Comparative techno-economic analysis of alcohol-to-jet pathways from ethanol and mixed alcohols, within an integrated sugarcane biorefinery

Alcohol-to-jet (AtJ) processing represents a promising yet cost-prohibitive pathway for sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) production. This work develops a process-level techno-economic evaluation of six novel AtJ configurations within an integrated sugarcane biorefinery, explicitly incorporating commercial dehydration technologies and energy self-sufficient operation. Hydrous and anhydrous ethanol pathways yielded similar minimum aviation fuel selling prices (MAFSP) (3.68 US$/L), as upstream energy savings were offset by downstream penalties. High-pressure dehydration (Hummingbird®-type) reduced MAFSP to 3.63 US$/L and CAPEX by 12% (237 vs 269 million US$) relative to low-pressure dehydration (Atol®-type), demonstrating it as a preferred design basis to minimise energy consumption and capital intensity. Inclusion of C 8 hydrocarbons within the kerosene pool reduced MAFSP by 55%, but blending constraints (<10%) limit practical deployment. Upgrading C 8 to jet-range aromatics reduced MAFSP by 17% while enabling drop-in fuel compatibility, positioning aromatics production as a fuel quality and cost optimisation strategy. Mixed alcohol pathways exhibited marginally higher MAFSPs (3.76 US$/L) due to capital-intensive ethanol coupling highlighting upstream alcohol production as a priority research area for achieving cost-competitive AtJ fuels. These results demonstrate key design trade-offs across feedstock choice, dehydration technologies and product upgrading, identifying actionable levers for technology selection and process optimisation in AtJ deployment.