(546g) From Food Waste to Sustainable Aviation Fuel Via Hydrothermal Liquefaction Pathway

Rising population and urbanization have led to global challenges, including increased energy demand and sustainable waste management. Waste biomass, such as food waste, is an impactful feedstock stream with potential to produce renewable fuels for transportation modes that are difficult to decarbonize. Hydrothermal liquefaction (HTL) is a thermochemical conversion technology that produces a carbon-rich biocrude, enabling the recovery and valorization of biogenic carbon from waste biomass. However, high heteroatom and inorganics content in HTL biocrude must be reduced for its viability as drop-in fuel. In this work, an HTL pathway was implemented for the conversion of food waste to sustainable aviation fuel (SAF), consisting of pilot-scale HTL, biocrude pretreatment, and catalytic hydrotreating. As a result, a drop-in SAF candidate was produced, achieving key jet fuel properties within ASTM specification limits, including surface tension, viscosity, heating value, density, flash point, and freeze point. Overall, this approach not only advances carbon circularity of the transportation sector, but also helps mitigate waste and reduces consumption of fossil fuels. HTL contributes novel solutions to sustainable development goals, with implications for clean energy, responsible consumption, and climate action.