(697b) Introducing a Novel Furan-Based Process for Biojet Fuel Production: Techno-Economic, Environmental, and Safety Evaluation

Currently, society faces the urgency to address the environmental impacts arising from human activities, due to effects such as climate change. In this context, the transportation industry, and aviation in particular, represents a critical area due to its significant contribution to global greenhouse gas emissions. The International Energy Agency (IEA) estimates that in 2019, the aviation sector was responsible for 1.03 gigatonnes of CO2 (GtCO₂), constituting 3.1% of the world's total CO₂ emissions resulting from the combustion of fossil fuels. In addition, it is estimated that by 2050, aviation emissions could escalate to approximately 1.9 GtCO2, about 2.6 times the emissions in 2021[1]. As the world strives to achieve the goals set in the Paris Agreement and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) of the United Nations in order to mitigate climate change, the transition to renewable fuels in aviation emerges not only as a necessity but as a strategic opportunity. In this sense, the use of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF), also known as biojet-fuel, is considered the most promising alternative to reduce emissions into the aviation sector.

Nowadays, there are six certified methods exist for converting biomass into commercial biojet fuel: Fischer-Tropsch (FT), Hydroprocessed Esters and Fatty Acids (HEFA), Direct Sugars to Hydrocarbons (DSHC), Fischer-Tropsch with Aromatics (FT-SPK/A), Alcohol to Jet (ATJ-SPK), and co-processing renewable lipids with crude oil-derived middle distillates. Despite SAF is already being used in various commercial flights, its high production costs compared to conventional fossil fuel remain one of the principal drawbacks. Research efforts have focused on reducing production costs and finding new raw materials for the certified production routes of SAF, leaving aside the search for new processes or production routes [3]. An alternative that has not been explored to date is the production of jet fuel through the furan route, known as FTJ (Furans to Jet fuel), as we have decided to name it.

The production of furans like furfural or HMF from lignocellulosic waste is widely known, and these bioproducts are already produced on an industrial scale, making them ideal raw materials for biofuel production. Based on aforementioned, this work proposes the synthesis, design, and simulation of a novel biofuel production process from these furans. This process consists of three stages: aldol condensation, hydrodeoxygenation (HDO), and hydrocarbon separation. In each stage, different catalysts and technologies are analyzed. The design parameters and operating conditions of this process were chosen to fit with the physical properties for jet fuel, required by ASTM D7566-21 standard. The total annual cost, Eco-Indicator 99, and individual risk were considered as metrics to evaluate the economic, environmental, and safety aspects of the different process options. These indicators were selected according to the 12 principles of sustainability proposed by Jimenez Gonzalez and Constable (2011). The results of the techno-economic evaluation indicate that the SAF production process through the furan route is competitive when compared to other technologies such as the alcohol-to-jet route, having around 20% lower costs, 25% less environmental impact, and a 30% improvement in the safety index. This is because the FTJ process requires lower pressure and temperature conditions in critical stages of the aldol condensation and HDO process, in contrast to the oligomerization and hydrogenation stages of other processes.

Keywords: Sustainable Aviation Fuel, Process Design, Process Synthesis, Sustainability.

References

[1] U.S. Energy Information Administration, U.S. energy facts explained, (2022). https://www.eia.gov/energyexplained/us-energy-facts/.

[2] Bergero, C., Gosnell, G., Gielen, D., Kang, S., Bazilian, M., & Davis, S. J. (2023). Pathways to net-zero emissions from aviation. Nature Sustainability, 6(4), 404-414.

[3] Ko, J. K., Lee, J. H., Jung, J. H., & Lee, S. M. (2020). Recent advances and future directions in plant and yeast engineering to improve lignocellulosic biofuel production. Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, 134, 110390.

[4] Jiménez-González, C., & Constable, D. J. (2011). Green chemistry and engineering: a practical design approach. John Wiley & Sons.

[5] ASTM, Standard Specification for Aviation Turbine Fuel Containing Synthesized Hydrocarbons, Annu. B. ASTM Stand. 7 (2017) 1–16. https://doi.org/10.1520/D7566-21.operated.