Grow Your Own Oil (Copaifera langsdorfii)

Can this be a reality for our future? In the wet tropical region of North Queensland, Australian farmers have bought over 20,000 diesel trees with the intention that in 15 or so years, they’ll have an oil mine growing on their farmland.

The Brazilian “Copaifera langsdorfii” can be tapped just like rubber trees, but instead of rubbery latex, this tree it gives up a natural diesel.

“One hectare will yield about 12,000 litres annually,” says the nurseryman selling the trees.

It doesn’t need any complex refining, so once it’s filtered, it can go straight into a diesel tractor or truck. A single tree can continue to produce fuel oil for 70 years. It seems the only negative is this particular form of diesel has to be used within three months of extraction.