TBBE118001 Drop-in biofuels via catalytic hydrogenation of pyrolysis oil for application in the marine sector

The European Commission has expressed the ambition to increase the share of renewable fuels in the transport sector to 10% by 2020. The RED-II directive has recently been drawn up for the period 2021-2030, which also prescribes the introduction of advanced biofuels (2nd generation). In passenger transport, a shift to electric is underway. For heavy transport, and especially for airplanes and ships, liquid (and gaseous) fuels will still be necessary for a long time. Nowadays, liquid biofuels are mainly produced from vegetable oil and used cooking oil (UCO). Advanced 2nd generation biofuels must be produced from sustainable biomass flows as defined in REDII. However, suitable technology and processes still need to be further developed. The specific goal of the RENEWELL project is the development of a sustainable, 2nd generation drop-in marine fuel. The fuel must be able to be blended with existing conventional and 1st generation fuels in percentages of at least 5%, but with the ambition to make 30% possible. The new fuel is produced from biomass and must meet the requirements set in REDII. In the RENEWELL concept, biomass is converted into pyrolysis oil and then this liquid is chemically catalytically upgraded to a transportation fuel. The degree of upgrading is determined by the requirements for a drop-in fuel and can depend on the blend ratio. The quality of the fuel can be controlled by adjusting the process conditions (temperature, H2 pressure, residence time) and the catalyst used. The pyrolysis oil itself can be produced from various biomass streams (eg wood residues, roadside grass etc). People involved in this project: Bart Somers & Jinlin Han