Aviation biofuels: an economic and environmental assessment with an outlook on cost reduction potentials

Abstract

The global awareness to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from aviation and thereby make the overall aviation sector more environmentally friendly has increased in recent years. In this context, one main driver is seen in the development of advanced renewable jet fuels for aviation, which have already been used for some regular flights by various air carrier. Therefore, this paper compares four different production processes for biokerosene located in northern Germany, investigating two different types of biomass feedstock for each process. These conversion processes are then assessed in terms of technical, economic and environ-mental criteria based on data retrieved from an extensive process simulation. Main outcome of this analysis are mass and energy balances, kerosene production costs and GHG emissions for the investigated conversion routes, including a rough analysis of future cost reduction po-tentials. The results of the investigated criteria are scattering significantly; i.e. no “silver bulled” can be seen based on these findings. Nevertheless, the significant influence of the provision of the biomass feedstock becomes obvious. Generally spoken the more environmentally sound and economic viable the feedstock provision can be realized, the more promising is the resulting biokerosene related to the economic and environmental criteria assessed here. This result is more or less independent from the respective conversion route.