US scientists develop catalyst to turn woody biomass into jet fuel components

A Rowan University research team is investigating how woody biomass could replace petroleum-derived components in aviation fuel, helping reduce the United States’ dependence on fossil fuels for flight.

The project focuses on lignin, a natural polymer found in woody biomass, and a catalyst designed to convert selected molecules into aromatic compounds suitable for jet fuel.

Jun Hee Jang, an assistant professor of chemical engineering at the Henry M. Rowan College of Engineering, received a $199,999 National Science Foundation grant to investigate the process and assess its economic potential.

Replacing petroleum-derived fuel components

Aviation fuel contains a blend of compounds, including linear hydrocarbons, branched hydrocarbons, and aromatics.

Producing sustainable alternatives requires addressing these different components rather than replacing the entire blend with a single substance.

Researchers have already established processes for converting biomass, including vegetable oils, into hydrocarbons. Aromatic compounds, however, are typically sourced from petroleum, leaving an opportunity to develop renewable alternatives.

Jang’s research examines whether lignin can supply those aromatics. The work forms part of broader efforts to expand sustainable aviation fuel production using renewable resources and reduce reliance on petroleum-based aviation fuel through 2050.

If successful, the approach could support domestic fuel production while adding value to unused biomass feedstocks.

The project targets aviation fuel components, with the catalyst’s performance and the process’s commercial viability still to be evaluated.

A catalyst that selects by size

Before lignin can be converted into useful fuel components, researchers must break it into smaller molecules. That step produces a mixture containing molecules of different sizes.

Some smaller molecules can be upgraded into aviation fuel components, while larger molecules cannot undergo the same conversion. Efficiently separating these groups presents a central challenge for the research team.

Jang and his colleagues plan to develop a size-selective catalyst with a porous structure that admits smaller molecules while preventing larger ones from entering.

Inside those pores, the smaller molecules can be converted into jet fuel-range aromatic compounds. The design therefore aims to control which parts of the mixture reach the catalyst’s conversion sites.

Meanwhile, the larger molecules remain outside the porous structure, preserving properties that could make them useful in other applications.

Turning potential waste into another product

In conventional catalytic processes, the larger molecules can become waste products. Jang’s approach instead seeks to retain them as potentially valuable co-products alongside the fuel aromatics.

“By applying this catalyst, we can produce not only fuel aromatics, but also larger molecules that could have further functional applications,” Jang said.

One doctoral student and one postdoctoral researcher will join Jang on the project.

The postdoctoral researcher brings experience in designing chemical synthesis methods, while the doctoral student will conduct experiments and analyze the resulting products.

Together, they will investigate how catalyst design affects reaction performance and evaluate the economics of scaling the proposed biomass-to-aviation fuel process.

The grant comes through NSF’s Engineering Research Initiation program, which helps faculty at emerging research institutions establish independent engineering research programs.

Source: https://interestingengineering.com/energy/wood-waste-into-jet-fuel-ingredients