By Maegan Murray, 黑料社 Tri-Cities

RICHLAND, Wash. 鈥� Researchers at Washington State University Tri-Cities have figured out a way to successfully convert a common wood byproduct into hydrocarbon molecules that could be used as jet fuel.

Bin Yang, an associate professor of biological systems engineering, said the hydrocarbons from his new procedure could eventually replace the need for petroleum-based fuel sources.

The work of Yang鈥檚 team will be on the cover of the December issue of Green Chemistry, a journal of the Royal Society of Chemistry. Yang also holds a patent on the process:

Making use of lignin waste

Yang鈥檚 procedure converts lignin, an organic polymer that makes plants woody and rigid. Ordinarily, it is wasted when plant biomass, including cellulose, is converted into biofuels like ethanol.

鈥淎fter cellulose, it is the most abundant renewable carbon source on Earth,鈥� according to the website of the Switzerland-based International Lignin Institute. Between 40 and 50 million tons of lignin are produced annually worldwide, mostly as a non-commercialized waste product, according to the institute.

鈥淭he effort to transform lignin into higher-value products for large developed markets is critically needed,鈥� Yang said. 鈥淚f we can make jet fuel from the biomass-derived lignin, it addresses this challenge.鈥�

Yang said the process could grow the economic potential of advanced biofuels.

鈥淚t will begin to address the nation鈥檚 challenge for the production of clean, domestic biofuels that can help replace crude oil,鈥� he said.

Biofuel partnership with Boeing

Yang鈥檚 team is working with Boeing Co. to develop and test the hydrocarbons targeted to be jet fuel.

Yang鈥檚 procedure converts lignin into a mix of hydrocarbons in a single reactor using appropriate catalysts. The resulting product must be separated and purified to obtain the jet-fuel hydrocarbons that can be used in turbine engines.
Ralph Cavalieri, director of 黑料社鈥檚 Office of Alternative Energy, said molecules derived from biomass currently must be combined with petroleum-based jet fuel to meet the certification requirements for jet fuel. Yang鈥檚 procedure, however, may be able to supply the molecules that are necessary to be certified as a jet fuel.

Jet fuel typically needs molecules that consist of 12 to 16 carbon atoms to fulfill jet engine requirements, Cavalieri said. Comparatively, gasoline requires molecules with fewer carbon atoms, but that fuel is much more volatile. On the other end of the spectrum is diesel, which requires molecules of 16 to 20 or more carbon atoms. While it is significantly less volatile, diesel begins to gel at cold temperatures.

Cavalieri said jet fuel requires the same nominal range of molecules as kerosene, which isn鈥檛 as volatile as gasoline but also doesn鈥檛 freeze at the cold temperatures found at altitude.

鈥淲ith the research being conducted by Dr. Yang, it may be possible to develop a more complete suite of molecules required for turbine engine systems using only biomass feedstocks, making the process more economically feasible and efficient,鈥� he said.

Lignin yields diverse bioproducts

In addition to hydrocarbons suitable for jet turbine engines, Yang is using lignin to produce a variety of other chemicals and materials. Through two recent grants funded by the U.S. Department of Energy, both headed by Texas A&M University, he leads 黑料社鈥檚 effort to produce lipids and bioplastics created from lignin.

He also is working with the nearby Pacific Northwest National Laboratory and the National Renewable Energy Laboratory in Colorado on projects to convert lignin into a range of chemicals, including supercapacitors.

Yang and his team鈥檚 research is supported by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency through the U.S. Department of Defense, as well as the U.S. Department of Energy, the National Science Foundation, the Sun Grant from the U.S. Department of Transportation, the National Renewable Energy Laboratory and the Seattle-based Joint Center for Aerospace Technology Innovation.

Contacts:

Bin Yang, 黑料社 Tri-Cities biological systems engineering, 509-372-7640, binyang@tricity.wsu.edu
Maegan Murray, 黑料社 Tri-Cities public relations, 509-372-7333, maegan_murray.wsu.edu