finally an actual renewable energy source

[@user-ey5mv5cp9d]

Big business will never let it happen. Remember tucker and the guy who made the engine run on water!!

[@Akki-bhau]

We need farmers like you

[@Muhabbatt]

Karanj tree in hindi,its largely use for ayurvedic and yunani medicine from centuries.

[@davidpape9726]

Here we go again, Florida introducing a plant into the environment that is considered to be invasive.

[@raclark2730]

Agreed it has a wide range through Australasia probably best to do it there. i can see how they cold be a problem the germinate and grow fast.

[@PeaceIsWork]

Bio fuel is still environmentally unsound…. But media doesn’t tell us that because $$$$

[@edmer68]

How so, sports fan? Tell us what the media is afraid to. Links to some actual peer-reviewed studies would be awesome.

[@philliphutcheson4219]

This won’t get off the ground. Production cost simply won’t be able to be made cheaper than drilling for oil. Dont believe the hype.

[@arcaakvira]

in india it's oil has been used for many years so it may not be just hype

[@philliphutcheson4219]

@@arcaakvira it’s hype 100%. If this was true, tech would have been developed and used to exploit it given it’s been known about for a long time.

[@terrafirma8813]

Grew up watching this tree every day in my yard. Feels like home and brings back memories whenever I look at this tree.

[@Kr0nicDragon]

In other news, America aims its nukes at Indian farmlands

[@vjmappy]

This would already be grown in mass quantities if even half of the claims are true.

[@LeksDee]

If that was how economies worked, we'd all be driving electric cars fueled with free solar power everywhere already. Sadly that's not how economies work and corrup- i mean lobbying is a thing.

[@DavidLS1]

Everything new has to start somewhere.

[@michaelk5676]

Is this crop better than other biofuels? Some comparisons would be useful.

[@Sushaban_Mondal_555]

I am from India. There are a lot of pongamia trees in our locality. But we don't know about such potential of this trees. Thanks for the information

[@Junyo]

Any form of "mono-culture" is bad for the environment. Putting too many of one plant in an area kills off a lot of the biodiversity that the ground and plants need to properly function. Basically, this grove is damaging to the land and people who live nearby. We've know this for quite a while now and yet, there are still farmers who haven't been paying attention and stubbornly "doing it the way my forefathers did". Get with the program and learn how to farm WITHOUT destroying your own land. It is not that difficult. Your forefathers didn't know any better, but you can. This form of farming is just so 20th century 🤭

[@SMGJohn]

Monoculture farming has only been a recent phenomena, people in the middle ages knew about biodiversity quite well, most forests in Europe are human made.

[@wendellcoleman1137]

Why is that any different than the orchards of orange and grapefruit trees that were there before? Were the original fruit trees less "mono-culturely"?

[@Junyo]

@@wendellcoleman1137 Yes, ALL forms of mono-culture are now outdated. Since it is so easy to change this and do it properly, it should be a thing of the past asap. Monoculture farming in 2024 is pure laziness.

[@Junyo]

@@SMGJohn Not really sure what this has to do with the video or with my reply, but the comparison is like apples and oranges. In Medieval times there was room enough for doing things small-scale. In the 21st century the World is a completely different place and we don't have the luxury of doing things "the old way". We need to use the available (arable) land really very consciously. Both to optimize for production, but also to make sure farming doesn't destroy the natural World. This is why having really huge fields (or orchards) of just one type of food can't be allowed any more as it damages everything around it way too much.

[@SMGJohn]

@@Junyo The natural world is going to be destroyed regardless what you do because of the temperature increases, we are looking at a 8-10 degree warmer world by 2100, the absolute worst case scenario, and we really have no idea if 8 to 10 is reality, it could be higher as the oceans starts to boil, yes thats a real thing.

[@user-xk4vt9ye8j]

Watch’Just Stop Oil’ come and spray paint the trees orange.

[@vickiesorenson2383]

Wow this sounds wonderful !

[@Wigington24]

Adapt and overcome 🌱

[@corvettesbme]

Super cool!

[@manofsan]

Takes more energy to harvest biofuels than they produce. That's why ethanol industry only survives thru govt subsidies, and isn't self-sustaining

[@markpiersall9815]

Ethanol is a by product of livestock feed production. The distillation converts the starch into ethanol. The distillers grain fed to dairy Cattle reduces the mastic rate from 3% to 1%. Ethanol producers are not being given Federal subsidies at this point, but do pay a reduced Motor fuel tax. The subsidies were mostly in the 1980's for the early ethanol plants to prove the concept and to get gas stations to install additional pumps and underground storage tanks at existing gas stations. One of the biggest costs is natural gas to dry out the distillers grains. Ethanol plants do sell at reduced costs wet distilled grains to local ranchers but it is a small amount as you need a lot of animals to consume it right away as it is full of nutrients and when wet is prone to bacteria and mold damage.

[@SuperVlerik]

Truth be told, the fossil fuel industry and the nuclear industry also depend on government subsidies...some obvious, and others more hidden. Not sure access to Pongamia would ever provoke regional wars either.

[@manofsan]

@@SuperVlerik - people could always fight over cultivable land. After that, there's always the Mineshaft Gap.

[@SuperVlerik]

@@manofsan Totally right. And they already fight over water

[@playme129]

I pray that it is not another foreign invasive species as so many other helpful imports have been.

[@cathiehutcheson6556]

Looks like the newest invasive plant in the US. Why couldn’t it be grown in India and put into production there?

[@jeganathanmarthandan]

It's native is Tamilnadu. Pungai tree

[@jayanttidke644]

I had a few Karan trees my agro farm border adjoining a stream when I was farming in 1974. Never imagined it can have such a value!

[@omegaz3393]

NASA did a study years ago on plant based biofuels. Their conclusion. If you used absolutely every bit of plant material down to the last blade of grass in the U.S., it would only replace about 25% of our current oil consumption. Which would be far more then we need as we would all starve to death. Tired of all the claims people including scientists make that are totally unfounded.

[@edmer68]

Not replacing, supplementing. Dependence on oil as our primary energy source feeds global conflict and tensions. Legitimate scientists make no claims...the media and below-average humans make ussumptions that were never claimed or implied.

[@kennethobrien8386]

How much water and energy does it take for this crip to produce fuel and food and on a very large scale?

[@interdictr3657]

Yes, what are the costs

[@evieshore3270]

Probably less water than for avocados.

[@veersinghdhakad4238]

​@@evieshore3270Very less ...they can even survive drought

[@evieshore3270]

@@veersinghdhakad4238 interesting, thanks for the information.

[@eswaran6453]

These trees thrive on dry , arid conditions too

[@sharathrao9605]

We plants this in public places & road side. If this actually feasible, govt can easily plant them everywhere n give contracts to collect these seeds

[@aleenaprasannan2146]

That would actually be better than this vast monoculture. It would prevent urban heat islands, have a habitat for animals and bees, controlling particulate pollution and be a revenue source for government. It would atleast be an incentive for government to not cut shade trees with so less thought. It would be similar to some Spanish cities having oil citrus trees for urban landscaping.

[@rapidsqualor5367]

How can I grow my own Pongamia tree ?

[@paperburn]

zone 11 or higher

[@aditya4075]

‘Karanch’ is what we call this in Jharkhand. its oil are locally extracted by locals to light dias in diwali. Also its sticks are used as ‘Datwan’ -brush as we call.

[@mugglescakesniffer3943]

You mean corn and ethanol?

[@randywells9676]

hummm its $67 a GALLON for that oil he showed, SO how much would a GALLON of gas cost? and the Karanja Oil on AMZ works out to $80 PER GALLON? so again.. a gallon of fuel would be how much?

[@flatbg1]

Where did you find a price for a gallon of the oil?

[@rosep3933]

How will climate affect the trees.

[@martinfinster9899]

The additional Co2 and global warming will help them grow faster and stronger.

[@raclark2730]

These are very hardy tropicals that can become dormant in times of stress.

[@Idelcritic]

It’s also used as antibiotic next to neem leaves

[@mdb1239]

Thank you, Vert interesting.

[@MK-rt2gm]

How much water does it need? What if any are the downside

[@DARPAchief21]

isnt there a tree or some type like that in the amazons?

[@keithroy9217]

Oh dear! More monocultures dedicated to burning stuff or making chemically-laced foodstuffs.

[@karanmadan1048]

Was thinking some years ago,how can water content/dry grain,flower,nuts,etc give out oil.

[@humanity947]

In india we have so many..i sm from Telangana ( india) our state have so many trees road side these plants... outside of my home we have 2 big trees for shade purpose..

[@mageshchandran8107]

This is called "PUNGAN" in our childhood days the seeds with cover is hanged to prevent diseases

[@tomevans4402]

I love trees. Mother Nature gives 🙏

[@dr.sureshjk5097]

The name is derived from the Kannada name for it which is Honge Mara (Honge Tree; ಹೊಂಗೆ ಮರ) whose medicinal and other properties were exploited for thousands of years in the modern day Karnataka. It was used sometime in lamps for lighting as well. The tree's shade is said to cool down the body and hence in the summers, you are advised to spend some time below its canopy.

[@nelsonbergman7706]

If this works we're going to need a lot of trees. 🌴

[@rodmitchell831]

Great news............I hope and pray you make it

[@muralirajagopal2593]

Pungai tree in TAMIL language is a well known medicinal value tree here in TAMILNADU ,INDIA. It's air is so pure that will heal the wounds.It's oil extracted from the seeds are so valuable

[@rugershooter5268]

How much fuel can 1 tree produce each yr….after its 5y maturity? How many yrs can it produce? What is the fuel cost of production per gallon? What are the emissions?

[@arunur778]

These trees are everywhere in my home state

[@savannahm.laurentian1286]

use LESS not DIFFERENT.

[@unni.m1959]

There is enough resources on earth for our need. Not for greed. Gandhi

[@fredp3088]

Imagine huge tree farms that would be beautiful.

[@Gautam0245]

We have in India. It's called Karanje.

[@SebinMatthew]

⁠green deserts. Monocultures are just as bad to the eco system because these plants are not going to be native to the new area

[@paxundpeace9970]

Would be horrible it is as bad as palm trees.

[@sdilluminatigrandfounder1813]

@@rajaravivarmar Yes, and it is NOT native to the United States. Your point?

[@rajaravivarmar]

My bad. I thought the farms and the associated research are going to be done in India.

[@williammurray1341]

Will the unintended consequence be the destruction of hectares of forests and farmland so that these may be planted?

[@srinivasgadi3906]

In my native South Indian telugu language it is called ganuga chettu in the tribal village of gk veedhi of Visakhapatnam in andhra pradesh they are already running a genset for electricity as the village is very remote using this oil

[@maulanaputra4373]

POHON JARAK.... BANYAK TUMBUH DI INDONESIA

[@saranga2.0]

There are a lot of these types of wild trees along our roads . I'm from northeast parts of india

[@tommygun80127]

Okay, let's say this tree is the answer to our green prayers, just how much land needs to be cleared in order to grow it at an industrial scale?

[@TheGrimStoic]

Very interesting - and you get permanent tree plantations as opposed to sugarcane or corn fields in the bargain - very interesting indeed

[@SunriseLAW]

In USA, 10% of gasoline must be ethanol, that is distilled from corn. Few are aware that the most valuable part of the process is the high-protein animal feed left behind. The ethanol is the byproduct. Same appears true of the tree in the video. Tax benefits and subsidies encourage the production of biofuels, which provides low cost, high quality protein for our feedlot industry. It is a win-win or a lose-lose, depending on how it is looked at.

[@zinjanthropus322]

How fast does it grow though?

[@rickhale4348]

Actually there are many plant based oil and food producers. The peanut produces high quality oil and protein.

[@angelasalgado5069]

Sounds better than middle Eastern oil... probably wouldn't have to make deals with terrorists to secure financial superiority 😅

[@pirobot668beta]

"Ancient tree"...as opposed to "new tree"? Didn't know that evolution worked that way...

[@chinoyhealingfoodstravels8888]

Greetings from Redondo Beach 🇺🇸🇺🇸Wonderful narration and nice video🌷🌷

[@1hasbeen531]

Firestone/Bridgestone(?) has been experimenting with Guayule for many years. Nothing came of that either.

[@erlinacobrado7947]

Mysterious "accidental fire"

[@3thinking]

With GM of these and other plants, the yields could be dramatically improved.

[@tomitom3422]

Green washing commercial. What surface of forest to produce a full tank load of an international airplane?

[@CHUCKBALLER2024]

i have some pods from outer space

[@corniel657]

Oh no, what have you done Now the oil company is coming

[@oriraykai3610]

Dude, what part of "water powered cars" don't you understand? Water has been perrfected as a fuel for cars by about a half-dozen people. They need to stop blocking that technology.

[@suraj-yadav]

In India this tree is known as "Karanj ".

[@ErenYeager36]

*North India

[@ChuckSilva]

Yes!❤

[@Bennie32831]

😂😂😂😂 food land for fuel is not wise unless needed

[@kartikeymishra2608]

Its everywhere in india in highways roadside.

[@ReviloliverLewis]

What, just the one of them?

[@dilip9254]

We call it Karanja tree and there are like thousands of them in my Village alone.

[@drkrypton4410]

Well now. Those trees take a while to grow then produce fruit and need energy spent extracting out the oil. How much oil do you need to fuel one car? This is ridiculous.