is leading a research project to turn the humble Mallee tree into an alternative vehicle fuel that could also help solve
's soil salinity problem.
Dr. Damon Honnery, a senior lecturer in the Department of Mechanical Engineering in the Faculty of Engineering, said the wood from the Oil Mallee tree can be super-heated to produce a vapour that can be condensed into liquid.
"After refining, the condensed liquid could be used as a fuel for diesel engines," Honnery said.
"Planting these Oil Mallee trees, that are common to
"It was the complex root system of the Mallee that kept the water table deep within the soil, and kept the salt levels low in the top soil. Colleagues from
Farmers in
"Being able to produce income from fuel derived from a solution to an environmental problem like salinity will mean there is a greater incentive for farmers to take up plantation of Oil Mallee trees," said Honnery.
The large project, funded by the Australian Research Council, involves researchers from Monash,
"We cannot look at problems such as air pollution and salinity in isolation from each other and this fuel allows us, potentially, to solve two problems at once," Honnery concluded.
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