Corn best suited for making sustainable aviation fuel, study shows

The University of Kentucky's Center for Applied Energy Research (CAER) and the Kentucky Energy and Environment Cabinet have completed a study of fats, oils and grease feedstocks to produce sustainable aviation fuel in Kentucky.

The project, funded by the Kentucky Office of Energy Policy, identified corn oil as the safest bet for making  sustainable aviation fuel in Kentucky thanks to its low risk profile, according to Eduardo Santillan-Jimenez, associate director of CAER’s Sustainable and Alternative Fuels Research Group and assistant professor of chemistry in UK's College of Arts and Sciences.

He noted that the findings can guide the decision-making of stakeholders interested in investing in sustainable aviation fuel-related projects in the state.

Sustainable aviation fuel is an alternative to jet fuel that can be made from everyday materials like plant oils, animal fats and recycled cooking grease. It can be blended up to 50% with traditional jet fuel for use in commercial aircraft and represents a market potential of $80 billion globally by 2035. Jet fuel is the fourth most consumed fuel in Kentucky and is critical for the state's three air hubs as well as for national defense aviation operations at the Kentucky National Guard, Fort Knox and Fort Campbell. 

“As the aviation industry looks to diversify its fuel sources and become more sustainable, SAF represents an advanced energy economic development opportunity for Kentucky," said Kenya Stump, executive director of the Kentucky Office of Energy Policy. "It creates new markets for agricultural products, brings investment to processing infrastructure and directly supports fuel diversification and local production supporting Kentucky’s Energy Security Plan."

Essential to this growth, however, is understanding the supply chain risk necessary to attract infrastructure and manufacturing investments. The study, conducted by UK CAER focused on soybean oil, corn oil and distillers corn oil, which are some of the most important agricultural commodities in Kentucky, as well as on animal fats (from livestock rendering), yellow grease (used cooking oil) and brown grease recovered from grease traps or from wastewater treatment plants.

“Risk was highest in supplier and supply chain categories,” Santillan-Jimenez said. “The risk associated with the other categories was found to be low. Both yellow and brown grease show high supplier and supply chain risk, while soybean oil shows high supplier risk but medium supply chain risk.”

A copy of the report can be downloaded here.


Study on producing aviation fuel from study of fats, oils and grease feedstocks has been completed.