Sustainable aviation fuel – Comprehensive study on highly selective isomerization route towards HEFA based bioadditives
Marek Główka, Jan Wójcik, Przemysław Boberski, Tomasz Białecki, Bartosz Gawron, Marta Skolniak, Tomasz Suchocki
Abstract
This paper presents the results of a biofuel production process conducted using a cutting-edge, highly selective hydroisomerization catalyst. Rapeseed oil was used as a basic raw material for the synthesis of sustainable aviation fuel. The objective was to verify the catalysts hydroisomerization activity by comparison the effectiveness of obtained biofuel using a miniature jet engine and its compliance with current standards. The developed two-stage process by Łukasiewicz - ICSO involves the conversion of rapeseed oil into a C15–C18 hydrocarbon fraction through hydrodeoxygenation and subsequent hydroisomerization using the Pt/(SAPO-11 + Al2O3) catalyst. The overall average final yield of the aviation fuel fraction (C9–C18) after 500 hours of testing was (60 ± 3)% based on the initial rapeseed oil used. In comparison to 100% petrochemical JET A-1 fraction, a BIO50 blend (mixture of biocomponent and JET A-1) is characterized by a more preferable crystallization temperature (−64 °C) and a 50% lower content of aromatic compounds fulfilling all the requirements of ASTM D-7566 standard. Additionally, tests conducted on a miniature jet engine have shown, that the BIO50 mixture has a higher calorific value compared to standard petrochemical fuel, what allows to reduce the overall fuel consumption and slightly lower CO2 and NOx emissions.