It has already been proven in the lab: you can make jet fuel from potato peelings. But whether it is also interesting in practice remains to be seen. In a project financed by TKI-BBE, an international group of companies and knowledge institutions is investigating whether a full-scale production chain is technologically feasible and economically interesting.
In 3 years all European transport fuels must consist of 10% biobased fuels. Aviation is not yet covered by this legislation, but that will probably change in 2021. In Europe, aviation consumes 60 million tons of fuel every year. Even if the legal mixing percentage is only a few percent, millions of tons of biobased fuel will already be needed.
In the 'Bio jet fuel' project, the project partners are investigating whether an interesting production chain can be developed based on inedible side streams from the agricultural industry, using potato peelings as a model.
Cheap and available in large quantities
Project leader Ana Lopez Contreras (Wageningen Research): "The use of non-edible potato side streams offers a number of major advantages. They are available in large quantities and are also cheap. Moreover, the streams are suitable for fermentation." During the process, the side streams are fermented to acetone, isopropanol, butanol and ethanol. Without separation of these products, the mixture can then be converted into aviation fuel.
Towards a full-scale process
The operation of the production process has already been proven on a laboratory scale. This project examines whether the process is also economically and technologically feasible on a larger scale. In addition, a life cycle analysis must show what the sustainability gain is. The project partners also see opportunities to optimize the fermentation process.
Both raw material suppliers and companies with expertise in various production steps are working together in the project. From the knowledge institutions, they are supported by Wageningen Research and Utrecht University.
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