Waste-To-Biofuel Production for the Transportation Sector
Nikolaos C. Kokkinos, Elissavet Emmanouilidou, Sunil Kumar Sharma
Abstract
Addressing climate change and reducing reliance on fossil fuels necessitates decarbonizing the transportation sector. Biofuels are considered a renewable and cleaner energy source compared to fossil fuels. Biodiesel is a renewable alternative fuel that can be used in automotive vehicles. It is derived from various sources, such as vegetable oils, animal fats, or waste cooking oils (WCOs), and it can be blended with petroleum-derived diesel fuel or used in its pure form, depending on the vehicle and engine specifications. The aviation sector is experiencing significant growth, and as its greenhouse gas emissions contribute to approximately 2% of total global emissions, decarbonization poses an ongoing challenge. Sustainable aviation fuels represent the most viable solution for the aviation industry to address climate change and meet the increasing fuel demand in the sector. Waste feedstocks, such as WCOs, municipal solid waste, and lignocellulosic materials, show promise as valuable feed streams for producing biojet fuel. Although the railway sector is currently the most electrified subsector of transportation, oil accounts for 55% of total energy consumption, and biodiesel shows high potential as an alternative fuel. Finally, as the marine industry is currently exploring and evaluating the technical feasibility and commercial viability of alternative fuels such as ammonia, hydrogen, and methanol, as well as electro-fuels, biodiesel is emerging as an increasingly viable option in the short term that can provide immediate emission reductions. The current chapter highlights the progress and challenges associated with waste-to-biofuel production for the transportation sector, focusing on the automotive, aviation, rail, and maritime industries.