Catalytic Production of Jet Fuels from Biomass

Abstract

Concerns about depleting fossil fuels and global warming effects are pushing our society to search for new renewable sources of energy with the potential to substitute coal, natural gas, and petroleum. In this sense, biomass, the only renewable source of carbon available on Earth, is the perfect replacement for petroleum in producing renewable fuels. The aviation sector is responsible for a significant fraction of greenhouse gas emissions, and two billion barrels of petroleum are being consumed annually to produce the jet fuels required to transport people and goods around the world. Governments are pushing directives to replace fossil fuel-derived jet fuels with those derived from biomass. The present mini review is aimed to summarize the main technologies available today for converting biomass into liquid hydrocarbon fuels with a molecular weight and structure suitable for being used as aviation fuels. Particular emphasis will be placed on those routes involving heterogeneous catalysts.

Immobilization of Eversa® Transform via CLEA Technology Converts It in a Suitable Biocatalyst for Biolubricant Production Using Waste Cooking Oil

“…In absence of branching in the alcohols, the higher the length of the chain was, the higher the transesterification activity was observed, as expected according to the previous findings reported in the literature, in which using other lipases, an increase in the yield of esters would be expected with the increase in the carbon chain and absence of branching in the alcohol [ 64 , 65 , 66 ]. Eversa-mCLEA was less active using short-chain primary alcohols (methanol and ethanol), which are the alcohols usually utilized in biodiesel production [ 67 , 68 , 69 ]. This lower activity can be explained by the fact of methanol and ethanol change the hydration layer of the enzyme [ 21 , 70 , 71 , 72 ], justifying the common practice of adding the alcohol in steps, mainly when methanol is used as an acyl acceptor ([ 24 ]).…”

Synthesis of Bio‐Based Methylcyclopentadiene from 2,5‐Hexanedione: A Sustainable Route to High Energy Density Jet Fuels

“…Over the last several decades, remarkable progress has been made on the development of alternative transportation fuels from biomass sources [1–3] . This research has been driven by the need to reduce CO 2 emissions and help mitigate the impacts of global warming and ocean acidification [4] .…”

“…Over the last several decades, remarkable progress has been made on the development of alternative transportation fuels from biomass sources. [1][2][3] This research has been driven by the need to reduce CO 2 emissions and help mitigate the impacts of global warming and ocean acidification. [4] Although ground vehicles, including cars and light trucks, can be easily powered by renewable electricity or hydrogen, the immense power requirements of commercial and military jet aircraft are currently dependent on hydrocarbon fuels.…”

Insight into the Ex Situ Catalytic Pyrolysis of Biomass over Char Supported Metals Catalyst: Syngas Production and Tar Decomposition

“…In recent years, biomass has attracted much attention mainly because it can be used as a renewable resource to produce various high-quality chemicals, multi-functional char-based materials, and fuel products, which can not only reduce the burden of relying on fossil resources, but also are regarded as a meaningful way toward CO 2 emissions [1][2][3][4][5][6]. Currently, biomass energy accounts for about 9% of the world's total energy supply that plays a key role in tacking issues of energy-supply security and environmental problems [7].…”