Overview of Aviation Sector, Feedstock, and Supply Chain

A refinery processes crude oils to manufacture a broad range of useful products, such as jet fuel, gasoline, petrochemicals, diesel, and asphalt constituents. In addition to being manufactured via hydro methods, kerosene can also be produced as a direct run product, particularly from heavier crude oil feedstocks. Hydrocarbon fuels like kerosene jet fuel are virtually exclusively made of carbon and hydrogen atoms. Aromatic compounds, cycloparaffins (naphthenes), and paraffins (iso and normal) make up the majority of the hydrocarbon composition. The ratios of these hydrocarbon components will vary in aviation jet fuel made from various feedstocks and processing methods. The burning of aviation turbine fuel has been linked to “global warming,” which is why “biojet” has been suggested as a way to blend fuel to lessen carbon emissions. The maximum percentage of biojet to conventional jet fuel blend permitted by the standard is 50%. While bioethanol and biobutanol, which have been shown to be effective as automotive fuels, were determined to be inappropriate for use in aircraft because they did not meet ASTM D7566-09 requirements. Many technological solutions have surfaced as a result of extensive global R&D activities. These systems generated renewable hydrocarbon fraction as drop-in fuel known as “biojet” using feedstock like animal fat, leftover agricultural products, municipal solid waste (MSW), waste cooking oil, plant seed oil, and waste cooking oil. Reduced carbon emissions in aviation fuel are the main advantage of using feedstock made from plants or agricultural waste in place of crude oil. To ensure that biojet is a sustainable, affordable, and environmentally friendly aviation fuel, a number of obstacles have to be overcome in order to meet the strict requirements of aviation fuel.