The United States is committed to achieving net-zero emissions in the aviation sector by 2050 as a means of combatting climate change. The use of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) which can offset 10% or more GHG emissions from petroleum-based jet fuel is essential to decarbonize this sector. In 2022, SAF accounted for 22 million gallons of the 23 billion gallons of jet fuel consumed at a cost that significantly exceeded that of petroleum-based jet fuel. Therefore, to boost the use of SAF, it is important that the nation has a steady supply of renewable and sustainably sourced feedstocks convertible to low carbon intensity SAF (of at least 70% reduction in GHG emissions of fossil-based jet fuel) at competitive cost by 2030. One possible pathway for the production of low cost and low carbon intensity SAF is the use of the drought tolerant plant agave. With its low water consumption and high sugar content, agave can be produced in marginal areas prone to drought, such as the United States Southwest. Agave is also known to have lower recalcitrance due to its succulence. These factors make agave a promising feedstock for conversion to ethanol, an intermediate in the production of SAF in the ethanol-to-jet fuel conversion pathway. This project will study the production of ethanol from agave biomass via a simple biochemical pathway that leverages agaves potential as a low recalcitrant feedstock with high sugar content. A simpler process with high ethanol yield would contribute to cost and energy reduction, which would translate to a greener and more cost competitive SAF. Having established technical feasibility, the lab- scale process will be optimized, assessed for its economic viability and life cycle greenhouse gas emissions of 70% reduction, and scaled up accordingly.
