Abstract

Bio-jet fuel plays a vital role in mitigating greenhouse gas emissions and reducing the environmental impacts in the air transportation sector. Several production pathways to produce bio-jet fuel have been successfully developed and certified. They can use a variety of materials ranging from edible crops and lignocellulosic biomass to algal oils as feedstock. Various conversion processes can also be used, either thermochemical or biochemical, with and without catalysts. However, among many available processes, producing bio-jet fuel through the hydroprocessed esters and fatty acids (HEFA) route is the most popular. It is also the only route that has so far been commercialized. This review gives an insight into the bio-jet fuel production from vegetable oils, which are the source of HEFA feedstock, with an emphasis on process design and simulation. The use of food and non-food resources as feedstock and the overview of the certified processes for bio-jet fuel production are reviewed and discussed. Additionally, the production process of bio-jet fuel produced from vegetable oils is explored. Finally, the key challenges and prospects of the process simulation and modeling of bio-jet fuel production from vegetable oils are addressed.