title: Microbial alkane production for jet fuel industry: motivation, state of the art and perspectives.
abstract: Bio-jet fuel has attracted a lot of interest in recent years and has become a focus for aircraft and engine manufacturers, oil companies, governments and researchers. Given the global concern about environmental issues and the instability of oil market, bio-jet fuel has been identified as a promising way to reduce the greenhouse gas emissions from the aviation industry, while also promoting energy security. Although a number of bio-jet fuel sources have been approved for manufacture, their commercialization and entry into the market is still a far way away. In this review, we provide an overview of the drivers for intensified research into bio-jet fuel technologies, the type of chemical compounds found in bio-jet fuel preparations and the current state of related pre-commercial technologies. The biosynthesis of hydrocarbons is one of the most promising approaches for bio-jet fuel production, and thus we provide a detailed analysis of recent advances in the microbial biosynthesis of hydrocarbons (with a focus on alkanes). Finally, we explore the latest developments and their implications for the future of research into bio-jet fuel technologies.
authors.affiliation: Abengoa Research, Campus Palmas Altas, C/Energía Solar, 41014, Sevilla, Spain.
authors.forename: Lorena
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Jiménez-Díaz
authors.affiliation: Abengoa Research, Campus Palmas Altas, C/Energía Solar, 41014, Sevilla, Spain.
authors.forename: Antonio
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Caballero
authors.affiliation: Abengoa Research, Campus Palmas Altas, C/Energía Solar, 41014, Sevilla, Spain.
authors.forename: Natalia
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Pérez-Hernández
authors.affiliation: Abengoa Research, Campus Palmas Altas, C/Energía Solar, 41014, Sevilla, Spain.|Estación Experimental del Zaidín-CSIC, C/Profesor Albareda s/n, 18008, Granada, Spain.
authors.forename: Ana
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Segura
mesh_terms: D000473:Alkanes / Q000378:metabolism*; D001419:Bacteria / Q000378:metabolism*; D056804:Biofuels / Q000382:microbiology*; D001709:Biotechnology / Q000379:methods / Q000639:trends; D005658:Fungi / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D000473:Alkanes; D056804:Biofuels