Multi-criteria decision analysis for the evaluation and screening of sustainable aviation fuel production pathways
Jude A. Okolie,
Damilola Awotoye,
Meshach E. Tabat,
Patrick U. Okoye,
Emmanuel I. Epelle,
Chukwuma C. Ogbaga,
Fatih Güleç,
Bilainu Oboirien
Affiliations
Jude A. Okolie
Gallogly College of Engineering, University of Oklahoma, Norman, OK, USA; Corresponding author
Damilola Awotoye
Department of Chemical Engineering, University of llorin, Ilorin, Kwara State, Nigeria
Meshach E. Tabat
Department of Chemical Engineering, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, Canada
Patrick U. Okoye
Instituto de Energías Renovables (IER-UNAM), Privada Xochicalco s/n Col. Centro, Temixco, Morelos 62580, México
Emmanuel I. Epelle
School of Computing, Engineering and Physical Sciences, University of the West of Scotland, Paisley, UK
Chukwuma C. Ogbaga
Department of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Natural and Applied Sciences, Nile University of Nigeria, Abuja, Nigeria; Department of Microbiology and Biotechnology, Faculty of Natural and Applied Sciences, Nile University of Nigeria, Abuja, Nigeria
Fatih Güleç
Low Carbon Energy and Resources Technologies Research Group, Faculty of Engineering, University of Nottingham, Nottingham NG7 2RD, UK
Bilainu Oboirien
Department of Chemical Engineering, University of Johannesburg, Johannesburg, South Africa
Summary: The aviation sector, a significant greenhouse gas emitter, must lower its emissions to alleviate the climate change impact. Decarbonization can be achieved by converting low-carbon feedstock to sustainable aviation fuel (SAF). This study reviews SAF production pathways like hydroprocessed esters and fatty acids (HEFA), gasification and Fischer–Tropsch Process (GFT), Alcohol to Jet (ATJ), direct sugar to hydrocarbon (DSHC), and fast pyrolysis (FP). Each pathway’s advantages, limitations, cost-effectiveness, and environmental impact are detailed, with reaction pathways, feedstock, and catalyst requirements. A multi-criteria decision framework (MCDS) was used to rank the most promising SAF production pathways. The results show the performance ranking order as HEFA > DSHC > FP > ATJ > GFT, assuming equal weight for all criteria.
