From Sugarcane To Jet Fuel

Abstract

A California-based research team has shown that chemical building blocks derived from sugarcane can be converted in nearly 100% yield to a new family of potentially high-performing jet fuels. An environmental impact analysis of the biobased strategy suggests that it would lead to a reduction of up to 80% in greenhouse gas emissions, compared with an approach that makes the same compounds from petroleum (Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 2015, DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1508274112). To reduce global dependence on petroleum and mitigate the harmful effects of climate change, numerous research groups have developed methods for producing biobased car and truck fuels and various types of chemicals. Stringent specifications for aviation fuels, however, have limited researchers’ success in producing those products from biological sources. For example, aviation fuels need to be formulated from oxygen-free compounds that yield high-energy-density blends with low freezing points and low viscosity values. Those high-altitude requir...