(The Center Square) – Illinois scientists have developed a potentially cost-effective way to produce sustainable aviation fuel.
Research scientist Hong Lu’s team at the Illinois Sustainable Technology Center produced ethylbenzene, a key SAF additive, from recycled polystyrene.
The ISTC is division of the Prairie Research Institute at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign.
Lu said sourcing ethylbenzene from plastic waste solves two problems.
“One, we solve the waste plastic issue, because polystyrene almost 100% goes to landfills. On the other hand, we enhance the performance of the only commercially-available SAF,” Lu told The Center Square.
Lu said the polystyrene in #6 plastic items can be found in many household products, such as drinking cups. Once the polystyrene is depolymerized to become styrene, Lu said it can be upgraded to ethylbenzene as a good promoter for SAF.
Currently, Lu said, the only commercially-available SAF does not satisfy the jet fuel requirement and must be blended with fuel which is fossil-fuel-based, with SAF comprising 20-30% of the mix.
Now, Lu said, the amount of SAF can be greatly enhanced.
“We can now maybe use 40%, 50% of SAF with fossil fuel-based jet fuels,” Lu said.
Lu said it appears that ethylbenzene sourced from waste plastic is cost effective.
“Based on our preliminary analysis, it’s a little bit cheaper than the ethylbenzene produced from traditional fossil fuels,” Lu said.
He added that much work remained for the blend to be fully commercialized.
Lu said the U.S. Department of Agriculture and other federal agencies set a goal of 3 billion gallons of domestically-produced SAF per year by 2030. The government is aiming SAF to account for 100% of projected aviation jet fuel use, or 35 billion gallons per year, by 2050.
Funding for the work at the ISTC was provided by federal taxpayers through the U.S. Department of Energy.