Coprocessing Renewable and Waste Feedstocks: Critical Technology for Aviation Decarbonization

Co-processing renewable feedstocks with petroleum streams represents a critical pathway for achieving aviation industry decarbonization, offering the only viable route to scale sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) production while avoiding high facility investments. This comprehensive review demonstrates that coprocessing is essential for meeting urgent climate commitments, as it leverages existing refinery infrastructure to enable immediate SAF deployment. The analysis examines integration strategies for diverse renewable feedstocks─including fats, oils, and grease, pyrolysis oils from biomass, waste plastics and scrap tire, Fischer–Tropsch wax, and hydrothermal liquefaction biocrude─highlighting how each contributes to the renewable feedstock portfolio required for large-scale low-carbon aviation fuel production. Combined with novel catalyst systems with improved contaminant tolerance, coprocessing as the foundational technology facilitates the aviation fuel transformation. This Review establishes that mixed feedstock coprocessing strategies, supported by regulatory momentum (EU ReFuelEU mandates, US tax incentives), represent the primary mechanism through which aviation can achieve net-zero emissions by 2050, making coprocessing development one of the most important priorities for future aviation fuel research.