Publications by authors named "Nabila A Huq"
Biomass conversion to fuels and chemicals is crucial to decarbonization, but choosing an advantageous upgrading pathway out of many options is challenging. Rigorously evaluating all candidate pathways (process simulation, product property testing) requires a prohibitive amount of research effort; even simple upgrading schemes have hundreds of possible permutations. We present a method enabling high-throughput screening by approximating upgrading unit operations and drop-in compatibility of products (, fuel properties) and apply it to volatile fatty acid (VFA) conversion to liquid transportation fuels via a MATLAB script, VFA Upgrading to Liquid Transportation fUels Refinery Estimation (VULTURE).
View Article and Find Full Text PDFToward net-zero sustainable aviation fuel with wet waste-derived volatile fatty acids.
Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A
March 2021
Article Synopsis
- - The growing need for sustainable aviation fuels (SAF) has led to the exploration of new technologies to use wet waste as a low-cost feedstock to create jet fuel alternatives, potentially replacing over 20% of US jet fuel consumption.
- - Researchers investigated the conversion of food waste into volatile fatty acids (VFAs) and their subsequent catalytic upgrading into n-paraffin and branched isoparaffin SAF blends, which meet fuel specifications and can significantly increase the renewable blend limits.
- - The study found that producing VFA-SAF from food waste could cut greenhouse gas emissions by up to 165% compared to traditional jet fuel, especially highlighting the economic feasibility and environmental benefits of diverting waste from landfills. *
Performance-advantaged ether diesel bioblendstock production by a priori design.
Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A
December 2019
Lignocellulosic biomass offers a renewable carbon source which can be anaerobically digested to produce short-chain carboxylic acids. Here, we assess fuel properties of oxygenates accessible from catalytic upgrading of these acids a priori for their potential to serve as diesel bioblendstocks. Ethers derived from C and C carboxylic acids are identified as advantaged fuel candidates with significantly improved ignition quality (>56% cetane number increase) and reduced sooting (>86% yield sooting index reduction) when compared to commercial petrodiesel.
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