Fischer-Tropsch Fuels Research Articles

Sustainability Assessment of the Coal/Biomass to Fischer–Tropsch Fuel Processes

In recent years, developing alternative liquid to fossil fuels has drawn much attention from world industry. In China, the coal/biomass-based Fischer–Tropsch (FT) liquid is a promising alternative to address the shortage of petroleum supplies. However, there is a lack of systematic and quantitative assessment of sustainability of these processes. This paper proposes a multi-dimensional set of metrics to assess sustainability performance of the coal/biomass to FT liquids processes in China. The assessment indicates that the coal-to-FT fuel process performs well in technical and economic aspects, while unsatisfactorily in relation to environmental features. Besides, the production potential of coal-to-FT in China by 2020 is rather limited. On the other hand, the biomass-to-FT fuel process shows great potential for replacement of petroleum-derived fuels and good environmental performance, although it does not perform well in terms of economic and technical characteristics at present. Co-processing biomass wi...

Effect of Soot Structure Evolution from Commercial Jet Engine Burning Petroleum Based JP-8 and Synthetic HRJ and FT Fuels

Soot from jet engines is relevant to environmental and health concerns. In this study, JP-8, HRJ (hydro-treated renewable jet), and FT (Fischer–Tropsch) fuels were tested in a CFM56-2C1 engine on a DC-9 aircraft. Comparisons of PM physical structure at length scales spanning aggregate to primary particle to nanostructure, all by TEM, are reported. Petroleum based JP-8 derived soot shows the nanostructure progression from amorphous to graphitic-like as a function of increasing engine power. Soots from the renewable HRJ and FT fuels exhibit significant nanostructure at each power level. Results are interpreted in terms of different soot formation regions with associated variations in temperature and local equivalence ratio. The driver for such differences is the nascent fuel composition, more specifically the different classes of components therein.

Thermodynamic evaluation of biomass-to-biofuels production systems

Biomass is a renewable feedstock for producing modern energy carriers. However, the usage of biomass is accompanied by possible drawbacks, mainly due to limitation of land and water, and competition with food production. In this paper, the analysis concerns so-called second generation biofuels, like Fischer–Tropsch fuels or Substitute Natural Gas which are produced either from wood or from waste biomass. For these biofuels the most promising conversion case is the one which involves production of syngas from biomass gasification, followed by synthesis of biofuels. The thermodynamic efficiency of biofuels production is analyzed and compared using both the direct exergy analysis and the thermo-ecological cost. This analysis leads to the detection of exergy losses in various elements which forms the starting point to the improvement of conversion efficiency. The efficiency of biomass conversion to biofuels is also evaluated for the whole production chain, including biomass cultivation, transportation and conversion. The global effects of natural resources management are investigated using the thermo-ecological cost. The energy carriers' utilities such as electricity and heat are externally generated either from fossil fuels or from renewable biomass. In the former case the production of biofuels not always can be considered as a renewable energy source whereas in the latter case the production of biofuels leads always to the reduction of depletion of non-renewable resources.

Influence of CO2 co-feeding on Fischer–Tropsch fuels production over carbon nanofibers supported cobalt catalyst

Nowadays, the syngas which is obtained from the reforming of coal, biomass or natural gas contain significantly amounts of CO2 that cannot be separated and consequently, it can take part into the Fischer–Tropsch (FTS) catalytic activity. Therefore, the presence of CO2 in the syngas flow should be taken into account. In the present study, the FTS CO hydrogenation process was compared to that of CO2 on a carbon nanofibers supported Co catalyst. The influence of CO2 content in the feed stream (H2/CO/CO2 ratio) on the reaction performance in terms of conversion and selectivity to the different products was described. Both the support and the prepared catalyst were characterized by nitrogen adsorption–desorption, temperature-programmed reduction (TPR) and X-ray diffraction (XRD). Results showed that CO hydrogenation was controlled by a Fischer–Tropsch regime, whereas CO2 hydrogenation was controlled by a methanation process. When feed was composed of CO and CO2 mixtures, the catalytic activity decreased with respect to that obtained with a CO2-free feed stream. Moreover, the presence of CO2 in feed stream favored the formation of lighter hydrocarbons and could block the production of further CO2 via Water-Gas-Shift (WGS) reaction.

Rational Formulation of Alternative Fuels using QSPR Methods: Application to Jet Fuels

Alternative fuels are a promising solution for road transport but also for aircraft. In the aviation field, a huge amount of work has been done in the past years with the approval to use up to 50 % by volume of SPK (Synthetic Paraffinic Kerosene) in blends with conventional fossil Jet A-1. SPK are Fischer-Tropsch (FT) fuels but also Hydroprocessed Esters and Fatty Acids (HEFA). However, these alternative fuels can have different chemical properties depending on the process used for their production. These properties include normal to iso paraffin ratio, carbon chain length and level of branching. R&D studies of alternative fuels are based on the evaluation of products coming from identified production processes. However, it appears that a better way of studying them could be firstly to determine the best chemical composition regarding aviation problems and secondly to find the best process and finishing process in order to obtain such a product. The objective of this work is to design a tool that aims to guide the future formulation of alternative fuels for aviation through the prediction of targeted physical properties. Thus, it is proposed to apply a methodology that identifies relationships between the structure and properties of a molecule (QSPR for Quantitative Structure Property Relationship), with the aim of establishing predictive models. These models will be built for hydrocarbons (normal and iso paraffins, naphthenes, aromatics, etc.) and oxygenated compounds (esters and alcohols). For aviation, oxygenated compounds are not considered as a drop-in fuel. It could be seen as a disruptive solution in a long term view. There are concerns with oxygenates in aviation that are covered in this paper such as the flash point but others such as the energetic content, the water affinity that are not taken into account in this paper. The properties currently studied are flash point, cetane number, density and viscosity. The data sets will contain data from the literature, from experimental measurements and from molecular simulations for complex molecules. The interest of such models in the selection of molecules can be shown for example by the trade-off between cold flow properties and density of paraffinic compounds. If the carbon chain length is too high, the cold flow properties are compromised. One solution can be to increase branching or incorporate fuel base with good cold flow properties such as naphthenic or aromatic compounds. However, this leads to a decrease in density below the jet fuel specification. Again, using naphthenic of alkyl-aromatic compounds produced from biomass can help.

Experimental Study of Coal Liquefaction Diesel Combustion and Emissions

An experimental study was conducted on the combustion processes and emissions of direct coal liquefaction (DDCL) and Fischer-Tropsch (FT) fuels in a single-cylinder research diesel engine. Under low load conditions (5 bar IMEP), the results show that the ignition delay is shorter for the FT fuel compared with the reference fuel (Euro IV diesel), while it is longer for the DDCL fuel compared with the reference fuel. However, under high load conditions (10-15 bar IMEP), the Cetane number (CN) shows insignificant effects on the combustion process. The premixed heat release peaks of the fuels are correlated with the ignition delays, i.e. shorter ignition delay led to lower premixed heat release peak. For the emissions, both the FT fuel and the DDCL fuel show similar NOx level to the reference fuel under the conditions tested. The two liquefaction fuels show significantly lower soot emissions than the reference fuel, specifically for the higher load conditions (>=10bar IMEP), and the FT fuel produced the lowest level of soot emissions among the three fuels. For the FT and DDCL fuels, the HC emissions are generally lower than those of the reference fuel, except for the lowest load condition, which DDCL produces slightly higher HC emission. However, the CO emission of FT is lower than the reference fuel while the CO emission of DDCL is higher. In terms of unregulated emissions, the two liquefaction fuels show insignificant difference compared with the reference fuel at very low levels.

Heating and Efficiency Comparison of a Fischer-Tropsch (FT) Fuel, JP-8+100, and Blends in a Three-Cup Combustor Sector

In order to realize alternative fueling for military and commercial use, industry guidelines be met. These aviation fueling requirements are outlined in MIL-DTL-83133F(2008) or ASTM D 7566-Annex standards and are classified as “drop-in” fuel replacements. This paper provides combustor performance data for synthetic-paraffinic-kerosene- (SPK-) type (Fisher-Tropsch (FT)) fuel and blends with JP8+100, relative to JP-8+100 as baseline fueling. Data were taken at various nominal inlet conditions: 75psia (0.52 MPa) at 500°F (533 K), 125 psia (0.86 MPa) at 625°F (603 K), 175 psia (1.21 MPa) at 725°F (658 K), and 225 psia (1.55 MPa) at 790 F (694 K). Combustor performance analysis assessments were made for the change in flame temperatures, combustor efficiency, wall temperatures, and exhaust plane temperatures at 3%, 4%, and 5% combustor pressure drop (%P) for fuel:air ratios (F/A) ranging from 0.010 to 0.025. Significant general trends show lower liner temperatures and higher flame and combustor outlet temperatures with increases in FT fueling relative to JP8+100 fueling. The latter affects both turbine efficiency and blade/vane life. In general, 100% SPK-FT fuel and blends with JP-8+100 produce less particulates and less smoke and have lower thermal impact on combustor hardware.

Production of Fischer–Tropsch fuels and electricity from bituminous coal based on steam hydrogasification

A new thermochemical process for (Fischer–Tropsch) FT fuels and electricity coproduction based on steam hydrogasification is addressed and evaluated in this study. The core parts include (Steam Hydrogasification Reactor) SHR, (Steam Methane Reformer) SMR and (Fisher–Tropsch Reactor) FTR. A key feature of SHR is the enhanced conversion of carbon into methane at high steam environment with hydrogen and no need for catalyst or the use of oxygen. Facilities utilizing bituminous coal for coproduction of FT fuels and electricity with carbon dioxide sequestration are designed in detail. Cases with design capacity of either 400 or 4000 TPD (Tonne Per Day) (dry basis) are investigated with process modeling and cost estimation. A cash flow analysis is performed to determine the fuels (Production Cost) PC. The analysis shows that the 400 TPD case due to a FT fuels PC of 5.99 $/gallon diesel equivalent results in a plant design that is totally uneconomic. The 4000 TPD plant design is expected to produce 7143 bbl/day FT liquids with PC of 2.02 $/gallon and 2.27 $/gallon diesel equivalent at overall carbon capture ratio of 65% and 90%, respectively. Prospective commercial economics benefits with increasing plant size and improvements from large-scale demonstration efforts on steam hydrogasification.

Performance investigation of Fischer–Tropsch kerosene blends in a laboratory-scale premixed flame burner

The increasing use of synthetic fuels, such as Fischer–Tropsch (FT), in transportation, requires an accurate, in-depth knowledge of their fundamental combustion characteristics. However, synthetic fuels, being complex hydrocarbon mixtures, have not been standardized in terms of physical and thermochemical properties and are mostly treated by adapting appropriate surrogate mixtures. Surrogate mixture determination does not always take into account detailed fuel composition and this can lead to inaccurate prediction of fundamental fuel properties, such as molecular weight and heat of formation. In this direction, the present work presents a systematic approach for characterizing similar FT blends and assessing their performance in a simple configuration. A methodology based on the detailed composition of each examined blend is followed here, providing accurate estimates of the above fuel properties. The determined heating values are used in temperature and emission measurements of several flames of FT fuels stabilized in a laboratory-scale premixed burner. A total of six fuels are assessed: a neat, paraffinic FT blend, four FT blends with varying aromatic and naphthenic content and a pure n-decane.

Simultaneous improvement in both exhaust emissions and fuel consumption by means of Fischer–Tropsch diesel fuels

In recent years, paraffinic fuels have attracted attention because of their potential for reducing diesel exhaust emissions, mainly smoke or particulate matter emissions. One of the paraffinic fuels, a Fischer–Tropsch diesel fuel, was selected to demonstrate the lower exhaust emissions while improving fuel economy in this study. To examine the detailed effects of fuel specifications on diesel combustion and emissions, preliminarily tests for three Fischer–Tropsch fuels and a baseline diesel fuel were carried out with three diesel engines having different engine displacements. In addition, differences in combustion phenomena between Fischer–Tropsch fuels and the baseline diesel fuel were observed by means of a single-cylinder engine with optical access. From these findings, one of the tested engines was modified to improve both exhaust emissions and fuel consumption, simultaneously, dedicated to the use of neat Fischer–Tropsch fuels. The conversion efficiency of an oxides of nitrogen reduction catalyst has also been improved. The desirable properties of Fischer–Tropsch fuels for diesel combustion, namely high cetane number and absence of poly-aromatic hydrocarbon contents, have been fully utilized to enhance the conventional diesel combustion limits to show the possibility to achieve very low exhaust emissions with substantial improvement in fuel economy. The results of this study indicate not only the superior emission characteristics of the Fischer–Tropsch fuels, but also evidence that higher exhaust gas recirculation and lower excess air ratios will be a key concept of both engine and aftertreatment optimization for further fuel consumption improvement.

Particulate Matter and Organic Vapor Emissions from a Helicopter Engine Operating on Petroleum and Fischer–Tropsch Fuels

Particle and gaseous emissions from a T63 gas-turbine engine were characterized using three fuels: standard military jet fuel (JP-8), Fischer–Tropsch (FT) synthetic fuel, and a 50:50 blend of each. Primary emissions were sampled using a dilution tunnel and sampling trains with both filters and sorbent tubes. Primary particulate matter (PM) and gaseous emissions for the neat FT and blend fuels were reduced relative to emissions when using JP-8 fuel at both idle and cruise loads. At idle load, PM mass emissions are reduced by 65% with neat FT fuel and by 50% for the 50:50 blend compared to neat JP-8 fuel. The JP-8/FT blend thus decreases emissions beyond the linear average of the emissions for the individual fuels. At idle load, FT fuel reduced total hydrocarbon emissions by 20%, while the blend showed no significant change compared to neat JP-8. At cruise load, neat FT fuel resulted in an 80% reduction in primary PM emissions and a 30% reduction in total hydrocarbon emissions compared to neat JP-8. Decreas...

Evaluation of the economic and environmental impact of combining dry reforming with steam reforming of methane

Lately, there has been considerable interest in the development of more efficient processes to generate syngas, an intermediate in the production of fuels and chemicals, including methanol, dimethyl ether, ethylene, propylene and Fischer–Tropsch fuels. Steam methane reforming (SMR) is the most widely applied method of producing syngas from natural gas. Dry reforming of methane (DRM) is a process that uses waste carbon dioxide to produce syngas from natural gas. Dry reforming alone has not yet been implemented commercially; however, a combination of steam methane reforming and dry reforming of methane (SMR+DRM) has been used in industry for several years.The aim of this work was to simulate both the SMR and SMR+DRM processes and to conduct an economic and environmental analysis to determine whether the SMR+DRM process is competitive with the more popular SMR process. The results indicate that the SMR+DRM process has a lower carbon footprint. Further research on DRM catalysts could make this process economically competitive with steam methane reforming.

Pressure Swing Adsorption Process in Coal to Fischer–Tropsch Fuels with CO2 Capture

The carbon dioxide capture by pressure swing adsorption in a coal to Fischer–Tropsch process is addressed. The simulations results show that a (hydrogen + carbon monoxide) product with required composition for Fischer–Tropsch synthesis, H2/CO ratio of 2.22, and inerts content of 3.90% can be obtained. Additionally, the PSA process produces high purity carbon dioxide of 95.16% with high recovery of 91.6%. This CO2 stream is compressed to 110 bar for transportation and storage. The power consumption requirement was calculated to be 311 kW·h/tonCO2 (191 kW·h/tonCO2 for separation and 120 kW·h/tonCO2 for compression), which is too high for competitive operation of the PSA process when compared to absorbent based processes. A modification of the PSA process operation procedure involving the introduction of a number of tanks to collect fractions of the blowdown stream drastically reduces the power consumption to 129 kW·h/tonCO2 (including separation and compression to 110 bar) without affecting the products specifications.

Comparison of PM Emissions from a Commercial Jet Engine Burning Conventional, Biomass, and Fischer–Tropsch Fuels

Rising fuel costs, an increasing desire to enhance security of energy supply, and potential environmental benefits have driven research into alternative renewable fuels for commercial aviation applications. This paper reports the results of the first measurements of particulate matter (PM) emissions from a CFM56-7B commercial jet engine burning conventional and alternative biomass- and, Fischer-Tropsch (F-T)-based fuels. PM emissions reductions are observed with all fuels and blends when compared to the emissions from a reference conventional fuel, Jet A1, and are attributed to fuel properties associated with the fuels and blends studied. Although the alternative fuel candidates studied in this campaign offer the potential for large PM emissions reductions, with the exception of the 50% blend of F-T fuel, they do not meet current standards for aviation fuel and thus cannot be considered as certified replacement fuels. Over the ICAO Landing Takeoff Cycle, which is intended to simulate aircraft engine operations that affect local air quality, the overall PM number-based emissions for the 50% blend of F-T fuel were reduced by 34 ± 7%, and the mass-based emissions were reduced by 39 ± 7%.

Measurements of Nitrous Acid in Commercial Aircraft Exhaust at the Alternative Aviation Fuel Experiment

The Alternative Aviation Fuel Experiment (AAFEX), conducted in January of 2009 in Palmdale, California, quantified aerosol and gaseous emissions from a DC-8 aircraft equipped with CFM56-2C1 engines using both traditional and synthetic fuels. This study examines the emissions of nitrous acid (HONO) and nitrogen oxides (NO(x) = NO + NO(2)) measured 145 m behind the grounded aircraft. The fuel-based emission index (EI) for HONO increases approximately 6-fold from idle to takeoff conditions but plateaus between 65 and 100% of maximum rated engine thrust, while the EI for NO(x) increases continuously. At high engine power, NO(x) EI is greater when combusting traditional (JP-8) rather than Fischer-Tropsch fuels, while HONO exhibits the opposite trend. Additionally, hydrogen peroxide (H(2)O(2)) was identified in exhaust plumes emitted only during engine idle. Chemical reactions responsible for emissions and comparison to previous measurement studies are discussed.

Ab Initio Study of Key Branching Reactions in Biodiesel and Fischer–Tropsch Fuels

Many biologically and Fischer-Tropsch synthesized fuels contain branched alkanes which, during their combustion and atmospheric oxidation mechanism, produce methylalkyl radicals. As a result, an accurate description of the chemistry of these species is essential to integrating these fuels into our energy systems. Even though branched alkanes make up roughly one-third of the compounds in gasoline and diesel fuels, both experimental and theoretical data on methylalkyl radicals and their reactions are scarce, especially for larger chain systems and combustion conditions. The present work investigates all the hydrogen migration reactions available to the n-methylprop-1-yl through n-methylhept-1-yl radicals, for n = 2-6, using the CBS-Q, G2, and G4 composite computational methods, over a wide temperature range. The resulting thermodynamic and kinetic parameters are used to determine the effect that the presence of the methyl group has on these important unimolecular, chain branching reactions, for the reactions involving not only a tertiary abstraction site but also all the primary and secondary sites. The activation energies of hydrogen migration reactions with the methyl group, either within or immediately outside the ring, are found to be roughly 0.8-1.6 kcal mol(-1) lower in energy than expected on the basis of analogous reactions in n-alkyl radicals. An important implication of this result is that the current method of using rate parameters derived from n-alkyl radicals to predict the chain branching characteristics of methylated alkyl radicals significantly underpredicts the importance of these reactions in atmospheric and combustion processes. Discussion of a possible cause for this phenomenon and its effect on the overall combustion mechanism of branched hydrocarbons is presented. Of particular concern is that 2,2,4,4,6,8,8-heptamethylnonane, which is currently used to model branched alkanes in diesel fuel surrogates, is predicted to have a much lower activation energy, by as much as 3 kcal mol(-1), for the dominant, 1,5 H-migration reactions than for the same reaction in many of the less branched alkanes that it is meant to represent. Also, counter to the currently accepted theory, the 3-methylalk-1-yl radical 1,4 and 1,5 H-migrations involving the movement of a secondary hydrogen are found to have higher rate coefficients than the corresponding reactions involving a tertiary hydrogen. The results presented here have significant implications for future experimental, computational, and combustion modeling studies.

Aircraft Emissions of Methane and Nitrous Oxide during the Alternative Aviation Fuel Experiment

Given the predicted growth of aviation and the recent developments of alternative aviation fuels, quantifying methane (CH(4)) and nitrous oxide (N(2)O) emission ratios for various aircraft engines and fuels can help constrain projected impacts of aviation on the Earth's radiative balance. Fuel-based emission indices for CH(4) and N(2)O were quantified from CFM56-2C1 engines aboard the NASA DC-8 aircraft during the first Alternative Aviation Fuel Experiment (AAFEX-I) in 2009. The measurements of JP-8 fuel combustion products indicate that at low thrust engine states (idle and taxi, or 4% and 7% maximum rated thrusts, respectively) the engines emit both CH(4) and N(2)O at a mean ± 1σ rate of 170 ± 160 mg CH(4) (kg Fuel)(-1) and 110 ± 50 mg N(2)O (kg Fuel)(-1), respectively. At higher thrust levels corresponding to greater fuel flow and higher engine temperatures, CH(4) concentrations in engine exhaust were lower than ambient concentrations. Average emission indices for JP-8 fuel combusted at engine thrusts between 30% and 100% of maximum rating were -54 ± 33 mg CH(4) (kg Fuel)(-1) and 32 ± 18 mg N(2)O (kg Fuel)(-1), where the negative sign indicates consumption of atmospheric CH(4) in the engine. Emission factors for the synthetic Fischer-Tropsch fuels were statistically indistinguishable from those for JP-8.

Fuel effect on the liquid-phase penetration of an evaporating spray under transient diesel-like conditions

Measurements of the maximum liquid-phase penetration have been performed injecting five different fuels through a single-hole nozzle in an optical engine under a large set of thermodynamic and injection conditions. The focus of this paper is twofold. First, it intends to study fuel physical properties on liquid-phase fuel penetration. The choice made on Fischer–Tropsch diesel (FTD) and biodiesel fuels has been highly motivated by their potential to be, at short or middle term, possible substitutes to the conventional diesel fuel. Extensive characterization of fuel physical and chemical properties under ambient conditions are provided and related to the liquid-phase penetration in order to provide an accessible tool to predict liquid spray behavior based on cheap, off-engine measurements. Fischer–Tropsch fuels appeared to be the easiest to vaporize while biodiesel blends were getting always harder to vaporize as the Rapeseed Methyl Ester (RME) rate was increased. The second objective of this work is to study the time-response of liquid-phase penetration when subjected to density and temperature variations. Injections of 8ms at three different pressures have been performed in transient diesel-like conditions with density and temperature time derivatives up to 2000kgm−3s−1 and 20,000Ks−1. In most cases, the spray appeared to closely follow predictions made from empirical models built out of steady-state ambient conditions, leading to the conclusion of an instantaneous adjustment of the spray to its environment, validating: (1) the hypothesis made in 1D spray models; (2) the use of empirical models in unsteady-state environment when obtained under steady-state conditions.

Assessment of coal and biomass to liquid fuels in central Appalachia, USA

Liquid fuels from coal and biomass have the potential to reduce petroleum fuel consumption and CO2 emissions. A multi-equation model was developed to assess the economics of a potential coal/biomass-to-liquids (CBTL) fuel plant in the central Appalachian hardwood region, USA. The model minimizes the total annual production cost subject to a series of regional supply, demand, and other constraints. Model inputs include coal and biomass availability, biomass handling system, plant investment, production capacity, transportation logistics, and project financing. The outputs include the required selling price (RSP) and the optimal logistical decision-making associated with feedstock requirement, collection, delivery, and liquid fuel production. Results showed that the RSP of Fischer–Tropsch (FT) diesel for a 40 000 barrel-per-day CBTL plant with coal/biomass ratio (by weight) of 85/15 was $86.45–87.25 bbl−1 using different biomass handling systems. The RSP would vary between $86.45 and $89.81 per barrel according to different coal/biomass mix ratios. In consideration of the carbon offset credits due to the addition of biomass, the RSP was adjusted to $84.19–86.74 with respect to four levels of carbon prices. Sensitivity analyses indicated that the RSP of FT diesel was mostly affected by plant capacity, capital cost, coal price, and liquid fuel yield. The crude-oil-equivalent price of FT fuels must be above $66 bbl−1 for a CBTL plant to be profitable in central Appalachia for the long run. These results can help investors/decision-makers evaluate future CBTL developments in the region. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Hydroprocessing of Fischer–Tropsch biowaxes to second-generation biofuels

Upgrading of Fischer–Tropsch (FT) biowaxes to second-generation biofuels via hydroprocessing is the final step for increasing the fuel amount of the overall biomass conversion route: gasification of lignocellulosic biomass, FT synthesis, and hydroprocessing. The typical FT product portfolio consists of high molecular weight paraffinic waxes as the main product and FT fuels in the diesel and naphtha boiling range. OMV's objective and contribution to the project focus on achieving coprocessing of FT biowaxes with fossil feedstock using existing hydrotreating plants of crude oil refineries. Various test runs have been examined with a conventional refining catalyst under mild conditions (380–390°C, 5.8 MPa; WHSV, 0.7–1.3 h−1) in a pilot plant. Pure FT biowax is converted to gases, fuels, and an oil/waxy residue in a fixed-bed reactor with a porous catalyst layer technology. The presence of hydrogen in the reaction chamber reduces the fast deactivation of the catalyst caused by the formation of a coke layer around the catalyst particle surface and saturates cracked hydrocarbon fragments. Another approach is the creation of synthetic biodiesel components with excellent fuel properties for premium fuel application. Basically, premium diesel fuel differs from standard diesel quality by cetane number and cold flow properties. Hydroprocessed synthetic biodiesel (HPFT diesel) has compared to conventional diesel advantages in many aspects. Depending on the catalyst selected, premium diesel quality can be obtained by shifting cold flow operability properties of HPFT fuels to a range capable even under extreme cold conditions. In addition, a high-quality kerosene fraction is obtained to create bio jet fuels with an extremely deep freezing point, as low as −80°C. The isomerization degree, as well as the carbon number distribution of high paraffinic profile, and the branching degree have a major impact on the cold flow properties and cetane number. FT diesel has, compared to HPFT diesel, a slightly higher derived cetane number (DCN > 83) and a cloud point of −9°C, whereas HPFT diesel reaches values as low as −60°C. Although the HPFT naphtha obtained consists of high amounts of isoparaffins, the RON/ MON values are comparable to fossil straight-run naphtha. The reason is that the branching degree of isoparaffins from the naphtha fraction is not sufficiently high enough to reach the typical octane number values of gasoline products delivered at filling stations. Assuming the goal of launching a premium biodiesel or biokerosene fuel to the market, these hydroprocessed synthetic biofuels from FT biowaxes are ideal blending components.