U.S. researchers from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Washington State University, and the Department of Energys National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) report success in using lignin as a course towards a drop-in 100% sustainable aviation fuel. To attain the industrys goal of net carbon neutrality over that time duration, significant deployment of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) with high mix limits with traditional fuel will be needed.
As the biggest source of sustainable aromatics in nature, lignin could hold the answer to accomplishing a total bio-based jet fuel. Specifically, the lignin path explained in this brand-new work allows the SAF to have fuel system compatibility at greater blend ratios.
The research study demonstrates that lignin has the prospective to be used to develop 100% sustainable air travel fuel.
A cooperation in between the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and Washington State University unlocks to sustainable jet fuel.
An underused natural deposit might be simply what the airline market needs to lower carbon emissions.
U.S. scientists from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Washington State University, and the Department of Energys National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) report success in utilizing lignin as a course toward a drop-in 100% sustainable air travel fuel. Lignin comprises the rigid part of plant cell walls. Other plant parts are utilized for biofuels, but lignin has generally been ignored due to the problem in chemically simplifying and turning it into helpful compounds.
The recently launched study showed a procedure the scientists developed to extract the oxygen from lignin so that the resultant hydrocarbons may be used as a blendstock for jet fuel. The research study was recently released in the journal Joule.
Containers are of poplar biomass (left), the extracted lignin oil, and the resulting sustainable air travel fuel. Credit: National Renewable Energy Laboratory
The paper emphasizes the requirement of utilizing sustainable jet fuel sources because the airline company market has pledged to considerably cut carbon emissions. In 2019, airlines used 106 billion gallons of jet fuel worldwide, a figure that is predicted to more than quadruple by 2050. To achieve the markets goal of net carbon neutrality over that time period, major release of sustainable air travel fuel (SAF) with high blend limits with conventional fuel will be required.
Jet fuel is a blended mixture of various hydrocarbon molecules, consisting of aromatics and cycloalkanes. Current commercialized innovations do not produce those components to get approved for a 100% SAF. Instead, SAF blendstocks are integrated with traditional hydrocarbon fuels. As the largest source of renewable aromatics in nature, lignin might hold the response to attaining a total bio-based jet fuel. This recently published work highlights the capability of a lignin path to match existing and other establishing pathways. Specifically, the lignin path described in this brand-new work enables the SAF to have fuel system compatibility at greater mix ratios.
Lignin is typically burned for heat and power or utilized only in low-value applications since of its recalcitrance. Previous research has actually yielded lignin oils with high oxygen contents ranging from 27% to 34%, but to be used as jet fuel that quantity should be lowered to less than half-percent.
Other procedures have been attempted to decrease the oxygen material, but the catalysts involved need costly noble metals and proved to be low yielding. Researchers at the trio of organizations demonstrated an effective approach that utilized earth-abundant molybdenum carbide as the driver in a constant process, attaining an oxygen material of about 1%.
Reference: “Continuous hydrodeoxygenation of lignin to jet-range aromatic hydrocarbons” by Michael L. Stone, Matthew S. Webber, William P. Mounfield III, David C. Bell, Earl Christensen, Ana R.C. Morais, Yanding Li, Eric M. Anderson, Joshua S. Heyne, Gregg T. Beckham and Yuriy Román-Leshkov, 22 September 2022, Joule.DOI: 10.1016/ j.joule.2022.08.005.
The study was funded by the U.S. Department of Energys Bioenergy Technologies Office and Center for Bioenergy Innovation.