Conversion routes from biomass to biokerosene

Abstract

The goal of this paper is to give an overview of the current possibilities to produce biokerosene from different types of biomass. Therefore different existing processes are characterized in relation to the useable feedstock (i.e. vegetable oil, starch, sugar, lignocellulose) and the type of conversion process (i.e. mechanical, biochemical, thermo-chemical or physico-chemical). In this context possible intermediate products as well as the final products are defined. Afterwards the six most advanced conversion pathways are described in more detail. This includes the hydroprocessed esters and fatty acids (HEFA) route, the direct sugar to hydrocarbons (DSHC) route, the alcohol-to-jet (AtJ) route, the biogas-to-liquid (Bio-GtL) route, the biomass-to-liquid (BtL) route as well as the hydrotreated depolymerized cellulosic jet (HDCJ) route. For each route the possible feedstock and the technical specifications are addressed. Finally a short outlook for the described processes as well as a brief assessment is given.