''Copaifera langsdorffii'', also known as the diesel tree, is a

tropical rainforest Tropical rainforests are rainforests that occur in areas of tropical rainforest climate in which there is no dry season – all months have an average precipitation of at least 60 mm – and may also be referred to as ''lowland equatori ...

tree. It has many names in local languages, including kupa'y, cabismo, and copaúva.

Biological description

''Copaifera langsdorffii'' is a medium-sized to large tree usually reaching in height, with white flowers and small, oily fruits. The wood is light due to its

porosity Porosity or void fraction is a measure of the void (i.e. "empty") spaces in a material, and is a fraction of the volume of voids over the total volume, between 0 and 1, or as a percentage between 0% and 100%. Strictly speaking, some tests measure ...

, and it is honeycombed with

capillaries A capillary is a small blood vessel from 5 to 10 micrometres (μm) in diameter. Capillaries are composed of only the tunica intima, consisting of a thin wall of simple squamous endothelial cells. They are the smallest blood vessels in the body: ...

filled with oil. Tapping the tree involves cutting a well into which the oil

seep A seep or flush is a moist or wet place where water, usually groundwater, reaches the earth's surface from an underground aquifer. Description Seeps are usually not of sufficient volume to be flowing beyond their immediate above-ground location. ...

s and where it can be easily collected. The tree does not grow well outside of the

tropics The tropics are the regions of Earth surrounding the Equator. They are defined in latitude by the Tropic of Cancer in the Northern Hemisphere at N and the Tropic of Capricorn in the Southern Hemisphere at S. The tropics are also referred to ...

Uses

Biodiesel use

The diesel tree produces

terpene Terpenes () are a class of natural products consisting of compounds with the formula (C5H8)n for n > 1. Comprising more than 30,000 compounds, these unsaturated hydrocarbons are produced predominantly by plants, particularly conifers. Terpenes ar ...

hydrocarbon In organic chemistry, a hydrocarbon is an organic compound consisting entirely of hydrogen and carbon. Hydrocarbons are examples of group 14 hydrides. Hydrocarbons are generally colourless and hydrophobic, and their odors are usually weak or ex ...

s in its wood and leaves, and this had led to interest in the search for sources of

renewable energy Renewable energy is energy that is collected from renewable resources that are naturally replenished on a human timescale. It includes sources such as sunlight, wind, the movement of water, and geothermal heat. Although most renewable energy ...

. According to early cited anecdotal reports, the tree could be tapped for of oil, and an acre of 100 mature trees could produce 25 barrels of oil yearly. These reports were carried in 2007 by Australian media after an Australian citizen in

Mackay, Queensland } Mackay () is a city in the Mackay Region on the eastern or Coral Sea coast of Queensland, Australia. It is located about north of Brisbane, on the Pioneer River. Mackay is described as being in either Central Queensland or North Queensland ...

imported seeds of the plant in hopes of growing diesel fuel in Australia. However, a 2003 study showed that the actual yields of

oleoresin Oleoresins are semi-solid extracts composed of resin and essential or fatty oil, obtained by evaporation of the solvents used for their production. The oleoresin of conifers is known as crude turpentine or gum turpentine, which consists of oil of ...

are considerably lower: small trees, with a

diameter at breast height Diameter at breast height, or DBH, is a standard method of expressing the diameter of the trunk or bole of a standing tree. DBH is one of the most common dendrometric measurements. Tree trunks are measured at the height of an adult's breast, ...

(DBH) of 35 centimeters, produce no oil at all; and medium sized trees (DBH between 55–65) produced more oil than large trees (DBH greater than 65). No tree in the study produced more than of fuel. A 2006 study by Oliviera et al. agreed with the 2003 study, and further found that the best time to tap the trees was in spring. Summarizing these findings, a report by the Hawaii Department of Agriculture stated: " 'C. langsdorffii'''slikelihood as an efficient producer of readily extractable oleoresins appears very slim." The main compound in the oil is

copaiba Copaiba is a stimulant oleoresin obtained from the trunk of several pinnate-leaved South American leguminous trees (genus '' Copaifera''). The thick, transparent exudate varies in color from light gold to dark brown, depending on the ratio of re ...

(15%), an

which is useful in the production of oil products such as

lacquer Lacquer is a type of hard and usually shiny coating or finish applied to materials such as wood or metal. It is most often made from resin extracted from trees and waxes and has been in use since antiquity. Asian lacquerware, which may be ca ...

s and can be used as

biodiesel Biodiesel is a form of diesel fuel derived from plants or animals and consisting of long-chain fatty acid esters. It is typically made by chemically reacting lipids such as animal fat (tallow), soybean oil, or some other vegetable oil with ...

. After filtration, this oil can be used in the engine of a regular diesel automobile. Some natives have been reported to use the fuel for cooking.

Wood uses

The wood is highly resistant to natural decay, and as such is used in carpentry where the tree is native.

Beekeeping

European honey bee The western honey bee or European honey bee (''Apis mellifera'') is the most common of the 7–12 species of honey bees worldwide. The genus name ''Apis'' is Latin for "bee", and ''mellifera'' is the Latin for "honey-bearing" or "honey carrying", ...

s are strongly attracted to the tree for its pollen, making it a mainstay of Brazilian

apiculture Beekeeping (or apiculture) is the maintenance of bee colonies, commonly in man-made beehives. Honey bees in the genus '' Apis'' are the most-commonly-kept species but other honey-producing bees such as ''Melipona'' stingless bees are also kept. ...

Medical

Natives in the Amazon use the oil collected from the tree as a

traditional medicine Traditional medicine (also known as indigenous medicine or folk medicine) comprises medical aspects of traditional knowledge that developed over generations within the folk beliefs of various societies, including indigenous peoples, before the ...

: primarily as an

expectorant Mucoactive agents are a class of chemical agents that aid in the clearance of mucus or sputum from the upper and lower airways, including the lungs, bronchi, and trachea. Mucoactive drugs include expectorants, mucolytics, mucoregulators, and muco ...

and

antiseptic An antiseptic (from Greek ἀντί ''anti'', "against" and σηπτικός ''sēptikos'', "putrefactive") is an antimicrobial substance or compound that is applied to living tissue/skin to reduce the possibility of infection, sepsis, or putre ...

, but also for the treatment of skin diseases such as

eczema Dermatitis is inflammation of the Human skin, skin, typically characterized by itchiness, erythema, redness and a rash. In cases of short duration, there may be small blisters, while in long-term cases the skin may become lichenification, thick ...

and dermatosis. It has also recently been discovered that this oil is extremely good as a healing agent, therefore increasing the oil's value.

References

External links

New Crop InfoAgroforestry Database Entry
{{Taxonbar, from=Q311446 langsdorffii Biodiesel feedstock sources Flora of South America Taxa named by René Louiche Desfontaines