The utilization of wood-derived pyrolysis oils for the production of aviation and marine fuels, such as Jet A-1 and marine diesel, presents significant technical challenges. Fast pyrolysis of lignocellulosic biomass is widely recognized as one of the most promising thermochemical pathways for generating renewable liquid intermediates.

The primary product, pyrolysis oil (PO), also referred to as bio-oil, is an energy-dense liquid that offers potential for partial or full substitution of fossil feedstocks in conventional refinery operations. However, its direct application as a fuel or refinery feedstock is severely constrained by intrinsic physicochemical limitations, including high oxygen and water contents, the presence of heavy molecular fractions, strong polymerization tendencies, and the propensity for coke and particulate formation leading to catalyst deactivation during upgrading. These issues are not isolated phenomena but interconnected chemical processes that propagate
through hydroprocessing stages, particularly hydrodeoxygenation (HDO), which is essential for oxygen removal and fuel stabilization.

Literature consistently identifies three primary challenges in this context; elevated oxygen and water content, instability of heavy, high-molecular-weight fractions, and subsequent coke formation, particulate accumulation, and catalyst deactivation.
Addressing these challenges is critical for enabling the stable and long-term integration of biomass-derived intermediates into refinery systems.

A recent work illustrated in Public Deliverable D4.3 by Tüpraș, leader of Work Package 4 “Optimization Reaction Conditions for HPO and Biofuel Production”, investigated the hydrotreatment of stabilized pyrolysis oil (SDPO) for the production of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) and marine diesel, addressing the technical challenges associated with biomass derived intermediates.

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