IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/eee/rensus/v191y2024ics1364032123009565.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

A review on the production and application of tall oil with a focus on sustainable fuels

Author

Listed:
  • Churchill, J.G.B.
  • Borugadda, V.B.
  • Dalai, A.K.

Abstract

The world's rapid energy demand through overpopulation and industrial development, coupled with environmental trends to reduce fossil fuel reliance, has created a global need for renewable and sustainable fuel sources. As researchers, governments, and industries look towards non-edible oils as a source for biofuels, the pulping industry by-product, tall oil, has promise as a feedstock. This review provides an overview of tall oil production from woody biomass, tall oil purification, and treatment of refined tall oil for biochemistry, bioenergy, and miscellaneous applications. Further, this review investigates the recent trends and barriers toward tall oil-derived biofuels. Tall oil and its components currently contribute to the circular bioeconomy through several applications, primarily being biochemicals. Recent commercialization of stand-alone tall oil biorefineries has demonstrated that biodiesel is the main pathway for tall oil-derived fuels, however, experimental gasoline and jet fuel pathways have shown promise in meeting fuel standards. Limited studies have co-processed tall oil biocrude with petroleum intermediates, facing challenges to stay within fuel specifications. Showing technical feasibility as a fuel source, tall oil's by-product nature has an economic and legislature-supported advantage over other biofuel sources, being closer to competing with fossil fuels. Yet tall oil's inflexible global supply as well as demand from biochemical industries may cause future supply chain challenges. The lack of political commitment and scaling uncertainty pose further barriers for tall oil-derived fuels that must be overcome to contribute to biofuel demand in future years.

Suggested Citation

  • Churchill, J.G.B. & Borugadda, V.B. & Dalai, A.K., 2024. "A review on the production and application of tall oil with a focus on sustainable fuels," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 191(C).
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:rensus:v:191:y:2024:i:c:s1364032123009565
    DOI: 10.1016/j.rser.2023.114098
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1364032123009565
    Download Restriction: Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1016/j.rser.2023.114098?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:eee:rensus:v:191:y:2024:i:c:s1364032123009565. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    We have no bibliographic references for this item. You can help adding them by using this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Catherine Liu (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.elsevier.com/wps/find/journaldescription.cws_home/600126/description#description .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.