Research Projects

The aviation sector emits approximately 2% of global greenhouse gases, with aviation turbine fuel (ATF) being the only fuel for air travel in the future. The cost of ATF depends on factors such as crude oil price, supply volatility, non-renewable nature, and political instability. As the number of aircrafts and airlines increases in countries like India and China, researchers are focusing on developing sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) that can be produced from renewable materials and is CO2-neutral. In India, commercial scale production and combustion studies of SAF have not been reported, with only ATF produced from waste cooking oil being tested. The proposed project aims to test the catalytic fast pyrolysis-hydrotreating-distillation (CFPHD) model, which involves fast-pyrolysis of renewable biomass with less moisture and high volatile matter, hydrotreatment of bio-oil, distillation of SAF, and combustion studies in a swirl-stabilized combustion engine. The proposed study has the potential to guide the commercialization of SAF, helping companies reduce their carbon footprint significantly. The proposed model will be tested in a fluidized bed reactor, optimizing the process for bio-oil yield, hydrotreating bio-oil, and distilling ASTM distillation to yield SAF and other products. The study's significance lies in its potential to guide the commercialization of SAF and help companies reduce their carbon footprint.

0