In Brazil, G1 reported that researchers from the National Biorenewables Laboratory (LNBR) of the National Center for Research in Energy and Materials (CNPEM), in Campinas, Sao Paulo state, discovered that sustainable fuel made from microbial oil derived from sugarcane has the potential to replace kerosene and, thus, reduce greenhouse gas emissions from aviation by more than 50%. The study, published in the scientific journal Bioresource Technology, analyzed the conversion of microbial oil into sustainable aviation fuel through a hydroprocessing technology of esters and fatty acids (HEFA), the same technology used in the production of biodiesel. “Sugarcane is already used to produce ethanol, replacing gasoline and reducing vehicle emissions. So here we are looking at an alternative to aviation kerosene, which would be a similar chemical compound, but which causes fewer greenhouse gas emissions,” said Tassia Lopes Junqueira, coordinator of the study. “The fuel we are obtaining is still more expensive, about four times more expensive than fossil kerosene and twice as much as that produced by soybean oil, which would be another renewable alternative. However, with these improvements, the idea is that this cost will drop and become more competitive,” she added.
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