Page 49 - European Energy Innovation - spring 2019 publication
P. 49
Spring 2019 European Energy Innovation 49
BIOFUELS
Several technology pathways In terms of technology readiness, ethanol from maize or sugarcane,
for biojet production from such the conversion pathways for oil and while Pacific Northwest National
feedstocks have been certified by wood feedstocks are somewhat Laboratory has a process for
the ASTM (American Society for more mature than those for alcohol upgrading ethanol to biojet.
Testing and Materials). The newly to jet. But all the pathways can
certified alcohol-to-jet pathway well be commercial within the next The costs can be expected to come
seem quite promising since there couple of decades, provided there down over time, provided we get
are many different ways to produce is sufficient investment in pilot and from first of a kind plants to nth of
ethanol, and potential economies of demonstration projects. a kind plants at scale. In economic
scale from combining advanced and terms, biojet will have to compete
conventional conversion technologies. Each pathway already has pilot plants with petroleum-based jet fuel.
For example, first generation which are showing it is practical. In recent years, crude oil prices
technologies for making ethanol from For oleochemical pathways, there have fluctuated widely, but mostly
the sugar in sugar cane and second- are Altair and Neste plants. For between $50 and $100 per barrel. If
generation technologies for making thermochemical pathways, Red Rock oil prices continue in this range, biojet
ethanol from the straw in sugar cane is using wood residues and Fulcrum plants at commercial scale should
can share equipment for heat and is using municipal solid waste. For eventually be able to compete.
power supply, harvesting, crushing, alcohol to jet, companies are
distillation, dehydration, upgrading, applying a mix of first- and second- Pathways using wood residues and
and storage. generation technologies to make carbohydrate crops may be quite
promising over the long term due
US$ per litreComparative Costs of Renewable and Fossil Jet to their lower feedstock costs, even
Fuel with Crude Oil Prices of $50-100 per barrel though pathways using oil crops have
lower costs today.
Unit total cost, including carbon value of US$80-160/tonne
3.50 We should support technology
3.00 development and demonstration for
2.50 the conversion pathways that appear
2.00 most promising. And we should put
in place policies that let the market
choose the most cost-effective
feedstock and technology pairs at any
given place and time. These could
include a higher market value for
carbon, limits on average fuel carbon
content, mandates for renewable
fuel, or a combination of these.
1.50 Carbon prices may not be enough
to do the trick if oil prices are
1.00 weak, which they could well be if
shale oil supplies keep growing and
0.50 automobiles start going electric. So
regulations may be the most effective
0.00 approach – to require a growing
share of renewable jet fuel over time,
Vegetable oils Corn and sugarcane Wood residues or better yet a reduction in carbon
emissions per passenger-kilometre
and freight-kilometre to give equal
credit to greater efficiency. l
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