Extracting Aviation Fuel from Waste Wood... Expected Reduction in Greenhouse Gas Emissions

On the 18th, when the aviation industry was hit hard by the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19), citizens visiting the observation deck at Incheon International Airport were looking at the aircraft grounded at the airport amid widespread layoffs. Photo by Mun Ho-nam munonam@

[Asia Economy Reporter Junho Hwang] A domestic research team has developed a technology to mass-produce bio jet fuel using waste wood. If it replaces petroleum-based jet fuel, it is expected to significantly contribute to reducing greenhouse gas emissions. On the 22nd, the research team led by Dr. Hajung Myung of the Clean Energy Research Center at the Korea Institute of Science and Technology announced that their research results were recently published in the international energy journal "Energy Conversion and Management."

Extracting Jet Fuel from Waste Wood

The technology developed by the research team processes lignin, a component of waste wood left after pulp production, into jet fuel.

Lignin accounts for 20-40% of plants such as wood and grass. When this substance undergoes pyrolysis, oil is produced. However, due to its sticky viscosity, industrial use has been difficult. Accordingly, paper mills use lignin oil as low-quality fuel such as boiler fuel.

The research team conducted hydrodeoxygenation to reduce the viscosity of lignin oil. By adding hydrogen to a specific catalyst under high temperature and high pressure, large molecules are broken down into smaller molecules through hydrodeoxygenation. After processing, the treated oil was mixed with the original sticky lignin oil at a ratio of 7 to 3. As a result, the viscosity of the mixed lignin oil was significantly improved from the original 750 cp to 110 cp (about one-seventh).

The research team stated that the mixed lignin oil can be reused in hydrodeoxygenation, enabling mass production of petroleum substitute fuel through a continuous process. The final produced fuel was analyzed to have a lower freezing point and higher energy density compared to gasoline or diesel, making it suitable for use as jet fuel.

Contributing to Reduction of Greenhouse Gas Emissions

Dr. Hajung Myung said, "It was difficult to utilize the large amount of lignin waste generated in paper mills as high value-added fuel using conventional chemical reaction methods, but with this achievement, it has become possible to mass-produce jet fuel from lignin, which was previously treated as waste."

He added, "By using this technology, fossil fuels do not need to be used as jet fuel, reducing greenhouse gases, and lignin oil itself does not produce emissions, so it will actively respond to the strict jet fuel greenhouse gas reduction regulations to be enforced from 2027."

Meanwhile, the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), a UN agency, has proposed regulations to reduce greenhouse gases generated by the aviation industry (about 2% of global total emissions) to 2020 levels by 2050 and plans to enforce these regulations starting in 2027.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.