Ethanol plant CO2 waste could be turned into sustainable jet fuel

The article discusses new research indicating that carbon dioxide (CO₂) emitted from ethanol plants can be repurposed to produce sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) that reduces aviation emissions by over 80% compared to traditional fossil fuels. Ethanol fermentation releases about 85% of its volume as highly pure CO₂, making it easier and less energy-intensive to capture than emissions from coal or cement plants. Since the corn used in ethanol production absorbs CO₂ from the atmosphere, recycling the fermentation CO₂ effectively reuses existing carbon rather than adding new emissions. This approach presents a promising opportunity to convert what is currently considered waste into a valuable low-carbon fuel resource. The study evaluated several pathways for producing jet fuel from ethanol and captured CO₂, including the conventional Alcohol-to-Jet process and two CO₂-based routes involving synthesis gas (syngas) conversion: gas fermentation followed by Alcohol-to-Jet, and Fischer-Tropsch synthesis. Life cycle assessments showed that Fischer-Tropsch could reduce carbon intensity