The next generation of sustainable aviation fuel (SAFs) could be made from wood and grass—and not just waste cooking oil and palm oil – with S

World First: Scientists Make High-Grade Jet Fuel from Wood Waste

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2024-11-15 13:30:06

The next generation of sustainable aviation fuel (SAFs) could be made from wood and grass—and not just waste cooking oil and palm oil – with South Korean scientists revealing the first example of forest-based SAFs suitable for long-range aviation.

Led by Ha Jeong-Myeong and Yu Chun-Jae, both from the Korea Institute of Science and Technology (KIST) Clean Energy Research Center, the new SAFs have properties similar to petroleum-based jet fuel – and can run for up to 100 hours, even in the presence of impurities.

“SAF can reduce carbon emissions by up to 80% compared to conventional petroleum-based aviation fuel,” Ha said. “This technology expands the resource base for aviation fuel production by enabling the use of non-food resources like wood and grass, and thus moving beyond the current reliance on editable materials.”

Published in Energy Conversion and Management, Wood Central understands that previous attempts to produce SAF from wood and grass had yielded compounds more similar to gasoline, which are unsuitable for aviation. However, Ha’s team overcame this roadblock by introducing additional decarbonisation and polymerisation reactions to the oils extracted from wood and grass during decomposition.