Oleaginous crops waste derived bio-jet fuel production: techno-economic analysis

Abstract

The increasing demand for jet fuel and the concern about climate change make necessary to reduce the dependence of petroleum products and search for sustainable alter-natives like the use of bio-jet fuel. This research studies, through a techno-economic analysis, three processes to produce bio-jet fuel, using oleaginous crops waste as a feedstock including palm kernel oil, palm fatty acid distil-lates (PFAD) and lignocellulose from palm biomass trunks and empty fruit bunches (EFB). Physico-chemical properties were estimated using different methods to determine if the final product of each process met with the technical requirements established in the ASTM standards. Mass and energy balances considered the energetic self-sufficiency of the processes simulations in ASPEN Plus®, preventing the use of fossil energy sources. An exergy thermo-eco-nomic analysis was performed to identify and quantify the thermodynamic efficiency of each process. Palm kernel oil and PFAD were converted to hydro-processed esters and fatty acids (HEFA) by esterification followed by upgrading to bio-jet fuel while the lignocellulose was converted into bio-jet fuel using a thermochemical conversion process composed by fermentation, dehydration, oligomerization and hydroprocessing (L-ETH-J).