Strategies toward Experimental Assessments of New Aviation Renewable Fuels and Blends: The BIOREFLY Project

The reduction of greenhouse gases emissions from the aviation sector is focused on better engine efficiency or optimized flight pathways. However, the most relevant is probably the use of sustainable biofuels. In order to meet the strict jet fuelspecifications for commercial flights, these biofuels(drop-in fuels) must contain only paraffinic hydrocarbons, without heteroatoms. Several renewable aviation fuels have already been certified by ASTM, others are under examination. Anew promising route consists in the thermochemical conversion of lignin, the main co-product from 2nd generation ethanol. The EU FP7 BIOREFLY project will develop a first industrial pre-commercial lignin-to-jet fuel 2000 ty-1demonstration plant. The present work describes strategies, equipment and R&D lines of BIOREFLY, which aims at evaluating the properties of this bio-jet fuel and its blends in view of future ASTM certification. Injection features and the combustion properties of aviation engines will be investigated in an optical combustor rig. Combustion parameters, emissions and chemiluminescence provide fundamental data to understand the combustion behavior for different hydrocarbons species. Tests in micro-gas-turbines (i.e. power generation and APU-derivative units) will assess the effect of fuels in terms of emissions and evaluating their performances.