(135c) Hydrodeoxygenation of pinyon juniper-feather reed grass mixture catalytic pyrolysis oils to produce sustainable aviation fuel

Production of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) has become a major area of research because of the need to decarbonize the aviation industry. The aviation industry, unlike the land transportation industry, cannot be easily electrified and therefore there is a need to develop advanced fuels which are carbon neutral. Current renewable aviation fuel production is mostly from vegetable oils that compete with food and therefore not sustainable. Aviation fuel is composed of 60% alkanes and other components, and therefore hydrotreated thermal biomass pyrolysis oils cannot be substituted for aviation fuels. We have developed new catalysts that can produce long chain hydrocarbons from biomass catalytic pyrolysis oils. This process requires reactions of carbonyl compounds with unsaturated aromatic ethers such as anisole, furfural, methylfuran and furanic compounds. We investigated the catalytic pyrolysis and upgrading of oils produced from pinyon juniper and feather reed grass (Karl Foerster). The pinyon juniper pyrolysis oils are sources of unsaturated aromatic ethers while the feather reed grass pyrolysis oils are sources of carbonyl compounds. This combination of herbaceous and woody biomass catalytic pyrolysis oils is being investigated for the long chain hydrocarbon production that is suitable for sustainable aviation fuels. We present results from the hydrodeoxygenation of the catalytic pyrolysis oils to produce the hydrocarbons fuels. Because this fuel is produced from lignocellulosic biomass it will be carbon neutral.