Abstract:
Sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) can be generated using various processes. Among the well-established approaches, one that stands out is the hydrotreating of esters and fatty acids (HEFA). However, the HEFA process requires a source of hydrogen for the hydroprocessing reactions. Hydrogen is often considered as an expensive component, and its cost can have a significant impact on the overall economic viability of renewable aviation fuel production. In this work, the SAF process is developed using Aspen Plus simulation. There are 2 scenarios to be considered. Scenario 1 involves a plant in which the hydrotreating of palm oil is performed to recover hydrogen from the hydrocarbon gas and other byproducts directed to a steam reformer. In scenario 2, palm oil hydrotreatment is combined with hydrogen production through biomass gasification. The results show that scenario 2 is superior to the scenario 1 in both terms of performance and economics. This is attributed to its substantial SAF yield, resulting in higher revenue from product sales, as well as a shorter payback period.
