Bianca Barros Marangon, Jackeline de Siqueira Castro, Fabiane Carvalho Ballotin, Laís Santos Silva, Paula Peixoto Assemany, Eduardo Aguiar do Couto, Thiago Abrantes Silva, Maurino Magno Jesus Junior, Vinícius José Ribeiro, José Ivo Ribeiro Júnior, Carvalho Ag, Sarah de Paiva Silva Pereira Pinheiro, Sergio Antonio A. Fernandes, Maria Lúcia Calijuri
High Resolution Image Download MS PowerPoint Slide In the context of aviation decarbonization goals, this study investigated the conversion of wastewater-grown microalgae into sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) precursor via one-step hydrothermal liquefaction (HTL) and upgrading. The highest bio-oil yield achieved was 23.07% (dry basis), at 320 °C for 30 min with 10% NiMo/Al 2 O 3 catalyst. The highest heating value, 41.77 MJ kg –1, was obtained under the same temperature and catalyst concentration, but with a longer reaction time (120 min). Bio-oil yield was significantly influenced by temperature, while the catalyst played a key role in sulfur reduction. The response surface analysis identified an intersection region, around 324 °C with 15% NiMo/Al 2 O 3 catalyst, that offers a favorable balance between high yield and low sulfur content. Since reaction time had no significant impact on the results, a 30 min process is recommended to improve energy efficiency. Bio-oil presented a predominance of aromatic hydrocarbons, with smaller fractions of alkanes and cycloalkanes, compounds that are desirable for SAF. These results highlight HTL as a promising pathway for wastewater-grown microalgae valorization. However, further refining and comprehensive technical, economic, and environmental assessments are needed to advance the use of this bio-oil as SAF precursor.