Researchers transform unexpected waste product into next-generation jet fuel: 'A significant advancement'

An aviation fuel advancement at a government laboratory may soon have researchers telling the industry: "This Bud's for you." 

But there's no need to get out the pretzels and Beer Nuts, as the breakthrough from Argonne National Laboratory in Illinois isn't of the intoxicating variety. Rather, it's a jet fuel made partly with wastewater from breweries and dairy farms that could cut the aviation sector's planet-warming air pollution output by a whopping 70%, according to a lab summary. 

Sustainable aviation fuel, or SAF, is already developed using biomass and other resources, including algae, oils, fats, and woodmill waste. The U.S. Department of Energy reports that it can power a plane similarly to regular jet fuel with a fraction of the pollution. 

However, the Argonne team notes that SAF provides less than 1% of aircraft fuel. Meanwhile, the sector jets out about 2.5% to 3% of carbon pollution and other global heat-trapping fumes, per the summary and Our World in Data. The pollution can be a potent lung-troubler, aggravating asthma and increasing risks for a long list of other health problems, per government medical experts. 

To encourage greater use of SAF, the Argonne team said it needs to be cheaper and more efficient than the standard dirty fuel. The latest findings represent welcome news on that front.

"Volatile fatty acids from waste streams can make biofuel production more cost-effective and sustainable," Argonne postdoctoral researcher Haoran Wu said in the lab summary. ​"Argonne's novel technology uses a membrane-assisted bioreactor to enhance the production of volatile fatty acids."

Brewery wastewater is an unlikely ally in the effort. But some work was needed to unlock its potential. 

"Both [beer and dairy] wastewater streams are rich in organics, and it is carbon-intensive to treat them using traditional wastewater treatment methods," study author Taemin Kim, an Argonne energy systems analyst, said.

During the process, both brew and dairy wastewaters are stripped of organic carbons. This makes them more cost-friendly to treat. A key to the process is fatty acids. "Novel" methane-arrested anaerobic digesters convert the wastewater into fatty acids. They, in turn, can be turned into SAF, per the lab report. 

"Designing a membrane-assisted technology that achieves a 70% reduction in greenhouse gases at a cost comparable with conventional jet fuel is a significant advancement," Wu said. 

The process includes other steps to make the chemistry as efficient as possible. 

SAF adoption is being promoted in unlikely places, as well. The San Francisco 49ers announced in September that the team was buying the cleaner fuel to power a flight to a game against the Los Angeles Rams. An innovative process being developed in the United Kingdom makes SAF from air pollution, as another example of exciting tech in the works. 

The U.S. federal government is also pushing efforts to increase SAF use. The goal is to bump up production to 3 billion gallons by the end of the decade and to produce enough of it to fuel 100% of commercial jet demand by 2050, according to the Argonne summary. 

What's more, our transportation system transformation doesn't need to be limited to the skies. Using public transit options cuts about a pound of air pollution for every mile traveled when parking a gas-burning vehicle, potentially saving you hundreds of bucks a year. Electric buses are also hitting the roads in certain places, providing even cleaner rides.

At Argonne, the researchers plan to continue perfecting the technique to treat and turn new waste streams into better SAF. 

"We will continue working to enhance sustainability and begin exploring other feedstock materials to use with our technology." Wu said in the article. 

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