Chemical conversion of a Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF): p-cymene

The aviation industry is one of the largest consumers of fossil fuels and, therefore, a high emitter of CO2 and fine particles, which can contribute to the formation of contrails and can have adsorbed the carcinogenic Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAHs). Emissions from this sector are expected to increase more and more due to its rapid growth.

To address this problem, the use of alternative fuels from renewable biomass and waste resources, such as Sustainable Aviation Fuels (SAFs), has been receiving increasing attention.

Sustainable aviation is the goal of EU due to its need to reduce transport emissions by 90% by 2050 (compared to 1990 levels).

Suitability and validity of SAFs need to be evaluated prior to use in engines/turbines and it can be done with high-quality experimental data in conjunction with chemical kinetic models, which is a valuable tool to investigate reaction pathways and to guide fuel and engine design.

However, there is a lack of experimental data obtained at laboratory-scale and chemical kinetic models describing the combustion of SAFs.

Thus, this project aims to provide new experimental data and a kinetic model for the conversion of p-cymene, an aromatic terpenoid produced using several natural feedstocks, in order to contribute with the comprehensive understanding of its combustion behavior and its capacity to form fine particle and PAHs.

The experiments will be conducted under a wide range of operational conditions of interest for combustion using the facilities and equipment available at the Aragon Institute of Engineering Research (I3A) of the University of Zaragoza. ChemCon will be conducted in the multi-disciplinary Thermochemical Processes Group (GPT), with the guidance of Prof.

María U. Alzueta, expert in the field of minimizing pollutant emissions in combustion processes.

This project will strengthen my skills and independence, expanding my professional network and allowing me to establish my own research line and laboratory.