While the aviation industry is showing increasing interest in the use of sustainable alternative jet fuel (SAJF), price and meager supply remain key issues. But according to a new study by the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DoE) Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, sustainable, plant-based jet biofuels could provide a competitive alternative to conventional jet fuels if currently planned development and scale-up initiatives continue to progress.
The study, “Techno-economic analysis and life-cycle greenhouse gas mitigation cost of five routes to bio-jet fuel blendstocks,” published in the journal Energy & Environmental Science, provided evidence that optimizing the biofuel production pipeline is well worth the effort.
While the cost of biofuels is currently around $16 a gallon, compared to $2.50 for conventional jet fuel, the researchers demonstrated that all five current SAJF production pathways could create fuel products at that target price, providing the leftover biomaterial from the process could be developed into and sold as a profitable byproduct.
“Our hope is that early in the research stages, we can at least simulate what we think it would look like if you develop these fuel production routes to the point of maturity,” said Corinne Scown, lead author and researcher. “Thankfully the answer is they can be viable, and we’ve identified improvements that need to happen all along the conversion process to make that happen.”
While the aviation industry is showing increasing interest in sustainable alternative jet fuel (SAJF), price and meager supply remain key issues. But according to a recent study by the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DoE) Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, sustainable, plant-based jet biofuels could provide a competitive alternative to conventional jet fuels if currently planned development and scale-up initiatives continue to progress.
The study, “Techno-economic analysis and life-cycle greenhouse gas mitigation cost of five routes to bio-jet fuel blendstocks,” published in the journal Energy & Environmental Science, provided evidence that optimizing the biofuel production pipeline is well worth the effort. Researchers at the DoE’s Joint BioEnergy Institute are concentrating efforts on each stage of the production process, from engineering highly compatible source plants—those with a high proportion of carbohydrates, to isolating carbohydrates in non-food biomass that can be broken down into sugar molecules which are then digested by bacteria, on their way to becoming jet fuel. Scientists are also examining the bacteria themselves to determine what genetic and environmental factors could make them even more efficient.
Worldwide annual consumption of jet fuel is approximately 87 billion gallons, according to Steve Dryzmalla, World Fuel Services’ senior vice president for business aviation bulk fuel, and for the past several years, SAJF total production has been at an order of magnitude of 4-to-5 million gallons, a proverbial drop in the bucket.
While the production cost of renewable fuel is currently estimated to be around $16 a gallon at the refinery gate, compared to $2.50 for conventional jet fuel, the researchers demonstrated that all five current SAJF production pathways could create fuel products that could bridge that price gap, providing the leftover biomaterial from the process could be developed into and sold as a profitable byproduct. “Our hope is that early in the research stages, we can at least simulate what we think it would look like if you develop these fuel production routes to the point of maturity,” said Corinne Scown, lead author and researcher. “Thankfully, the answer is they can be viable, and we’ve identified improvements that need to happen all along the conversion process to make that happen.”
Scown cautioned that getting biofuel production technology to the yields assumed in the simulations will require further advances in processing. “This analysis highlights the importance of multi-institutional, integrative research centers like JBEI, because no group working on one phase of the process alone can make it happen,” she said.
SAJF holds inherent advantages over conventional jet fuel such as higher energy density and better freeze point qualities, which lead some to speculate that airlines and operators could be inclined to pay a slight premium, over the cost of standard fuel.