Up, up, and away! Want to know more about growing jet fuel from plants? Junior researcher Adel Youkhana (NREM), Richard Ogoshi (TPSS, retired), and their co-authors recently published a new paper in Energy & Fuel Journal, “Review of Biomass Resources and Conversion Technologies for Alternative Jet Fuel Production in Hawai’i and Tropical Regions.”
The paper surveys the developments in bio-based alternative jet fuels. As the abstract explains, there is increasing interest in developing such fuels to meet rising aviation demand and address environmental concerns. The uncertainty of oil prices, issues of energy security, and rising greenhouse gas concentrations have spurred the development and acceptance of economically viable, environmentally sustainable alternative production pathways.
The authors reviewed alternative jet fuel feedstock candidates and relevant conversion data to provide a baseline of information to be accessed and built upon in developing production scenarios in Hawai’i and other tropical regions. Seventeen plants that produce oil, fiber, and sugar feedstocks were identified, and information on cultural practices, yield ranges, invasiveness, and mechanization status was assembled. Available data on pretreatment requirements and conversion processes for the 17 feedstocks, including mass and energy balances, product and byproduct yield and quality, and scale requirements/unit sizes, were reviewed. The authors hope to inform the development and design of alternative jet fuel production along regional supply chains in Hawai’i and other locations in the tropics. Find out more in the paper, attached here.