In Hawaii, Alexander & Baldwin, Inc. and TerViva plan to cultivate pongamia on 250 acres of former sugar plantation lands in Central Maui. Pongamia is a long-living tree that produces an annual harvest of seeds similar to soybeans.
TerViva estimates pongamia can produce more than 400 gallons of oil per acre, which can be used to produce biofuels. The residue from the pressing process is a seed cake which is high in nitrogen and protein and can be used in fertilizer or animal feed supplements, or as a feedstock for other bioenergy pathways, including biogas production.
Native to Asia and introduced to Hawaii over 100 years ago, pongamia grows sustainably and achieves excellent yields on former sugarcane land on Oahu. The test project will confirm pongamia’s agronomic suitability in central Maui and determine production costs and yields at commercial scales. The initial planting is expected to begin later this summer.