Researchers aim to produce SAF from tomato residues
In Austria, Eurasia Review reported that the EU project ToFuel is developing a new biorefinery concept that will convert tomato residues into sustainable aviation fuel as well as into fertilizer, animal feed and nutritional oil. Under the leadership of Graz University of Technology (TU Graz), the research team is aiming for a waste-free and climate-neutral process that is also economically competitive.
“According to estimates, around three per cent of the sustainable aviation fuels required in Europe by 2030 could be covered from the amount of tomato pomace produced throughout the EU, i.e. the residues from tomato processing,” explains project manager Marlene Kienberger from the Institute of Chemical Engineering and Environmental Technology at TU Graz.
In order to turn tomato waste into a high-quality fuel, the biomass must first be processed so that microorganisms can utilize it efficiently. ToFuel is investigating two modern fractionation technologies. During extrusion, the biomass is treated under heat and pressure and then broken down into its cellular components by an abrupt drop in pressure. This creates an optimally digested biomass for the subsequent fermentation process, in which microorganisms produce lipids that are later processed into aviation fuel. In the second fractionation technology, hydrothermal liquefaction, the biomass is converted into bio-oil and biochar under high pressure and at high temperatures, according to the report.
Category: SAF
