Upgrading and Analysis of Red Oak Pyrolysis Oil to Develop Sustainable Aviation Fuels

The aviation sector remains a large contributor to international carbon dioxide emissions. The global jet fuel market produces over 81 billion gallons of fuel per year [1] and demand is continually increasing with the 3.8 billion air travelers in 2016 expected to double by 2035 [2]. The expected increase in air travel provides challenges in corresponding emissions increases and increased demand for fossil fuels. This has led to an extensive interest in Sustainable Aviation Fuels (SAF(s)). SAFs are defined as non-petroleum-based aviation fuels that are produced from a variety of feedstocks including fats, greases, municipal solid waste, and biomass. This research focuses on SAF production using a biomass feedstock.

In the last several years, researchers have developed a process to create rubber from an arid woody shrub called guayule. This process has a high yield of plant waste resulting in opportunities for development of biproducts using the guayule biomass. Several university research groups have partnered to explore some of these opportunities including bug repellent, adhesives, and jet fuel.

This research targets the latter, focusing on the upgrading of pyrolyzed bio-oil waste into SAFs using a high-pressure/high-temperature hydrotreatment process and distillation. Due to the novelty of the rubber process, there is limited supply of guayule waste, thus red oak bio-oil has been used as a surrogate to develop the hydrotreatment and analytical methods that will be applied to guayule waste. This research discusses the experimental and analytical methods as well as the chemical processes involved through the upgrading process of red oak bio-oils. Preliminary results have been successful in yielding molecular components in the jet fuel range through hydrotreatment with distillation experiments and chemical property analysis ongoing.

References

[1] Holladay, Johnathan, Abdullah, Zia, & Heyne, Joshua. Sustainable Aviation Fuel: Review of Technical Pathways. United States. https://doi.org/10.2172/1660415

[2] International Air Transportation Association (IATA). 2016. “IATA Forecasts Passenger Demand to Double Over 20 Years.” IATA Press Release No: 59, October 2016. https://www.iata.org/pressroom/pr/Pages/2016-10-18-02.aspx.