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Production of Sustainable Aviation Fuels from Lignocellulosic Residues in Brazil through Hydrothermal Liquefaction: Techno-Economic and Environmental Assessments

Author

Listed:
  • Raquel de Souza Deuber

    (School of Food Engineering (FEA), University of Campinas (UNICAMP), Campinas 13083-862, SP, Brazil
    Brazilian Biorenewables National Laboratory (LNBR), Brazilian Center for Research in Energy and Materials (CNPEM), Campinas 13083-970, SP, Brazil)

  • Jéssica Marcon Bressanin

    (School of Food Engineering (FEA), University of Campinas (UNICAMP), Campinas 13083-862, SP, Brazil
    Fuel Laboratory, Petroleum and Energy Research Institute (LITPEG), Federal University of Pernambuco (UFPE), Recife 50740-550, PE, Brazil)

  • Daniel Santos Fernandes

    (School of Chemical Engineering (FEQ), University of Campinas (UNICAMP), Campinas 13083-852, SP, Brazil)

  • Henrique Real Guimarães

    (School of Food Engineering (FEA), University of Campinas (UNICAMP), Campinas 13083-862, SP, Brazil
    Brazilian Biorenewables National Laboratory (LNBR), Brazilian Center for Research in Energy and Materials (CNPEM), Campinas 13083-970, SP, Brazil)

  • Mateus Ferreira Chagas

    (Brazilian Biorenewables National Laboratory (LNBR), Brazilian Center for Research in Energy and Materials (CNPEM), Campinas 13083-970, SP, Brazil
    School of Chemical Engineering (FEQ), University of Campinas (UNICAMP), Campinas 13083-852, SP, Brazil)

  • Antonio Bonomi

    (Brazilian Biorenewables National Laboratory (LNBR), Brazilian Center for Research in Energy and Materials (CNPEM), Campinas 13083-970, SP, Brazil
    School of Chemical Engineering (FEQ), University of Campinas (UNICAMP), Campinas 13083-852, SP, Brazil)

  • Leonardo Vasconcelos Fregolente

    (School of Chemical Engineering (FEQ), University of Campinas (UNICAMP), Campinas 13083-852, SP, Brazil)

  • Marcos Djun Barbosa Watanabe

    (School of Food Engineering (FEA), University of Campinas (UNICAMP), Campinas 13083-862, SP, Brazil
    Industrial Ecology Programme, Department of Energy and Process Engineering, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, 7034 Trondheim, Norway)

Abstract

Decarbonization of the aviation sector relies on deployment of sustainable aviation fuels (SAF) at commercial scale. Hydrothermal liquefaction (HTL) has been recognized as a promising technology to help supply the increasing projected SAF demand. High availability of agro-industrial residues, combined with a well-established biorefinery system, makes the sugarcane industry in Brazil a good option for HTL technology deployment. Moreover, challenges regarding the economic feasibility of SAF from HTL could be partially addressed by the RenovaBio policy, a market-driven incentive mechanism of carbon credits implemented in Brazil. This study investigated both the techno-economic and life cycle assessment of SAF production from sugarcane lignocellulosic residues, considering HTL integrated to a first-generation ethanol distillery and a HTL stand-alone facility. The evaluated scenarios showed great climate mitigation potential, reaching a reduction of up to 73–82% when compared to fossil jet fuel. The minimum fuel selling price of SAF at 15.4 USD/GJ indicated potential of economic competitiveness with fossil jet fuel in the best integrated scenario. The economic benefits obtained from carbon credits are not enough to enable feasibility of HTL in the stand-alone scenarios, even with carbon prices projected at 125 USD/tonne CO 2 -eq avoided.

Suggested Citation

  • Raquel de Souza Deuber & Jéssica Marcon Bressanin & Daniel Santos Fernandes & Henrique Real Guimarães & Mateus Ferreira Chagas & Antonio Bonomi & Leonardo Vasconcelos Fregolente & Marcos Djun Barbosa , 2023. "Production of Sustainable Aviation Fuels from Lignocellulosic Residues in Brazil through Hydrothermal Liquefaction: Techno-Economic and Environmental Assessments," Energies, MDPI, vol. 16(6), pages 1-21, March.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jeners:v:16:y:2023:i:6:p:2723-:d:1097411
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    Cited by:

    1. Md Nasir Uddin & Feng Wang, 2025. "Sustainable Aviation Fuels: A Review of Current Techno Economic Viability and Life Cycle Impacts," Energies, MDPI, vol. 18(20), pages 1-46, October.
    2. Fabrizio D’Ascenzo & Giuliana Vinci & Marco Savastano & Aurora Amici & Marco Ruggeri, 2024. "Comparative Life Cycle Assessment of Sustainable Aviation Fuel Production from Different Biomasses," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 16(16), pages 1-21, August.
    3. Łukasz Brodzik & Wojciech Prokopowicz & Bartosz Ciupek & Andrzej Frąckowiak, 2025. "Minimizing the Environmental Impact of Aircraft Engines with the Use of Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) and Hydrogen," Energies, MDPI, vol. 18(3), pages 1-21, January.
    4. Matheus Noschang de Oliveira & Letícia Rezende Mosquéra & Patricia Helena dos Santos Martins & André Luiz Marques Serrano & Guilherme Dantas Bispo & Guilherme Fay Vergara & Gabriela Mayumi Saiki & Clo, 2024. "Tracking Biofuel Innovation: A Graph-Based Analysis of Sustainable Aviation Fuel Patents," Energies, MDPI, vol. 17(15), pages 1-25, July.
    5. Weronika Klimczyk & Remigiusz Jasiński & Jakub Niklas & Maciej Siedlecki & Andrzej Ziółkowski, 2025. "Sustainable Aviation Fuels: A Comprehensive Review of Production Pathways, Environmental Impacts, Lifecycle Assessment, and Certification Frameworks," Energies, MDPI, vol. 18(14), pages 1-35, July.

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