Room: King Willem Alexander
Date: Thursday, 21 May 2026
Time: 09:00 - 10:00 CEST
Session code 5CO.1
Systems-level design and optimization of integrated biorefineries for advanced biofuels
Bifunctional Acid-Sites within Ordered Catalysts for the Production of SAF Via the Isobutanol-Pathway
Short Introductive summary
The Alcohol-to-Jet (ATJ) process offers a sustainable route to produce jet fuels from renewable alcohols. Isobutanol is a promising intermediate due to its renewable sourcing and ability to form C12–C16 olefins within the SAF range. However, water formed during dehydration hinders catalyst performance in single-step processes. Within the EU-funded ICARUS project, this study optimizes zeolite-based catalysts to enhance selectivity and stability in the isobutene-to-SAF conversion. Modified H-ZSM-5 zeolites with tailored surface properties showed improved resistance to water inhibition, favoring one-step isobutanol conversion. Reaction tests revealed that higher pressures promote selectivity toward C12–C16 olefins and maintain catalyst activity. These results demonstrate that tuning zeolite surface hydrophobicity and reaction conditions enables efficient SAF-range olefin production, advancing the development of sustainable and cost-effective alcohol-to-jet pathways.
Presenter
Iker AGUIRREZABAL
Universidad del País Vasco, Chemical and Environmental Engineering Dpt., SPAIN
Presenter's biography
Iker Aguirrezabal Telleria is PhD in Chemical Engineering from the Univ. of Basque Country (UPV/EHU, Spain, 2013). In April 2014-2017 he stayed as postdoc at UC Berkeley (USA). As Assoc. Prof. in 2017, he leads EU projects in solid-catalysis, SAF production and CO2/H2O photocatalysis.
Biographies and Short introductive summaries are supplied directly by presenters and are published here unedited
Co-authors:
N. Viar, University of the Basque Country, Bilbao, SPAIN
I. Aguirrezabal-Telleria, University of the Basque Country, Bilbao, SPAIN
Session reference: 5CO.1.4