【Ten Years of Rapid Development in Chemical Engineering Equipment】The complete set of technologies for bio-jet fuel developed by the Petrochemical Research Institute has passed evaluation (2014–2025)

I. Overview         With the rapid economic development and swift growth of the aviation industry, China’s demand for aviation kerosene is increasing. At the same time, as China’s reliance on imported crude oil continues to rise, its dependence on foreign oil sources exceeded 55% in 2011; it is estimated that this figure will reach 62% by 2020. Large-scale oil imports increase our country’s dependence on foreign resources, and fluctuations and changes in the international market will directly affect the domestic economy as well as **security and stability. “During the 12th Five-Year Plan period, with the continuous and stable growth of China’s economy and the global economic recovery, China’s aviation industry will see further development. The demand for aviation kerosene is expected to increase by 10 million tons. Therefore, the development of bio-aeronautical alternative fuels not only promotes the growth of the aviation industry but is also related to **energy security**.        Furthermore, global climate change has also created a demand for alternative fuels in the aviation industry. In 2009, the International Air Transport Association, on behalf of the entire aviation industry, set three commitment goals for the International Civil Aviation Organization: achieving zero growth in carbon emissions by 2020 ； From 2009 to 2020, fuel efficiency improved by an average of 1.5% per year ； Carbon emissions in 2050 will be 50% lower than those in 2005. To achieve this emission reduction target, relying solely on aircraft lightweighting and efficient, environmentally friendly aviation propulsion technologies under the current fuel systems is not sufficient; the development of alternative aviation fuels is also necessary, particularly bio-based alternative aviation fuels.         A report published by the International Air Transport Association in 2009 stated that by 2017, 10% of aviation fuel would be replaced by biofuels, which should lead to a reduction of CO2 emissions from the aviation industry by more than 10%. By 2040, this proportion is expected to reach 50% of the total fuel used. The U.S. Air Force aims to achieve a goal by 2016 in which 50% of its aviation fuel comes from domestic non-petroleum sources. Therefore, bio-aeronautical kerosene technology not only helps to address energy and national defense security issues, but also plays a role in mitigating global climate change. II. Technical Features The hydrogenation-based technology developed by the Institute of Petrology for producing bio-jet fuel features strong adaptability to various raw materials, a long operational life for the catalysts, and a high yield of jet fuel.        Biojet fuel raw materials typically come from various types of animal and plant oils, including microalgae oil, food waste oil, acidified oil, as well as plant oils such as jatropha oil. Due to the difficulty in concentrating animal and plant oils, the sources of raw materials for industrial facilities are often quite varied. The Institute of Rock Sciences has developed biojet fuel technologies using various plant and animal oils, including microalgae oil, various types of food waste oils, and jatropha oil; the technology developed can handle different oils, including those mentioned above.        Animal and vegetable oils have high levels of olefins and oxygen, and they tend to coking at high temperatures. Additionally, a large amount of water is generated during the hydrogenation process, which places high demands on the water resistance of the hydrogenation catalysts. The hydroprocessed renewable jet fuel technology developed by the Research Institute of Petroleum Processing can effectively prevent high-temperature coking of animal and vegetable oils. Additionally, a special catalyst with strong water resistance has been developed. Given the high metal content in raw materials, especially waste animal and vegetable oils, this technology employs an optimized catalyst grading method, which exhibits high demetallization and metal tolerance capabilities. The combination of the various technical solutions mentioned above can enable long-term operation of the catalyst.         Thanks to optimized process parameters and specific hydrogenation conversion catalysts, this technology features a high yield of aviation fuel; using animal and plant oils as raw materials, the yield of aviation fuel can exceed 40%. This technology produces high-quality naphtha and diesel fractions as by-products, which are characterized by being sulfur-free, nitrogen-free, and aromatic-free. The naphtha fraction can be used to produce high-grade solvent oil products ； Diesel fractions have a high cetane number and are components used in the formulation of ultra-clean diesel. III. Implementation status and prospects of promotion and application This technology successfully passed the technical evaluation organized by the Science and Technology Development Department of Sinopec Corporation in 2011. Industrial trials began at Hangzhou Petrochemical in 2011, during which biojet fuel was produced using palm oil and food waste oil as raw materials respectively.         Globally, on the one hand, as economies develop, the shortage of liquid fuel is becoming increasingly severe ； On the other hand, with further stringent CO2 emission reductions worldwide, the use of fossil liquid fuels will inevitably be constrained by these emissions reduction measures. Developing the technology for hydrogenating vegetable oils to produce liquid fuels can, on the one hand, expand the range of raw materials available for liquid fuels, and on the other hand, reduce CO2 emissions. Therefore, whether from the perspective of consumer demand or environmental protection needs, biojet fuel technology will have huge market demand both domestically and internationally. IV. Analysis of Economic and Social Benefits Developing biomass-based liquid fuels not only ensures national defense security but also promotes the economic and social development of rural areas in our country. Our country has a large population, and making full use of waste cooking oil to convert it into biofuels is a win-win solution. The development and application of biomass-based liquid fuels also contribute to protecting the environment, ecology, and public health. Compared to petroleum jet fuel, biomass-based liquid fuels can significantly reduce the emissions of sulfides, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, and other inhalable particulates, offering excellent social benefits.         According to research by the International Air Transport Association, producing bio-based aviation alternative fuels is currently not economically viable overall. However, considering the need to comply with EC emission standards and include the costs of carbon dioxide emissions in the price, biofuels become relatively competitive. Given the ongoing advancements in technologies for producing alternative aviation fuels, and the further rise in prices of conventional jet fuel due to resource shortages, it is expected that by 2020 their prices will be lower than those of conventional jet fuel. Taking into account the carbon emission costs associated with traditional petroleum-based fuels, biojet fuel technology will become even more competitive. V. Awards and Intellectual Property Rights Nine patents in China have been applied for this technology.

China’s chemical technology and equipment are outstanding; keep it up!

China Petroleum and Chemical Industry Federation

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