Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) have developed a new process that could significantly cut the cost of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) production.
The US-based research team have found a method of turning ethanol into jet fuel components in a single step, radically simplifying a process that usually requires multiple stages. Off the back of this discovery, Biofuel company Gevo are licensing the technology from ORNL to test the process on a larger scale.
Andrew Sutton, senior scientist in the Manufacturing Science Division at ORNL, said:
This partnership will streamline the transition of ORNL’s catalyst technologies from lab scale to pilot-scale reactors. By demonstrating industrial viability, our goal is to accelerate the commercialisation of this technology in the US, boosting global competitiveness and domestic production of aviation fuel.
SAF is derived from plant- or waste-based feedstocks. From these materials, ethanol is then converted to olefins, which are in turn transformed into fuel. By developing a one-step method for turning ethanol into olefins, ORNL could significantly accelerate the efficiency of SAF production while also reducing costs.
Many aviation industry calculations for net zero rest on the assumption that SAF will scale to meet commercial demand. As air travel only increases in popularity, finding innovative ways to boost production fast are critical to mitigating climate change. Industry body IATA has warned that aviation needs to build momentum on SAF or airlines risk falling well short of their sustainability targets.
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