Project number: 103
Category: Alternative Fuels
This project supports the conversion of pilot-scale bio-crude samples into plausible aviation fuel blend components, up to 100%, with the balance coming from a petroleum distillate. For non-selective SAF production processes, the product stream could contain species ranging from as few as five to many (>26) carbon atoms per molecule (distillation range, 36 to >450 °C), which is broader than the jet fuel range. In these cases, distillation can be used to separate the product stream into fractions, where the monetary value of each fraction varies based on contemporary policies, and the properties of that fraction. While this is essentially the same process as petroleum refining, the population distribution of different molecular species with a given distillation cut could be markedly different depending on the pathway, and those composition differences result in significant property differences.