University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign researchers convert food waste into SAF

In Illinois, researchers at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign have discovered a novel way to address the problem of air travel’s greenhouse gas emissions—by converting food waste into sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) that meets industry standards without relying on fossil fuel blends. Their process, described in a new Nature Communications study, could help the aviation industry meet its ambitious goal of net-zero carbon emissions by 2050.

The process in a nutshell is this: The researchers convert food waste into biocrude oil through a thermochemical conversion process called hydrothermal liquefaction, or HTL. Next, they remove impurities from the biocrude oil, and finally, they refine it with the use of hydrogen and catalysts to turn it into aviation fuel. 

This approach can be applied to a variety of feedstocks and types of oil, potentially leading to a new direction for obtaining fuels.