Sustainable Aviation Fuel from Hydrothermal Liquefaction of Wet Wastes

Dylan J. Cronin, Senthil Subramaniam, Casper Brady, Alan Cooper, Zhibin Yang, Joshua Heyne, Corinne Drennan, Karthikeyan K. Ramasamy and Michael R. Thorson
Additional contact information
Dylan J. Cronin: Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL), Richland, WA 99352, USA
Senthil Subramaniam: Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL), Richland, WA 99352, USA
Casper Brady: Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL), Richland, WA 99352, USA
Alan Cooper: Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL), Richland, WA 99352, USA
Zhibin Yang: Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, School of Engineering, Kettering Laboratories, University of Dayton (UD), Dayton, OH 45469, USA
Joshua Heyne: Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, School of Engineering, Kettering Laboratories, University of Dayton (UD), Dayton, OH 45469, USA
Corinne Drennan: Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL), Richland, WA 99352, USA
Karthikeyan K. Ramasamy: Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL), Richland, WA 99352, USA
Michael R. Thorson: Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL), Richland, WA 99352, USA

Energies, 2022, vol. 15, issue 4, 1-17

Abstract: Hydrothermal liquefaction (HTL) uses heat and pressure to liquefy the organic matter in biomass/waste feedstocks to produce biocrude. When hydrotreated the biocrude is converted into transportation fuels including sustainable aviation fuel (SAF). Further, by liquifying the organic matter in wet wastes such as sewage sludge, manure, and food waste, HTL can prevent landfilling or other disposal methods such as anerobic digestion, or incineration. A significant roadblock to the development of a new route for SAF is the strict approval process, and the large volumes required (>400 L) for testing. Tier α and β testing can predict some of the properties required for ASTM testing with <400 mL samples. The current study is the first to investigate the potential for utilizing wet-waste HTL biocrude (WWHTLB) as an SAF feedstock. Herein, several WWHTLB samples were produced from food waste, sewage sludge, and fats, oils, and grease, and subsequently hydrotreated and distilled to produce SAF samples. The fuels (both undistilled and distilled samples) were analyzed via elemental and 2D-GC-MS. Herein, we report the Tier α and β analysis of an SAF sample derived originally from a WWHTLB. The results of this work indicate that the upgraded WWHTLB material exhibits key fuel properties, including carbon number distribution, distillation profile, surface tension, density, viscosity, heat of combustion, and flash point, which all fall within the required range for aviation fuel. WWHTLB has therefore been shown to be a promising candidate feedstock for the production of SAF.

Keywords: hydrothermal liquefaction; SAF; biocrude; sustainable energy; hydrodenitrogenation (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q Q0 Q4 Q40 Q41 Q42 Q43 Q47 Q48 Q49 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (2)

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