A review on the production processes of renewable jet fuel

The aviation sector contributes with 2% of the total anthropogenic CO2 emissions, and predictions estimate that air traffic will double in the next 20 years, doubling fuel requirements and CO2 emissions. The International Air Transport Association (IATA) has identified the development of renewable aviation fuel, known as biojet fuel, as the most promising strategy to reduce the environmental impact of the aviation sector. The renewable hydrocarbons that constitute biojet fuel are also known as synthetic paraffinic kerosene (SPK), and their properties are almost identical to those of jet fuel. SPK has also the advantage of containing very little sulfur, producing lower CO2 emissions than jet fuel. The focus of this paper is to review the scientific and technological advances related to the existing pathways to produce biojet fuel, and to identify those that could lead to the future implementation of a sustainable production chain for renewable aviation fuel. The production process of biojet fuel is the key to satisfying both technical and economic goals required to obtain a more competitive biofuel, and allow the sustainable development of aviation sector.