Pigs may not be able to fly, but could they produce jet fuel? A Kansas State University engineer thinks so.
Prathap Parameswaran, associate professor of civil engineering in K-State’s Carl R. Ice College of Engineering, will collaborate on a new project led by Iowa State University and in collaboration with Quasar Energy Group, to see if hog manure can produce aviation fuel precursors.
The project will study anaerobic membrane reactors, or AnMBRs, as a way to recover and valorize swine waste streams through co-fermentation into short- and medium-chain organic acids that can be transformed into synthetic aviation fuel.
The research is being funded by a $600,000-plus grant from BioMADE, a Manufacturing Innovation Institute sponsored by the Department of Defense.
“Our role in this project is to validate the use of anaerobic membrane reactors as a platform for transforming these waste products, including fats, oils and greases, into biomanufactured aviation fuel precursors,” Parameswaran says in a release. “We are essentially running pilot-scale production of this novel technology, while conducting the vital research and development to validate its versatility and scalability.”
The fuel precursors will be separated and purified before being transformed into synthetic aviation fuel by ketonization and hydrodeoxygenation processes.
“Synthetic aviation fuels are a strategic resource for the U.S. Department of Defense,” Parameswaran says. “While there are other ways to turn waste into fuel, many rely on federal incentives or are inefficient. Use of anaerobic membrane reactors shows real potential as a promising platform, it just needs to be piloted effectively.”
The conversion process will be subjected to detailed life cycle and techno-economic assessment to prioritize pathways to scalability, the release says.
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