Techno-economic analysis of a bio-refinery process for producing Hydro-processed Renewable Jet fuel from Jatropha

HRJ (Hydro-processed Renewable Jet) conversion technology has been recently used to produce renewable jet fuel for commercial or military flights. In this study, a techno-economic analysis is carried out for evaluating the production of jatropha-derived HRJ fuel through a bio-refinery process. Each component of the chosen feedstock jatropha can be converted into valuable products. The bio-refinery process is split into 6 parts: (1) Fruit Dehulling; (2) Shell Combustion; (3) Oil Extraction; (4) Press Cake Pyrolysis; (5) Oil Upgrading; (6) Product Separation. The minimum jet fuel selling price (MJSP) from this fruit scenario is calculated to be $5.42/gal based on the plant capacity of 2400 metric tonne of feedstock per day. The co-products obtained from the process not only significantly deduct the production cost but make the entire process energy self-sustainable. We also discuss the oil scenario, which oil is the starting material and the process begins from Oil Upgrading section. The oil scenario offers the MJSP of $5.74/gal with lower capital but higher operating costs. The differences of MJSPs for fruit and oil scenarios are due to feedstock cost, refinery capital cost, co-product credits and energy cost. Based on the sensitivity analysis, the feedstock price, oil content, plant capacity, reactor construction and catalyst usage are important parameters that control the price of the produced fuel. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.