Sustainable Jet Fuel Production from Biomass Derivatives via Green MOF Catalysis

Despite global advances in the implementation of clean energy and the decoupling of the economy from fossil fuels, the electrification of the aviation sector remains challenging. As a result, the development of sustainable aviation fuels (SAFs) to reduce the carbon print of aviation has become a priority to achieve the decarbonization goals. However, most of the efforts dedicated to the production of very high energy density fuels for aviation overlook the hydrogenation of the complex SAFs precursors, or do not report the fuel properties of the resultant mixtures. The result is a knowledge gap in SAFs production that demands further research and scalable approaches for scalable industrial approaches.In this context, the GREENJET project seeks to apply the advantages of mechanochemistry to develop green preparation methods of Metal-Organic-Frameworks (MOFs) optimized to act as catalysts for the complete transformation of biomass derivatives into SAFs, and to characterize the resulting fuel mixtures to assess their applicability as SAFs.The focus on the optimization of mechanochemical methods for the preparation and activation of MOFs is expected to dramatically reduce the economic and environmental costs of MOFs, considered one of their major drawbacks. MOF properties will be optimized for the transformation of biomass derivatives (furfural, 5-hydroxymethylfurfural, cyclopentanone) into SAF precursors via condensation. SAF precursor mixtures will be consequently hydrogenated in an optimized environment to obtain valuable SAFs under mild conditions. Moreover, the sustainability of the process will be monitored by Life Cycle Assessment and Techno-Economic Analysis. The GREENJET project expects to facilitate scalable methods by the integration of disciplines in material science, heterogeneous catalysis, green chemistry and renewable energy, which will contribute to the global effort to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and mitigate climate change.