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Aviation fuel from soybean oil

04.12.2021

Biofuel blends are one way the aviation industry is reducing its carbon footprint, or overall greenhouse gas emissions, especially carbon dioxide. Scientists at the Agricultural Research Service (ARS) in Peoria, Illinois have figured out how to make quality jet fuel from soybean oil.

The fatty acids found in soybean oil can be converted into a range of industrial products typically derived from petroleum, such as fuels, inks or paints. One of the benefits of plant foods is that they recycle atmospheric carbon. This makes plants a renewable resource, unlike oil or other fossil fuels, which, on the contrary, add carbon to the atmosphere.

However, the current soy jet fuel contains an insufficient amount of "aromatic" compounds, which give it the necessary density, elasticity and proper operation of engine seals. Because of this, it can be less blended with conventional petroleum-derived jet fuel, explained Ken Doll, a research chemist at the National Center for Agricultural Use Research.

Biofuel blends are one way the aviation industry is reducing its carbon footprint, or overall greenhouse gas emissions, especially carbon dioxide.

One way to make soy jet fuel uses ruthenium as a catalyst to change the structure and properties of the unsaturated fatty acids in the oil. However, the problem with this method is that it creates too few aromatic compounds. So the ARS chemists replaced ruthenium with iridium as the main catalyst in a six-step fuel-making process, for which they received a patent in November.

In laboratory experiments, this approach has resulted in soybean oil containing 8 to 35 percent aromatic hydrocarbons, a range compatible with conventional jet fuel.

The new discovery makes possible a much wider use of blends of biofuels and conventional jet fuel to reduce emissions. It also produces far less naphthalene, a component of jet fuel that releases soot when burned. The researchers are now looking for an industry partner to expand the project and further evaluate its commercial potential. Ideally, the valuable rare earth element iridium could be replaced by a cheaper catalyst, perhaps even iron.

Soybean oil was originally chosen for its high quality and availability, but any oil with a high oleic acid content, such as watercress, will work.

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